Myspace or Yours?

First, to that one guy in Galveston, TX, who intends to hang out on his island and ride out Hurricane Ike this weekend.. you are a stupid fuck.

Okay, on to business...

I'm not sure if any of you faithful readers are aware of this, but there are apparently some websites being used for what's being called "social networking." Yeah, that sentence is dripping with sarcasm, because it seems like EVERYONE is a member of Myspace, Facebook or both.

It's come to my attention that there are three basic groups of people on these sites that I can sum up in three simple letters: OCD.
O-- Obsessive. These are the people who check Myspace and/or Facebook 4-5 times an hour to see if any of their "friends" are online or if any of their "friend requests" have gone through. If you're not one of these people, you probably KNOW at least one. Here's how you spot them: they're the ones who send you 20 requests a day for things like "snowball fight," "take this pseudo-plant and send one back to me," and the ever popular "take this 'What can YOU shove up YOUR anus' quiz." Yes, free friendship is available online, and proven with comments, bulletin boards, "stickers", and even...ahem...blogs. Do not judge these "O" people lest ye be judged...repeatedly. With at least 20 comments on your bulletin board over the course of the next hour.
C-- Casual. These are the people who check Myspace and/or Facebook 4-5 times a week (maybe TWO weeks). They'll politely respond to messages from friends whom they have not seen in years and ask those friends how things are going, how the second/third/seventh marriage is going, how long until they stop popping out those damn kids, etc. They're likely to respond to 1, maybe 2, "friend requests" or "snowball fights" over the course of a month. They might even through a snowball back...which is exactly the amount of a chance in hell that you'll hear from the final group...
D-- Don't give a fuck. These are the people who check the sites once a year (if you're lucky). They didn't even want to put up a page in the first place, but got tired of all the nagging "friends" asking them what their Myspace page was. (In the interest of full disclosure, my Myspace page STILL ends in a random set of numbers...my cleverness goes to this blog) There will be only about 2 pictures of them on their page, and there's a better-than-average chance that they didn't even create the page themselves, but instead let one of their "friends" do it for them. They're also likely to annoy the "O" groupers by not responding to any "friend requests" and just letting them sit there...forever...just for fun.

It's a tongue-in-cheek look, but still somewhat true. Social networking sites are a double-edged sword. You can see all these people..but as soon as you grant a friend request, they can see everything you do. Or, at least, what you're willing to post online. And for some people, that's a LOT more than should be done.

There have also been some well-publicized incidences of cyber-bullying, where immature children (and sometimes adults) pester, harang and pretty much harass people they don't care for on the sites. You might have even heard about the girl who committed suicide because of all the bullying being done to her.

As for me, I've won and lost on the sites. I found a hot date by looking at the friend list of one of my friends. On the down side, it's also been easier for my exes to track me down.

I could go on about this for hours, but you don't have that kind of time. Bottom line, there's no regulation on these sites, which is why some people like them and some hate them. Once you approve that friend request, your world becomes as open a book as you want it to be. And without having to communicate face-to-face with people, it seems a lot easier for some to disclose VERY personal information. So Myspazz at your own risk. Because your "friends" might not be as tight with you as you think. But you can always guarantee they're a little OCD.
-B-