MySpace Blogs

What Is A Blog?

The term "blog" comes from "web log." Basically blogs are online journals. The most popular ones receive millions of visitors and tenacious bloggers have shaken up the traditional world of journalism. Still, the vast majority of blogs are smaller efforts for sharing thoughts and feelings with friends, family and the occasional random reader.

What is MySpace?

MySpace is a social networking site. Users create a personalized profile page, and are then able to post blogs, send messages to other MySpace users, build a list of friends and leave comments for those friends.

How To Sign Up

Signing up is simple and free; in a few minutes, you can be ready to post to your new MySpace blog. The sign-up form asks for your name, email address, postal code, gender and date of birth. Along with this basic information, you will need to select a password and user name before you can get started.

Posting In Your MySpace Blog

Once you're logged in to MySpace, click on the "Home" link to be taken to your personal page. Under your user pic, there should be a link to visit your blog. From this blog page, you can post a new blog, edit past blogs and customize the look of your posts.

The "Post New Blog" link takes you to the blog editor.

• Create a subject, select a category for the entry if you like to organize your posts, and type away.
• Blog posts can be made public, meaning anyone who comes across your profile can read them, or they can be accessible only to members of your friends list. There is one exception. If you are under age 16, only those on your friends list can view your profile and anything, such as blog posts, associated with it.
• While any MySpace user can send you a message through the site, only those on your friends list can comment on blog posts. You have the option of disabling comments entirely on any post if you just don't want readers to respond. *MySpace blogs also allow you to choose a mood to tell your readers how you were feeling when you made a particular post and add a link to what you're currently listening to, reading or watching.

Click on "Preview & Post" to see what your new post will look like. If it's perfect, select "Post" and your words will appear on MySpace in seconds. If you see a mistake, or think of something else you'd like to add, select "Edit" and if, on second thought, you don't want to share those thoughts with the world, you still have the option to "Cancel" the entry.

MySpace faces occasional site errors and downtimes when some areas of the site aren't functioning. If you write lengthy posts, it may be better to save your blogs in a document on your computer instead of typing them directly in the blog editor. If you have a saved copy, you won't lose you hard work in case of a site problem.

Online Safety

MySpace has received some negative publicity, mainly due to online predators targeting underage girls. If you have a MySpace blog, following a few commonsense rules will help you stay safe:

• Never post your contact information online.
• Be on a first-name basis, or even use a catchy nickname.
• Be careful when filling out basic profile information. If you list your name, your age and your school, it wouldn't be too hard for someone to track you down. Sometimes it's better to be anonymous.
• Don't announce your whereabouts. There's no need to be so specific anyone could track you down at the shift you're working at McDonald's or the bus stop you stand at every night.
• Use caution when responding to emails and messages from other MySpace members. If you don't know them in real life, follow the same rules you would for a public blog post.
• No matter what your age, be cautious when dealing with unknown people on the Internet. If you bond with another MySpace member over a shared love of a band, agreeing to meet at an upcoming show can be a good way to make a new friend. Agreeing to drive to a secluded area alone is a good way to get in trouble.

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