Social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook are incredibly popular these days, with more than 150-million users worldwide. But there's a problem popping up that has some people saying see ya'. Action News Reporter Heather Catallo has the details.
[Heather]
Social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook may be a great way to keep in touch with friends.. But there’s a growing problem of spam getting through to users… that means your kids could be getting messages from people trying to sell something.. as well as from adult websites.
It's good to have friends, but in real life, they're people you've met in person. Once you set up an online social networking site, it doesn't always work that way. You may get dozens of requests from strangers.
Larry Rosen, PhD/“Me, MySpace, and I”
"Some of those are from businesses that want you to be your friend because they're looking for business, some are from porn stars who set up their MySpace page."
In fact, a recent survey showed in the past twelve months, 83-percent of users received spam, or unwanted friend messages, on their accounts. Four out of ten said they noticed an increase in the past six months.
Larry Rosen, PhD/”Me, MySpace, and I”
"What it does often is clogs up your computer."
And that's turning some people off to online networking.
Scott Mariano/Social Networker
"I did end up canceling my account"
In the survey, two-thirds of users said they'd be at least somewhat likely to cancel if they got a significant number of unwanted messages. But experts say you don't have to go that far.
Helen Carabez/Social Networker
"I consider it annoying but I just ignore it, I just delete it."
Or-you can customize your account, using the privacy settings to limit or even block messages, emails or friend requests.
Dr. Larry Rosen, author of “Me, MySpace and I,” says the real concern comes with children. Kids love the idea of collecting friends, and they’re more likely to say yes to every request. Rosen says parents should prepare their children.
Larry Rosen, PhD/”Me, MySpace, and I”
"They need to talk to their kids, 'well, what would you do if you get an email that's not very nice, how will you handle it?'"
Joy Dudley says she keeps a close eye on her kids' accounts.
Joy Dudley/Parent
"I always have told them to be careful who you communicate with when you're online."
But Dr. Rosen says social networking does have its advantages.
Larry Rosen, PhD/”Me, MySpace, and I”
"It is a place where people communicate., form groups and they also present themselves to the world."
And it is fun- especially when it comes to your "real" friends.
Scott Mariano/Social Networker
"It's really easy to keep in contact with old friends."
MySpace uses special technology called CAPTCHA to help capture mass emails that are sent out over their site. Facebook told us they do not tolerate spam and they also monitor for repeated messages that are sent to multiple users. Both sites request users to report any spam to help in their monitoring
HEATHER CATALLO REPORTS IN THE VIDEO PLAYER TO THE RIGHT
