My FaceSpace

Nowadays, it appears that people are clicking into profile-based websites, publicizing, as well as making themselves part of the World Wide Web. As a matter of fact, many are building profiles on MySpace and Facebook; the two widely popular, FREE personal webpage sites. There is no doubt that both are battling head-to-head, and moreso, space-to-face for the most users and subscribers.

So far, Facebook consists of people from all over the world, with Toronto, Canada named as the largest network. MySpace, on the other hand, has a lot of members originating from the United States. Therefore, it seems that Facebook has a lot of diversity, in comparison with its friendly foe, Myspace.com.

Why do people join these sites anyway? It is already no surprise to find that middle-aged men and women create accounts for the purpose of Internet dating, in hopes of finding their soul mates. Although this fact is proven true for the most part, the younger generation logs on because both MySpace and Facebook have just what they want: the elements of pop-culture. Music, videos, games, concert listings, photo-sharing, you name it; these two websites have it all. MySpace is popular for its celebrity music accounts, HTML-enabling for webpage designs, and big photo albums. Facebook allows its users to sell their stuff online, connect with old friends, as well as make new ones. And who can forget the “Event” feature that lets everyone know exactly where the party’s at, or the “Tag” feature which makes it possible for people to tag their friends in photos and videos? In terms of looks, MySpace is casually personal and self-expressive, while Facebook has a more sophisticated feel to it, with extended privacy settings. 

Nonetheless, you can’t always have the good without the bad. That means that there are downsides to both multi-billion-member moguls: one being the spamming problem. Apparently, many are complaining about the numerous junk mail and page errors that they get from MySpace, along with the millions of applications that pile up on Facebook.
To add on, MySpace constantly goes through website maintenance, causing sign-in problems, while Facebook experiences server failures from time to time.
Even so, these glitches seem insignificant, since they don’t seem to stop the account-holders from clicking in. Overall, both have taken the Internet world by storm - captivating the attention of preteens and adults, as well as artsy folk and business executives alike.

In my opinion, as much I like MySpace’s interactive and customizable characteristics, I’d rather be on Facebook because of its simplicity, as well as its privacy settings. At least, I can rest assured that my inbox won’t be filled with dozens of messages from ad sites or anonymous people when I log in, and I can only let the chosen few search and view my profile. What can I say? I like “my” own personal “space” – just not MySpace.

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Jenny Nucum is a Grade 12 student at Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School, in Brampton. She likes reading books from authors such as Mitch Albom and Paulo Coelho, as well as writing poems, short stories, and most of all, songs. Her achievements include awards from poetry competitions, and being in the Honour Roll for 3 years, with hopes of graduating and receiving honours in her 4th year. After leaving high school, Jenny is looking forward to attend Ryerson University for the Journalism program, as she is planning to pursue a career in the newspaper industry.