MySpace seems like Lake Wobegon gone horribly wrong: a place where all the women are fast, the men are hard-drinking, and the children take an above-average interest in imitating them. In August MySpace accounted for 81% of visitors to leading social-networking sites (Hitwise). Facebook came in second with 7%. Parents should ask to see their kids profiles and make sure photos aren't overtly suggestive. Text should not signal that your child is emotionally vulnerable; i.e. "I'm feeling lonely." Purdue University found that a third of employers screen job candidates on search engines, while 11% look at social networking sites. MySpace Unraveled is a new book on safety. BlogSafety - forums. GetNetWise.org - snooping software. NetSmartz.org - safety videos. WiredSafety.org - advice.



Mark Brooks: MySpace allows users to keep their profiles private these days. However, photos of your 19 year old partying a little too hard could still make their way permanently onto the web to embarrass them later in life with a potential employer.