What does Facebook (and Twitter) have that Xanga didn't?

As technology and social networking mature and adapt to various societies today, we almost always forget about the old networks immediately as the newest one comes along. Popularity of one social network is usually overshadowed by a newer more visually pleasing social network. As I was sitting on my computer one day looking at my facebook and tweeting on my iPhone, I thought to myself what ever happened to Xanga? Ahh yes, Xanga, the poetically written blog accompanied by the latest indie song you have playing as your background music, and the website where one blogger could visit random blogger's blogs for hours and hours. The personality of your xanga directly represented you, the blogger, or so one would think. Can you personalize your Facebook? Maybe. But I don't know how quite yet. On a Xanga page, you would have your list of viewers where you could tally up how many times this person had viewed your page. The majority of the time you had to accept the person to FOLLOW you (hence the reference to Twitter). You would seem like a cool blogger if people you kind of knew where following you. By kind of knowing someone I'll use the example..Timmy, the boy that you went to the same church with and lived 25 minutes away from. Although this FRIEND REQUEST (Facebook reference, you're welcome) seems to sound like Facebook in a way, Xanga just told you that the person was following your blog and they did not have any safety precautions to it. But safety a few years ago wasn't really the issue to young budding teens who were as obsessed with Xanga as they were with Instant Messaging. Once you think about it you do realize that yes, it was that long ago. So why was Xanga so hot and then suddenly so not? Well, to back up my hypothesis on Facebook being far better than Xanga, I set up my own Xanga account (again) to see why no one really uses Xanga anymore. First off, registering for your Xanga is-to say the least- a complicated order. When your favorite book, food, tv show, movie, place, color, where you attend school, and your religion are all optional on Facebook, Xanga made me feel like I was applying for an eHarmony subscription. Secondly, uploading pictures onto Facebook is idiot-proof. I can even upload them from my smart phone. It is just user friendly. Xanga on the other hand requires the use of PhotoBucket. I wasn't sure how to use it before when I was 13 and, sure enough I still am clueless when it comes to uploading pictures onto Xanga. Thirdly (and the most important) is that I really find the most important thing about having a social networking profile (or two) is the safelty of the network you are working with. Xanga was about as vulnerable to the internet as MySpace, which freaked me out the whopping one month I had a MySpace and I deleted it. You can have tons of random people from all over the world commenting on your posts- some of which are just weird. Facebook lets it's users ask and send requests for everything, even if it's a virus floating around Facebook. And as for Twitter, its a Xanga that allows 250 words and icons, pictures, and no one cares about what is on your profile. From my personal experiences a good quote will usually work. To top it off you can follow celebrities and see what they are up to. So, overall...what happened to Xanga is that people found better ways to blog, keep up and in touch with friends, and protect themselves better than Xanga allowed them to.

Myspace is Not "My Space"

       Myspace ,created by Tom Anderson, is a social network which was created back in 2003. During  its early years, Myspace gained most of its popularity. I had my first experience with Myspace when I was in the ninth grade. Most of my friends had one and loved it, so I figured I would give it a try. The first time I logged onto my Myspace account I thought it was an awesome website.  It had many features. Never had I been able to customize my profile to look the way I wanted it to. I had my very own space, and I was extremely excited- that is until I realized what Myspace was really all about. I soon began to dislike Myspace and here are my reasons.

1. Myspace is not only your space, but its also everyone else's.
             -  When creating a Myspace profile, you have the choice of making it public or private. When choosing to make it public, everyone is able to view your profile. If you choose to have your profile private, Myspace can be set up to where only your friends can see your profile. For the most part, I don't consider myself a private person, but I think that there is a limit as to who should be involved in my personal life. I feel that I should have a say so in whom my information is available to.

2. Myspace is more of a dating site, rather than a social network.
            -  When I became a member of Myspace, I thought it was a wonderful way to socialize with family and friends. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Several weeks into my experience with Myspace, I began to receive annoying messages from people I did not know. Many of them constantly asked me questions about getting together, or meeting each other. They also made suggestions about exchanging numbers to get to know each other on a personal level. This made me feel extremely uncomfortable. I joined Myspace as a way to socialize, not to find love. I never could understand why this was happening because my profile clearly stated I was in a relationship. Some people will never completely understand that Myspace is simply not for hooking up.

3. Myspace lacks a sense of security. 
               - Basically, Myspace allows anyone to become a member. Members range from 13 years of age and above. Many of these people are not who they appear to be. Older men or women may impose as a teenager who is looking for a friend. The teenagers may be naive and give out personal information, leading to their whereabouts. This reminds me of a time where I was in a similar situation. I was having a conversation with a guy on Myspace who claimed to have been new to the community. He told me how he had no friends, and he felt alone and needed someone to talk to. With me, being the kind-hearted person that I am, I assured him that we could become friends. Little did I know that this person was sending the same messages to the people I went to school with. In the end, it came out that this boy I thought was my friend turned out to be a grown man who was known as a pedophile. Myspace should provide more detailed information before allowing someone to join its website.