To the editor:
“Not in My Space” by SaraB Phoenix, AZ

I read an article about the dangers of Facebook/Myspace and it seemed like the writer didn't actually have an account or any knowledge of what they are like. Personally that makes me wonder how they could be so against social networking sites. I do have a Facebook account and I can say that it is not nearly as dangerous as the author portrayed it to be.


Yes, there are dangers in anything you do online. However, I feel that Facebook is very secure. Meaning that you have the choice of who can see your page. There are many safety options that I choose to use such as: allowing only your friends to see your pictures, comments, and personal info etc. and limiting how much of your profile others have access to. The writer also made it seem as though anybody can become your “friend” at just the press of a button. This is incorrect. Friends have to be requested. This means that if somebody wants to be your friend they press “add as friend” and it sends a notice to you. You then accept or decline this request. This makes it so the choice is always yours.


Basically the dangers of Facebook/Myspace are all in the user. If you choose to accept people who you do not know as friends or do not take advantage of the safety features you are putting yourself in danger. But most people on Facebook are there to catch up with and chat with friends. Not to push teenagers to suicide or to cyberbully. If somebody bullies you on Facebook you can un-friend them or block them from commenting on your posts or seeing your profile. I personally have never felt threatened on Facebook. If you use the website and its safety features to their full potential, you will not have problems with cyberbullying.


It seems like since first grade we have learned about internet safety. why should we feel any differently now? We still know not to talk to strangers(or accept friend requests from strangers) and not to meet up with them either. The rules do not change now that we are older. So, next time you go online to your social networking site, don't forget common sense and the rules you have already learned and you will not be in danger.