quote: RIVERTON, Kan. - Five teenage boys accused of plotting to kill other students in a shooting rampage at their high school were arrested Thursday after details of the alleged scheme appeared on the Web site MySpace.com.
Sheriff's deputies found guns, ammunition, knives and coded messages in the bedroom of one of the suspects, Sheriff Steve Norman said.
The Associated Press
Wow. Talk about disaster adverted.
Posted by Dr Strangelove (Member # 8331) on :
I may have to re-think my anti-myspace stance. Don't get me wrong, I won't be getting one, but perhaps there is a positive aspect to it.
Posted by Anti-Chris (Member # 4452) on :
Good news gets only one reply?
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
Cool it, I just got here. I think MySpace is getting a little out of hand, I personally wouldn't feel comfortable if a teacher of mine went into mine and used the information there against me like I've heard it has happened. Not that my teachers would get in there, it's more of a high school thing, but it still scares me that privacy is a little threatened. My friends persuaded me into the whole MySpace jig and I am still on it only because of them. The site is the only way I have of keeping up with them. I'm on Facebook too because of the same reasons.
The thing I do not like about MySpace is when people have a rediculous amount of friends. It's impossible for anyone to keep up with so many people. I think people who get into it and use it as a popularity contest are a little pathetic.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
quote:Originally posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion: Co I personally wouldn't feel comfortable if a teacher of mine went into mine and used the information there against me like I've heard it has happened.
Anything you post on the internet is no longer private. If you don't want something to not be "used against you", don't post it for all the world to see.
[ April 21, 2006, 03:53 PM: Message edited by: maui babe ]
Posted by Kristen (Member # 9200) on :
My school newspaper ran an article on how career advisers are now warning prospetives to be vary careful about their Facebook and Myspace pages because grad schools and employers might very well look at them.
So you might want to rethink that picture of you with the hookah or at the frat party if you're looking for a job. And make your wall friends-only.
Posted by Tresopax (Member # 1063) on :
What I don't understand is how schools used to very much into trying to get students to be web-savvy and publish their own webpages, but are now banning things like myspace or facebook, when those are nothing more than streamlined ways of creating personal websites.
quote:I think MySpace is getting a little out of hand, I personally wouldn't feel comfortable if a teacher of mine went into mine and used the information there against me like I've heard it has happened. Not that my teachers would get in there, it's more of a high school thing, but it still scares me that privacy is a little threatened.
Yes they would - although it should be noted that they don't use information "against" you, but rather in an effort to help you. (For instance, these kids are certainly much better off having not committed the murders they were planning. They are still alive, for one thing. They have a chance at returning to normal lives eventually, for another thing.)
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
It's so strange that people don't seem to realize that Myspace is open to the public. One of the big things they stressed to us when it came to interviewing and such was that, in terms of your career, you do have to be careful about what you put on Myspace, Facebook, and the like because sometimes, people actually will check up on that sort of thing.
I'm not saying that this isn't a good thing; it's obviously a good thing to avert a school shooting. That's just my random musing on Myspace.
-pH
Posted by Kristen (Member # 9200) on :
pH, it seems so obvious to us, huh?
Most people don't even realize that their parents could easily access their Myspace or their schools could access their Facebook, let alone their potential employers.
This is why my LJ is 90% friends-only and pretty much impossible to google. There is no way I'm going to risk it falling into the wrong hands.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Exactly, Kristen. So many students have pictures of themselves on Myspace or Facebook in bikinis, drinking, taking hits from bongs...
I guess it just got to me early; when I started working with an indie record label, the owner looked at my Myspace profile before I even showed up to interview, and that was actually a significant influence in his decision to ask me to intern there.
-pH
Posted by TrapperKeeper (Member # 7680) on :
I was actually thinking about this this morning before this was posted. Myspace gets all this press about how it is a dream come true for internet predators, but I hear at least one or two stories a week about some pedator that was caught through myspace or some other disaster averted.
I can't compare how many ill effects it has created with how many predators have been caught because of myspace, but I'm thinking it has allowed a large number of criminals to be caught. And its quite arguable, but I'd imagine alot of those people would of committed the crimes even if they didn't have myspace, myspace was just a tool that allowed others to see what was going to happen and alert the authorities.
Posted by TrapperKeeper (Member # 7680) on :
Note to all criminals and predators on Myspace, the information you post on there IS private, and no one you associate with in real life will ever read it.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
TrapperKeeper:
Last weekend, a guy from my school kicked a girl from my school in the face with steel-toed boots, crushing her eye socked and shatterinng one of her cheekbones, among other things. He then fled. We don't know if he's still in the state or not, but apparently, he's had other aliases in the past. How is Myspace helping? Well, now people all over the country who are on Myspace know what happened and know what the guy looks like, as well as the appropriate numbers for authorities to contact.
And they are not pleased.
I think what I really mean is, William, please, please, PLEASE update your Myspace blog about how much fun you're having hiding out in the Everglades. No one will ever know. *shifty eyes*
-pH
Posted by TrapperKeeper (Member # 7680) on :
Interesting. Not only that, but even the victim could put the perpetrators photo on their page in hopes of someone tracking them down. (That may be exactly what happened in this case)
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Well, both of them are on Myspace, and she made a very detailed blog post about what happened, including an "after" picture (well, after she'd cleaned up the blood and such). There have also been numerous bulliten posts by her friends.