Andrew / May 19, 2006 10:47 AM

I'm on Flickr constantly, and I've got dormant accounts on Orkut, Multiply and MySpace.

I haven't reall run into anything freaky or illegal or whatever (beyond an occasional nude photo in somebody's flickr stream), but the fact that the NU women's soccer team got busted for hazing in part because of photos on FaceBook has me curious what others have seen.

mike / May 19, 2006 10:58 AM

Flickr.

There are a lot of people on Flickr who take pictures of themselves smoking pot.

Big Purp Sippa / May 19, 2006 11:20 AM

As an interesting side note, Houston recording artist Slim Thug nearly lost his recording contract with StarTrak because of alleged illicit imagery posted on his myspace profile. If it can almost happen to Slim Thug, it can for sure happen to you.

s / May 19, 2006 12:31 PM

Why did everyone jump the friendster ship for myplace anyway? I am still reppin friendster and damn proud of it.

lacey / May 19, 2006 12:45 PM

I use them all. I've seen some people who have tell-all myspace blogs that could DEFINITELY get them into some trouble. I'll just bite my tongue.

spence / May 19, 2006 1:01 PM

I always wonder what people are thinking when they post their most personal things on these places. A friend of mine always looks up people he interviews for job openings on myspace and friendster to see exactly what said person is really like. He said that he's passed on several people that would have otherwise got the job because of the content found.

april / May 19, 2006 1:03 PM

These are all excellent resources for screening out potential random roommates.

Josh / May 19, 2006 1:15 PM

I don't use any of these sites. I've learned that no one is listening to you because they're already too busy talking about themselves.

Veronica / May 19, 2006 1:46 PM

I don't use any of them either - too much potential for artificial drama. I've seen the way people can get about who posted on what on whose site and I don't have the time or energy for that. Flickr is one thing, but MySpace and Friendster are open opportunities for people to be ridiculous.

tony / May 19, 2006 1:48 PM

Semi-active on Flickr (never really considered it a social networking site, although I can certainly see how it is one); I exist on friendster, and I used to exist on orkut. I absolutely refuse to join myspace.

j / May 19, 2006 1:57 PM

I keep it clean on those sites. On my own webserver I have my playland where everything is fair game.

jen / May 19, 2006 2:05 PM

i begrudgingly joined both friendster and myspace, but never really did anything with either membership. about three months ago, i deleted both profiles and have never turned back.

i use flickr (non-pro) but rarely post anything. the truth is, by time i get home from work, i'm simply too tired or too preoccupied to even turn on my computer.

steven / May 19, 2006 2:14 PM

I'm on myspace only to keep in touch with friends who only use myspace to keep in touch.

Unless I'm drunk, then I head online to score. Jk honey.

fluffy / May 19, 2006 3:11 PM

i haven't checked myspace or friendster in a looong time. i liked them because i could keep in touch with family and friends, who live in different parts of the country, at the same time.
I was on meetro for a very brief time, but it was boring.

When it comes to representing oneself online, I think a lot of people make themselves look like the person they'd like to be, but not who they trully are. You can tell a lot by a profile. Some people go on and on about themselves. I prefer to view people's art/writing/whatever and make up my own mind.

I personally h-a-t-e having my picture taken, it's like an invasion of provacy. I can't imagine letting someone take a picture of me while I'm doing drugs or soemething stupid, and then know that its out there online for everyone to see. yuck.

JP / May 19, 2006 3:36 PM

Those web communities can be dangerous I had a friend who got robbed on Flickr. I guess he was just looking around at photos when he came across a couple of shady looking pictures and before for he could click out of there. He was assaulted and his wallet was taken. He was pretty freaked out about the whole thing. Now he is afraid to go on Peapod.com to get his groceries and has to leave his house and go to the actual store to get food. So yeah you can get in trouble on those sites but you just have to stay alert and watch what you click on.

mike / May 19, 2006 3:46 PM

wtf

printdude / May 19, 2006 3:49 PM

I am on Flickr, and like sharing my photos, free-style. I don't generally put any really "worked-on" photos, definately I do not post any pictures where any sort of trouble can arise from.

The wife, she don't like her picture showing up that much.

I friendstered it - albiet half-heartedly, and dogstered it only to put a few photos and doggie introductions up. Iit's all I can do now to keep up with my limited allowance on Flickr- I rarely utilize it all.

I do enjoy looking at other's photos quite a lot, get inspired, then take a bunch more of my own.
I dig that the most.

carrie / May 19, 2006 4:19 PM

Myspace started out fun and now it's just kind of there. I did have Sleazy E send me a friend request and his main picture was him or someone doing coke off of a girl's butt. Awesome.

I try to be conscious of what I post on myspace just incase my boss or anyone gets curious about what I have to say outside of work.

I also have a secret diary that I keep. It's easier than writing in one at home and looking through old entries is always entertaining.

Leelah / May 19, 2006 4:28 PM

Myspace is how I keep in touch with my students (god, there are disturbing things that I don't want to know about them on there, so I don't really look at their profiles, just email them from there). And I keep up with music there, too.
I'm registered with friendster, but it's dead. I can just as easily email everyone I'm friends with on there.
I have flickr, but i'm only there to see pictures of family members. I didn't know people did it as social networking.

slb / May 19, 2006 4:55 PM

I am still somewhere on friendster and orkut, but i only really use myspace anymore. and only really when i am very bored. i keep forgetting about it until my sister hounds me to approve a comment.

it was funny because i was at my aunt's house for easter and my uncle was shocked (!) to hear that i used myspace and had to warn me about how dangerous it was.

hee hee - the things people learn from the news.

armaghetto / May 19, 2006 5:27 PM

I remember seeing myspace and thinking "gah, what a horrible, generic piece of crap." Fast forward a few years and it really has become a social hub for me. I keep in touch with friends in California, receive and send paaahty inites, etc etc.

And the only thing I see on there that gives me pause would be the questionable hair stylings of some people.

christian / May 19, 2006 8:27 PM

I use flickr, but not as a social networking thing, as I am an anti-social type of person. I tend to use it for inspiration, some really cool work on there. But I am sure I've noticed some strange stuff on it, mostly drunk people, and the occasional stalker type photos.

Some people just don't think about the the consequences of their actions when it comes to posting stuff, and for the most part it seems to be teenagers doing it, and getting in deeper forms of trouble by it. I.E. meeting people with less than noble things on there mind.

I had a friendster account, but never really used it, if I want to get in touch with people, I'll just e-mail them directly.

Brian / May 19, 2006 10:58 PM

I have an account on both Friendster and MySpace. Neither contains anything you would consider 'risque' or 'controversial.' I rarely even check them anymore. However, I've seen some pretty sick sad individuals on both of those services.
Not to mention the people that should be shot for having four songs and six videos playing when you go to their profile page. When a 3GHz PC chokes a little on it, there's a problem!!

winediva / May 19, 2006 11:33 PM

Just LinkedIn for business stuff. Though thinking of myspace to direct more folks to my blog/website.

Bill / May 20, 2006 2:17 PM

I'm on friendster and myspace; I agree with the posting above (s (May 19, 2006 12:31 PM) said:) about people jumping the friendster ship - I find it more user friendly and less offensive. Myspace does have the nice "music" element.

Regardless, I havent come across anything offensive - nor do I have anything posted with the exception of some poetry that I admit is a bit "heart on my sleeve" - tho some of it has been published in zine's so you could find that other ways, I suppose.

One final thought - I know its rediculous, but my roomate and I both found our boyfriends within a month of each other on Friendster; we're both 6 months strong... in fact, we're trading in our roomate situation to move in with our respective boyfriends (seperately) in the fall...

Andrew / May 21, 2006 11:52 AM

Oh yeah, I've got a Yahoo 360 page, too. As with MySpace and Multiply, they just direct people to my personal site.

kari / May 21, 2006 7:06 PM

I got into graduate school and was so excited I posted it on my friendster account- little did I know how many peopl read those updates, and several people called me to congratulate me on moving to New York. Luckily no one from my job is actually on friendster, and I took it down. I am NOT ready to have that conversation yet.

appopt / May 22, 2006 6:25 AM

I post things that can get me in trouble every day. Luckily nobody ever reads it.

megan / May 22, 2006 9:44 AM

JP
I like the way you think!
I have friends who are on these things all the time, yet they claim they are "so busy" they can't even meet for a cup of coffee. But they have an hour to update their likes and dislikes and put on new photos they took of themselves in their bathroom?
10 minutes of real contact will make you happier and healthier than anything silly on these sites ever could.

JP / May 22, 2006 12:59 PM

I also have heard that you better not drop the soap while your logged into Friendster. I don't know what that means but it doesn't sound good. One minute your checking out someone's profile the soap slips, you reach to get it and someone tries to upload some highly personal files.