Despite all the bad things you hear about Myspace and Facebook they can actually be pretty useful. Honestly, who doesn’t have a Myspace page? Or, a Facebook page then, since that’s the new trend. Most organizations create Myspace and Facebook profiles to spread their information. The CYWH has created a page on Facebook to inform more teen girls and young women about the Center, its resources, and all that it has to offer.

People often use Myspace and Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family, to reacquaint with old friends, and sometimes to meet new people. Myspace and Facebook are convenient to use. Seeing how busy life is now with school, work, extracurricular activities, etc… it’s sometimes easier to write a message on Facebook or Myspace than to call someone who might not have the same availability as you. These social networks may also help you realize that you and your friends have other friends in common which allows you to spend time with more of your friends at once.

Even though Facebook and Myspace have been bashed due to predators going after young girls online, when used safely and with street-smarts, they can be a good channel of communication. The key is to stay safe, be aware of who you are talking to and who is reading your info, and don’t put yourself in danger by requesting or accepting friends that you don’t know, or by sharing personal information with people you don’t know.

Learn the specifics of how to keep yourself safe online here, in our Safety on the Internet guide, including what kind of nickname to use, what kind of info to post or not post, how to deal with online bullies, and more.

-Erica