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It was only for fun...

Did you know that every day, researchers in America gather and analyse data about people’s tastes, preferences and relationships from Facebook?

Did you know that at least one British University monitors Facebook to gain evidence about pranks and poor behaviour by their students?

Did you know that before many employers interview people for a job, they often search social networking sites to find out what the candidate is really like?

Most of you will have your own page on a social networking site such as Bebo, MySpace or Facebook. These sites are a great way to make new friends and keep in contact with old friends. And most of the things that you post are harmless and won’t cause you any problems.

Anyway, you can just delete your information if you change your mind later can’t you? Well maybe it isn’t that easy as student Kris Athi found out when he tried unsuccessfully over 50 times to get details removed from his page.

So what do you think?

Are social networking sites just a bit of harmless fun and a good way to keep in contact with friends?
Or do you think that things you have posted might embarrass you in the future?

Post your views by clicking on the button. All sensible comments will be added.

COMMENTS FOR

COMMENTS AGAINST

Im not going to stop using myspace. All my mates use it and we check out each others pages all the time. I think other people should keep their noses out of things that dont belong to them.

spud

Nothing will affect you on myspace, or facebook, or whatever if = your careful. also do not use your real name on myspace!!!

a crack

they are good sites just dont be stupid and put on info you will= regret

dodgy

i really dont have a problem wid these sites i tink dat der ok b= ut its the responibility of the people that go on the sites to respect them= sleves when dem go on it if they want people 2 tink dat they are foolish an= d have no manner dem they have to suffer the consequences of the actions

got alot to say

Heyy.. ii think bebo and myspace aree greatt :D they let yuu chatt tuu ya mates n if ya sensible den ya shud be fine! yeh make new friends but dont give them your details. facebooks confusin for mee :( lol but bebo n myspace r great! =)

Steph.x

I think Bebo, Myspace etc are harmless. You dont have to put on your profile person details only if you want to, so if you want to thats your decision. Anyway theyre fun easy ways to catch up with friends for freee

Cloudz

There fine just stop these stupid convosations about them and le= ave then alone if you dont want your profile looked at then dont make one!!!

Tony Redgrave

i love myspace and facebook they are a greeat way to keep in tou= ch with friends and make new ones or talk t family that may live abroad or = far away, manny issuses about theese websites have been brought to my atten= tion but if they are used correctly to talk and find out about good bands t= here is NO harm at all xx

PashleyX

I think that bebo is a great way of keeping in touch with old friends.Also if you don't want people that you don't know to see your profile then keep it private and don't accept anyojne you don't know.Simple!

MCFLY FAN--X

I think that 'Bebo' and things like that are just for fun and are a great way to keep in touch with your old friends and also make new friends The companys that search the sites to gather infomation are sneaky sneakys Just because a person may act like a silly billy on HIS site dosnt mean he would go into work and act like a silly billy

BIG Bill 08

I don't have a Bebo/MySpace/Facebook account myself (well I do h= ave a MySpace but I haven't actually used it since I opened it) but I perso= nally think they are good places for people like me who (I'll confess, LOL)= have no friends at school/work.

anonymous

Bebo is fun. Don't want people looking at your profile? Then eit= her set it to private or delete it... common sense.

Rhett M!

I Think Myspace And Bebo are good to keep in touch with friends.. i dont agree with people lurking your comments tohugh to find out abour your personal life, you can always set it to private or not accept anybody you dont know to keep it more private.

Somebody Kool

I think that bebo and myspace are absolutly fine. It makes you k= eep in contact wif friends and relatives. If you don't want random people t= o view your page then you can just set it to private and then when/if they = add you, you can deny it if you don't know them/want to know them. xx

Mantha. & Becca. x

I think that bebo and myspace are fine but do we don't like the = idea of face book. If you do not post to much personal information it is a fun and safe way to= talk to your friends

Rhiana & Livi .x <3 =3D]

i think bebo is good for freindships, it allows people to keep i= n contact with freinds you might not see anymore, you can accept people who= try to add your profile so it allows you to have some security on your pro= file, also you can stop public veiwing your profile, i love bebo because of= the different ways to contact freinds and even send messages to them too

chaz

I think taht bebo, MySpace etc are really good ways of contacting your close friends and also meeting new people. I use bebo and myspace everyday and i have never had any issues with them because you can always delete anything you post on them. It's really easy (: you can also make your profile private so only your close friends can view your profile. in conclusion i think bebo and my space etc are really good and a safe fun way to contact friends (: Zoe Robinson 10.6 U.V.H.S Bc lesson 5 BROTHA !

ROBiNSON BEBZ .. (:

I think Bebo, Myspace etc are great ways of speaking to your clo= se friends & even meeting new friends. I know there are some strange people= out there that look at your profile and try to contact you via MSN etc.. B= ut there is always the option of not replying or making your profile privat= e meaning they can no longer look at your profile unless they are a friend = of yours. In conclusion I think Bebo & other social networking sites are great ideas = if used apropriatly. Kelly 10.6 BC class BRUV!

kellyy babes'xxo. 10.6

I think that Bebo an myspace are well good!i think that anyone should be able to look at them as long as you stay safe and make sure you don't include information that you don't want people to see! And you can make new friends through them.

Steph loves Josh!

I like myspace. It is a good way for me to keep in contact with my old friends because i can track them down easily. Also i can choose who i want to read my profile because i can set it to private only my selected friends can read my private information. It is easy to use and gives me somthing to do. Go myspace!

LFC fan :)!

Its your choice if you wanna join myspace or bebo and if anythin goes wrong u can always delete your account and maybe kris athi was hacked or the system was down as long as yu dont tell anyone your password you are fine :] On myspace if you get phished if temporarily closes your page down . :] (Y)

:] LOZZA (: (Y)(H)

I think myspace,bebo,facebook etc. are harmless but can be dangerous if you post to much information about yourself. it is a good way to keep in touch with people who you might of met over the past. but if you post to much information about yourself it could make you a target for bullying, or peadophiles :]

KATiE :]<3

I think that social networking is a good way to keep in touch wi= th your friends and make new friends, i dont think stalkers and pedophiles = are a problem as long as you only accept people that you know and keep your= profile privet this would make it safer for you to use and keep your profi= le safer

ben copestick

I think that myspace and bebo and facebook are all a good idea because it keeps you occupied. If your friend has moved away then it is a good idea to keep in contact with you. You can make your profile private so taht only people who you add or add you can see ti, i think that taht is a good idea =] .

Ellen =]

I FINK THAH MYSPACE &+ BEBO ARE BRILLIANT BECAUSE YOU CAN FIND N= EW FRIENDS ETC BUT IF THERES A PROBLEM ABOUH PUTTING CERTAIN INFORMATION ON= A SOCIAL WEBSYT THEN DONT PUT IT ON THERE &+ NOBODYY WILL SEE IT WILL THEY= :]

NATALIEE BABESS :]

i think that myspace, bebo, facebook and good, and are a good wa= y to share stuff with friends & is also a good way 2 make friends, if you d= ont like them, then dont go on them.... =3DD

jodie

I think that myspace,bebo and face book are good as you can meet new people and have achanve for your true personalitiy to shine as the page is totally yours! Maybe your employers might check you out but at the end of the day they have got to employ you for who you are not something they want you to be. Also you can report any abuse that may be put towards you and are able to block people you don't like or don't know so in many respects if you use it correctly then it's safe and a good way to socialise =]

Kaytee...♥

i think that myspace, bebo, facebook and all over networking sit= es are just for fun.if your stupid and add comments then its your fault. It= 's a good way to communicate with your friends if you don't wanna go out bu= t you should think before you write

Lucy

NO WAY MYSPACE IS JUST A BIT OF HARMLESS FUN AND ALL YOUR INFOR= MATION CAN BE DELEATED AND STORED VERY EASILY :) I DONT UNDERSTAND WHAT ALL THE BOTHER IS ABOUT FOR THESE CAUSE ITS VERY SIM= PLE

FOR GOT MY NAME ;]

its just for fun and to talk to mates... why would we be embarresed by what we say? if we were to be horrible to people then yes, but if it was just a joke or something then no-one will care. :)

shannen!!

i think that myspace and bebo are ok. if people don't like to use or go on it then don't. why stop the people who= want to go on these sites and like it. this is just another way to meet friends or even make new friends.

julie

I think Myspace and Bebo are brilliant, if you don't like it then don't look at them, it's up to everyone as an individual!

2hawt4u;

What would be point in a networking site that you can't use for networking? Would that not defeat the object of the sites themselves?

LOLZ

at the end of the day if the information YOU put on one of these social networking sites is going to embarrass you then dont put it up there its not as hard as people make out to delete information however i do not agree with people who use the sites to bully and inscriminate others but as many users will know they have links you can click on to get that persons account cancelled and thats my view

black panther

I think it's a good fun as long as you aren't pranking on other people's sites. that can become annoying. but as long as they put suitable comments, its fine and you get to know new people!

<3 Joo.Choo <3

i think that if you dont want people to know about your personal details than why join websites like this. your just asking for trouble if you put infomation on there that you dont want people to know.

Lilsophz2kaii8

Bebo and Myspace are cool and if yuu dont want people to read things then dont put them on. www stands for world wide web so anyone can read them. These are your own pages on the web so people can find out more about yuu. If yuu dont want people to read stuff then dont put it on there. :)

Megzii--x

I think that social networking is a good way to keep in touch with your friends and make new friends, i dont think stalkers and pedophiles are a problem as long as you only accept people that you know and keep your profile privet so only your accepted friends can see your profile. Many people have webcams which is a sure way to see if the person your talking to is who they say they are. Its a bad idea to give out personal information on a website which anybody can read , most people realise this and dont. I really agree with age bans young people could be tricked quite easily.

Rose

i think its good for when you aint got nuffin 2do and to keep in touch with people and to have a social life with people all over da wrld...so who evas against you should jus allow urslf!!

xXxAimzxXx

i think it shoudle be aloud it doesnt matter if they look at your comments does it thts y u shuldnt wriet peronal comments on there :)

david turner

I like bebo, and i think its a waste of time looking at peoples pages. People behave differently with their friends, and if they know when to stop, then they should

Don Webbo\

I think it is a brilliant idea to do social networking because it saves you having to meet up with people or phone people which costs money. Plus when you talk to people you have much uvva stuff to do at the same time x from amy x

Amphie kins

Theres absolutely nothing wrong with social profiles..just don't be stupid

xxSweet Sixteenxx

i think social networking is a great idea for it developes well peoples relationships with one anouther and allows us to communicate to friends at long distence it also allows us to meet new people in a safe enviroment. But of course a high level of sercurity is needed to ensure the safty of its users.

Gilly

i think that posting things on bebo for example is fairly appropriate as sites like these made to purposely give out information on yourself and to talk to new people and obviously your friends. but when i post things i always make sure i dont give out exact details like where i live because thast oul be stupid and you mite as well post little things about yourself becasue somemone can find information on you some way or another, basically i tink you shouldnt post exact details about yourself but it wont do any harm if you post little things about yourself

dirtydevilo8

Well, if you post something on the internet it's hardly private is it? People should learn that ANYONE with a computer can find webpages with your username/name on it. So if you want to keep something private, don't post it up in the first place.

T4E

I never post anything that I shouldnt cos my pareents would kill me. I know they check what I say :) so as long as you arent stupid then you should be ok

Fallen Doom

Im not going to stop using myspace. All my mates use it and we check out each others pages all the time. I think other people should keep their noses out of things that dont belong to them.

Bbeo

I would be annoyed if I thought that an employer had been searching my private pages. I think it would make me stop and think whether I really wanted to work for them.

Misery

I think this is like spying on you. They should believe what you tell them and not go looking for things about you that are nothing to do with them.

Shize

also i think its bad to put to much personal info on and pictures

matt b

i think that it is a bad idea to put personal information on a website

scotty do

i totaly agree i bet people in job interviews do look at what yo= u put on these sorts of websites to see what sort of person you are so DONT= put anything you will regret when you are older!!

Princess Toaster

I think bebo and myspace are good ways of comunicating with frie= nds, but it can go too far sometimes. I've met people from all over the world on my computer, but most of them i = don't know and probably never will. Socialing networks should be made more preventable, i've hacked into my fri= ends computer from his bebo before just to show how easy it is xDD Sophie-<33x

MEN

I think all nasty sites like this should be banned for good. Wh= at's the point anyway? You can see your friends in school. It is simply to= o dangerous to even consider.

ErinGui.X

I think that sites such as these are abominable. The content is = obscene in most cases, and social networking sites in general are simply a = chance to drape yourself quite literally over a paedophile's desk. I think = they should be banned. For good.

Gui_attack!

I do like bebo and myspace but I dont think that there good as h= ow people can just look at your profile i just think its not giving you eno= ugh privacy, and I think that anyone you dont even know can just look at yo= ur profile whenever they want and have everyone knowing your personal detai= ls. I just dont think thats right.

Alesha

I think They should be aloud to look on ur bebo for information about ur self some people might think its privacy but its not

Burnzy

I think myspace and bebo are okay but i think it is a bit wrong = that people go on your profile loookin for details. i have a facebook acoun= t aswell but i dont realy trust facebook as i am not sure if you can have a= private profile.

*Lauraa--Jaynee__x

i beleive this is an ivasion of privicy people should not judge us on our past so by going to a job inter veiw maybe we want to start fresh :P

DPORT METRO

my space and bebo are gr8 websites but i don't like the fact tha= t anybody can view your page-it's ruining your privacy and if my employer c= hecked my page to find out about me i wouldn't like to work for him and any= way what's the point all they have to do ask whatever it is that they wanna= ask in the interview-dat's wat interviews r 4! wat's da point in a intervi= ew if they've already found out everything about you already?

freak

I personnaly do not see the point in these websites. Why bother = making a profile about yourself on the internet where anyone in the world c= an see photos of you and find out personal details. You never know who you = could really be talking to or planing to meet up with. If you're doing it t= o talk to your "friends" you need to get real ones.. and if all your real f= riends go on it and you do talk to them then you need to get a life and get= out more . These websites are filled with lazy people with no life.

I have a perfect example of posting something on Bebo which I later regretted. When I entered L6 in my school, one of the privileges offered to us was being able to 'sign out' of school once a week if we had a free period. One day me and my friends signed out, and I took a video of the whole thing, dubbing us the "Sign Out Crew". I later posting the video on bebo, forgetting that it contained footage of smoking and use of vulgar language, etc. All of which was committed whilst wearing the school uniform. The school found out, and as a result we lost our privileges and our prefect badges were taken off us. So, in my opinion, there is nothing wrong with these networking sites as long as you post in moderation and make sure you check whats on there!

speaker-for-the-dead

if you wrote stuff years ago on a profile, it could be outdated = and make you look bad

debzer

i think myspace is bad because if someone else gets your passwor= d they can send messages to your friends without you realising and they may= even change your password so you can't get back on your own profile. Weird= o's can read your stuff aswell, they could make a profile pretending to be = young and attractive when really they are an old, ugly peadophile.

shabba

i think that myspace and bebo are not very good because if you p= ut down stuff like where you are from and what school you go to then someon= e can track you down and that wouldnt be godd at all would it

tsg

I think that these sites may harm people in the future because p= eople can put in items/ photographs and/ or images on the site to purposely= hurt another person.

Top Cruzer

I think that these online profiles are outragous, if you have got real friends you dont need to have a profile that others can see and talk to you on because children these days are really lazy and need to get out and see their real friends because you never know who you could be talking to online. From Sarah.

iloverobots

I think that facebook is a waste of time and it just causes problems because at the end of the day you dont know everyone that wants to make friends with you it fair enough if you only accpet ya friends bt u could be talking to pedophiles and stalkers without realising. i think it is unsafe for any child under the age 16 cause they dont always realise who they are accepting into their spaces......

Shibby

well i think that anyone can look at the comment so that you should think before you start typing lol :)

ben lambert

well yeah think about it - if you are daft enough to put up things on the internet that show you in a bad light then its your own fault if you dont get a job or a place at the university you want to go to. think about what you put up cos it might not matter now but it might cause you problems in the future.

Teya

omg are you serious? this is very scary to think that things you post up on your might come back and haunt you when you leave school. I never thought about it b4, am going to be more careful in future.

JimJam SpiderMan