My Space: Home To Teenagers And...Sexual Predators


With over 11.6 billion page views in October 2005, its no wonder that stalkers and sexual predators have made their way on to the scene.

Recently, there have been several incidents involving teenagers and sexual predators. The recent proliferation of these types of incidents has tarnished My Space's image.

While most communication through My Space is harmless, these incidents have alarmed parents, creating negative publicity for the website. While My Space is currently on top of the proverbial mountain, it is neccessary to ease the concerns of the public.

My Space, now owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, responded quickly explaining that it is going to implement safety features that will protect users from stalkers and sexual predators. My Space is developing a campaign to not only offer protection online, but to educate parents and teenage students about the dangers of communicating over the internet with strangers.

First, My Space will appoint a "safety czar" to oversee the site and ensure protection to users. Second, students will be taught not to reveal contact information. Third, parents will be educated about blocking search terms predators could use to locate a child and encouraging young teens to keep their profiles private.

My Space dealt with the public relations crisis well. The company admitted that the incidents took place and created a strategy to prevent similar incidents from occurring again. My Space effectively eased the concerns of nervous users and parents of children who have My Space accounts.

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/?p=2969

Thanks for the lead Denice!