MySpace

How many people can say with perfect certainty that they have exactly 119 friends?Bianca Dennis can.She even knows their ages, their religious preference, whether their single, who their heroes are, what they do for fun and their favorite bands and TV shows.But the 16-year-old Placer High School senior probably doesn't know most of their last names.That's all part of the fun of joining the most popular social networking site on the Internet, MySpace.com.Bianca admits that she and most of her peers at Placer are addicted to the never-ending possibilities of meeting new people, filling out surveys, checking on buddies' blogs and sending messages to each other."All of my friends at school have MySpace," she said as she clicked through the "Friends List" on her MySpace profile. "Sometimes I'm just, like, telling myself that I need to get off the computer."Bianca is hardly alone in her obsession.At last count, MySpace.com had more than 20 million registered members worldwide. And it's hard to find an Internet user between the ages of 16 and 30 who hasn't created their own profile and doesn't waste time at work or school by checking their personal account's e-mail, reading blogs or browsing their friends' profiles.The site's popularity comes from it being simple to use, but filled an almost infinite list of possibilities. Users can post pictures of themselves, create an unlimited number of journal entries, join groups of people with similar interests, post daily bulletins and personalize their profiles with flashy pictures or movies. A user can have an infinite number of friends and can make more by browsing for them by zip code, sex, relationship status and interests. Once a member is added to a person's friends list, profiles can be scanned daily and users can post public comments on each other's profiles. And it's all completely free.Aside from being used for everything from promoting local bands to the latest online dating scene, MySpace has become especially popular on college campuses, as homesick students keep in touch with old friends and make new ones in cyberspace. "My roommate in the dorms is totally addicted to it," said 19-year-old Andrea Gruber, an exercise science major from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in Auburn for summer vacation. Gruber said she's also a MySpace member but doesn't spend nearly as much time blogging, surfing profiles and chatting with her friends as her roommate does. She does, however, enjoy using the site to keep in touch with buddies from home."It's fun," she said. "It's cool to see what other people are doing and leave them a message. I usually put comments on their profile saying stuff like 'I miss you guys.'" But MySpace, like any Internet site that gives the opportunity to post personal information has risks.The first risk is to minors.Under the "Safety Tips" section of www.myspace.com, it reads: "If you're under 16, MySpace is not the place for you. Go away ... If you're under 16, there are other sites better suited for you."The site has been blocked at most high school (including Placer's) computer labs because of excessive use by students and safety concerns. The site attempts to address these concerns by saying users should to avoid posting any information that could be used to identify them personally, including addresses, telephone numbers and where they work or go to school.It also warns members about the dangers of live encounters with "friends," they've only chatted with online."No matter how often you have chatted with someone or how much you think you know about them, you never really know who you are chatting with online," it reads. "That cute 21-year-old guy may not be cute, may not be 21 and may not be a guy!"Bianca said she has gotten "gross" e-mails from strange men before, but never replies and doesn't add them to her friends list. Rather, she uses the service to have a clean, fun good time.But her mother, Esther Aquirre, keeps an eye on her anyway, and her daughter's computer usage is always under scrutiny. "That's why the computer is in here," Aquirre said, pointing to Bianca typing away in the kitchen, "and not in her room." Ryan Sabalow can be reached at ryans@goldcountrymedia.com.