predators on myspace

It is really sad but people should teach their children not to get roped into this and that it is dangerous online if they aren't careful. For the predators unfortunately the internet is an easy way to find people.

That's obviously tragic, however, considering the millions of Myspace members it's important to recognize that it's a small percentage of the members who are involved in such behaviors. I run a small non-profit (ironically in the area of child abuse prevention), and Myspace has been priceless for networking our outreach. Myspace now also has at least a few members who devote themselves to exploring Myspace and searching for such members (many of whom make their intentions obvious). While I enjoy Myspace and appreciate their increased security recently, I still think it's far too easy for a devious or criminal mind to get away with their behaviors (from pedophiles to hackers). I suppose it's the inherent risk of a site growing that large. People have this illusion of anonymity that I find hilarious...if anything, the internet is one huge paper trail. Virtually anything you're doing is fairly easily discovered and it blows me away that people haven't fully integrated that yet. It's like those guys who keep getting caught while IM'ing young girls...you would think all the network TV specials showing them would cause a change in their behavior...it doesn't. I think if you truly care about the community in which you participate, then you actively work to protect it. It's easy to blame Myspace, but ultimately we're all responsible for each other. I think the same is true here.