Looking at Myspace for this blog post was a bit of a flashback experience. I had one at the end of middle school and beginning of high school and it seems that the site has changed a lot - for the worse that is. Search techniques have expanded to become more creepy and the site layout and profiles are chaotic and confusing.
I actually tried to log in to my old profile but could not remember the correct password. In searching my name I was able to click on my profile and see my old picture, name, age and location but had blocked the rest from the public. I find it kind of creepy that even though my profile was blocked, people can still see my name, age and location. In looking at other profiles I found it a bit disturbing that Myspace lets you search specific age ranges, locations and gender. It seems like there are more chances to be "friended" by random strangers. If your profile is not blocked it seems like it would be very easy for creepy people to stalk or track down those in their specific location.
Another thing about Myspace that I disliked was the messy look. The main page is full of too many links and graphics. Every profile I clicked on was different and very personalized (which was something I actually liked when I had a Myspace - picking backgrounds and icons) but many times text could not be read and profiles were full of unnecessary applications. There were many inappropriate pictures and sayings that made me realize how much more professional Facebook is. It is easy to report an inappropriate picture and every person's background is set up in a way that allows for easy reading of text and pictures.
I think that the creators of Myspace should take a step back and look at what their website has turned into. If they like the fact that their site is more personalized and blog-oriented, they should take a look at other blog sites (like this one for instance) and make their site more professional.
I definitely relate to being freaked out by the lack of privacy that MySpace provides. I hadn't been on MySpace for years until I started applying for more serious jobs my sophomore year of college and realized I still had an account. Unfortunately my email that I used to log-on to MySpace back in the day was long-expired and I had to go to GREAT lengths to delete my profile (I really can't even begin to explain how ridiculous the process was). In short...I, too, really came to appreciate the professionalism and simplicity of Facebook.
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