MySpace

Welcome Using Safety Settings Tips for Teens Cyberbullying Tools and Downloads Contact MySpace

WELCOME

Millions of people like you use MySpace to connect with friends, discover trends, define interests and plan their social lives online. MySpace listens to its community and continually updates and adds new features to help creative, passionate and opinionated individuals be seen, heard and connect online.

As the most widely-used site of its kind, MySpace is committed to educating its community about safe practices and tips to remember when online. The resources available in this section provide valuable information about profile safety settings available to every user, important tips about how to be smart and safe when online, and what to do and who to contact if you feel uncomfortable in any situation online.

Remember the online world IS the real world and common sense applies. Be smart, be safe, and have fun!

Find out more by clicking on the topics listed on the left.

USING SAFETY SETTINGS

MySpace has developed a number of safety features and settings to protect you from unwanted contact and allow you to control the privacy of your profile, including:

Private Profiles

Every profile has the option of being ‘private.’ This means that only you and those you have added and approved as friends can see the details of your profile, including your blog, photos, interests, etc.

To set your profile to ‘private,’ first sign in to your MySpace account. In the ‘Classic View of the profile’, click on the ‘Account Settings’ link next to your profile picture In the ‘New Home Skin’ view of the profile, click on ‘Settings’ from the Control Panel located below your profile picture. Select ‘Privacy’ from the top navigation bar. In ‘Profile Viewable By’ select ‘My Friends Only’. Now, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on ‘Save All Changes’ to ensure your updated settings have been saved.

Pre-approve Comments

The default setting for comments on MySpace profiles does not require comments to be approved prior to appearing on your profile.

To change your settings so you can approve comments before they are posted, sign in to your MySpace account. In the ‘Classic View of the profile’, click on the ‘Account Settings’ link next to your profile picture In the ‘New Home Skin’ view of the profile, click on ‘Settings’ from the Control Panel located below your profile picture. Select ‘Spam’ from the top navigation bar. In ‘Comments’ select ‘Require approval before comments are posted’. Now, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on ‘Save All Changes’ to ensure your updated settings have been saved.

Block another user

If a user that you do not know or want to interact with contacts you, you have the ability to block them from future contact. Also, if you feel this person may be a threat to yourself or others, immediately notify a trusted adult or law enforcement and report the user to MySpace through the ‘Contact MySpace’ link at the bottom of every page.

To block a user from contacting you, go to the user’s page and under their profile picture click on the ‘Block User’ link. A pop-up window will appear asking you if you are sure you want to block this user. Click ‘Ok.’ to confirm.

Turn off the 'online now' status icon

Don’t want people to know when you’re on MySpace? Turn off the ‘online now’ status icon so other users can’t see when you’re on the site and when you’re not.

To conceal your ‘online now’ status, sign in to your MySpace account. . In the ‘Classic View of the profile’, click on the ‘Account Settings’ link next to your profile picture In the ‘New Home Skin’ view of the profile, click on ‘Settings’ from the Control Panel located below your profile picture. Select ‘Privacy’ from the top navigation bar. In ‘Online Now’ un-select ‘Show People When I’m Online’. Now, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on ‘Change Settings’ to ensure your setting has been saved.

TIPS FOR TEENS

Don't say you're older than you are. MySpace members must be 13 years of age or older. We take extra precautions to protect our younger members and we are not able to do so if you do not identify yourself as such. MySpace will delete users whom we find to be younger than 13, or those misrepresenting their age to access content or areas they should not.
MySpace is a public space. Members shouldn't post anything they wouldn't want the world to know (e.g., phone number, address, IM screen name, or specific whereabouts). Don't post anything that would make it easy for a stranger to find you, such as your local hang out. It's always fun to post pictures but remember that what you might consider a harmless picture of you and your friends in your uniforms at a school football game, is actually a map telling a stranger exactly where you go to school.
Don't post anything that could embarrass you later or expose you to danger. Please remember that MySpace is public and many people have access to what you post, including potential employers, colleges, your teachers and peers at school that you might not even know. You shouldn't post photos or info you wouldn't want adults to see or people to know about you.
Protect your privacy. Set your profile to private which lets only your friends view your profile. Users under the age of 16 are automatically assigned a private profile. Only accept friend invitations from people you know and trust.
People aren't always who they say they are. Be careful about adding strangers to your friends list. It's fun to connect with new MySpace friends from all over the world, but avoid meeting people in person whom you do not fully know. Remember that you don't really know who is on the other end of an Internet connection.
Harassment, hate speech and inappropriate content should be reported. If you encounter inappropriate behavior, inform your parents or a trusted adult and report it to MySpace or the authorities.
Don't get hooked by a phishing scam. Phishing is a method used by fraudsters to try to get your personal information, such as your username and password, by pretending to be a site you trust. If you suddenly start receiving abnormal bulletins or messages from a friend, they might have been phished. Check with them before opening any files or clicking on any links. If you think you, or a friend, are a victim of phishing, change your password immediately.
Avoid in-person meetings. Don't get together in person with someone you "meet" online unless you are certain of their actual identity. Talk it over with an adult first. Although it's still not risk-free, arrange any meetings in a public place and bring along friends, your parents, or a trusted adult.
Think before you post. What's uploaded to the net can be downloaded by anyone and passed around or posted online pretty much forever. You shouldn't post photos or info you wouldn't want adults to see or people to know about you.

For more safety tips, please visit the FTC's social networking safety tips.

CYBERBULLYING

Cyberbullying411.com has provided the following tips to educate yourself and your friends about cyberbullying and how to address it in the real world.

In general, cyberbullying is bullying or harassment that happens online. Much of it is similar to what you might have experienced offline in schools, homes, or the community, but has the additional aspect of the Internet.

Cyberbullying can take the form of a message on email or IM or a social networking site from someone who is threatening to hurt you or beat you up.

It could be a profile made by someone pretending to be you. Or, someone hacking into your profile and writing comments pretending they're from you.

Cyberbullying occurs in many different places online, including instant messaging, social networking sites, email, and chat rooms. The most common place bullying occurs online is over instant messenger, but it also can occur via other new technologies.

If you are being cyberbullied or threatened online in any way, there are things you can do to stop it:

Ignore the person. Sometimes the easiest thing to do is to ignore the person and go on about your business.
Block or delete the person. If it is happening on Instant Messaging or some other place online that requires a 'buddy list,' you can block certain users based upon their username, or delete them if they are in your buddy list. You can also block emails that are coming from specific email addresses.
Log-off if the harassment is bothering you.
Change your information. If someone has phished your profile, change your password. If someone repeatedly sends you messages (like, 'add me to your buddy list' over and over), consider changing your username or email address.
If there is a profile that was created about you without you knowing, contact MySpace and click on "Imposter Profile" to have the profile or language taken down.
If you are upset about what is being said, talk to someone you trust. Don't feel like you're alone.

When to talk to adults

Many times, teens are able to take care of the cyberbullying on their own. But sometimes it gets out of hand, and it's helpful to talk to an adult about what is going on. If you feel scared or overwhelmed, maybe even trapped, it's definitely time to talk to an adult.

If you don't feel comfortable speaking with a parent, seek out other adults or authorities like a teacher, coach, school counselor, a youth group leader, or other adult family member such as an aunt or uncle.

For more information and resources about how to stop cyberbullying, please visit the following sites:
http://www.cyberbully411.com/
http://www.isolutions4kids.org/

MySpace a place for friends

WELCOME

USING SAFETY SETTINGS

TIPS FOR TEENS

CYBERBULLYING

TOOLS & DOWNLOADS