[baarn] Addicted to Myspace.com?

[Guest guest]

On Jan 11, 2006, at 12:46 PM, Michael Borg wrote:Tom (Myspace's founder) claims he still has complete control over the site and says he will not delete profiles or groups that are not obscene or harassing others.Myspace has always been owned by an internet market research firm called Intermix Media, which always had ownership interest by Fox / Rupert Murdoch, until Fox bought the rest of it. Myspace is basically a marketing database used to track trends among "the youth demographic". The site itself does not make a profit on banner ads. The real money is the marketing database. Hence, the $500 million price tag."Tom" is a bit of a myth. He's a real person, but he's not the sole founder. Tom's account has been used as a role account, with automated messages and replies from customer service coming from his account to give the site a friendlier feel. (As yourself, how can one person respond to the customer service needs of a user base of 40 million people? It's impossible.)Considering the strong ties between Fox and the Republican party, and the recent crackdown on free speech and activism (by prosecuting it as "terrorism"), I would strongly urge all activists to avoid Myspace at all costs. There are plenty of other free services out there that don't have direct ties with the political party that wants you in jail for exercising your right to political activism. Myspace / Fox will not hesitate to hand over your posts to law enforcement. Even if it hasn't happened "yet", are you willing to take that chance?Find a different free service, or build your own, or find a friend who knows how.Call me alarmist, but I personally think any activist who uses Myspace is asking for trouble. Keep your Myspace account for showing off your new hair or photos of your cat. Use something else for planning protests and direct action.More info for the curious:http://www.applexnet.com/trent/blog/index.php?name=News & file=article & sid=50