(January 27, 2006) — For nearly three years, the gradual rise in popularity of MySpace has made it the world’s seventh most popular English language website. One might ask, “What’s all this buzz about?” The answer: a free social networking website used for online communication. With features such as Instant Messenger, email, blogs, user profiles, groups and picture-posting, this site has attracted teens and adults alike. With over 45 million users and growing, MySpace is here to stay. “MySpace is a wonderful thing because it creates a huge social network. It brings friends together and also helps you find new friends,” said junior Karo Shaginyan, an avid MySpace user. This web-based service allows users to access the site from virtually anywhere. It has even provided the perfect means for planning reunions with long lost friends. “After middle school, some of my friends ended up going to a different high school and we lost contact. I recently found the MySpace of one of those friends and sent her a message. She responded to my message and we have picked up where we left off after middle school,” Shaginyan said. Through MySpace Music, a section within the site, up and coming artists can post songs, photos and other information about themselves or a band to get feedback from other users. For junior Joshua Pineda, MySpace Music has given him the opportunity to make an account especially for his band, Seeking Susan. “It’s a good way to advertise my band and helps build a strong fan base,” he said. However, not everyone has embraced the creation of MySpace with such enthusiasm. “I don’t have an account because I think it’s for narcissists and people who are in desperate need of attention. The Internet should be used for researching and other forms of entertainment, not for gossiping,” senior Maria Grigorian said. Junior Tania Espinoza describes MySpace as “problematic.” “I used to have an account on the site, but because of the comments and messages people were posting, I found myself getting into too many arguments that I didn’t need in my life,” she said. Many schools around the country are beginning to restrict access to MySpace from school computers because of the potential danger having to do with giving out information. According to the Nov. 28, 2005 issue of the Wall Street Journal Online, a junior at Paramus High School in Paramus, New Jersey was suspended in Oct. 2005 for posting malicious comments towards another student on MySpace. The father of the student responded by saying the act was a violation of his daughter’s First Amendment rights. Interestingly enough, MySpace has been blocked in GUSD. “A lot of librarians talk to me about inappropriate content that’s out there,” Ed Tech Director of Technology Scott Price said when asked why the site has been blocked on school district computers.