How To Stay Safe On MySpace

Step 1: Myspace is public

As Myspace is a public space, don't post anything you wouldn't want the world to know or see such as your telephone number, home address, instant messenger screen name, or your specific whereabouts. Also don't let people know where your local hangouts are.

Step 2: Strangers

Although it's great fun to find and make new friends on myspace, remember - you've never met them in person and they may be very different from the persona they've created online. A lot of people set up fake profiles which give the impression they are somebody quite different to how they actually are in real life. So avoid meeting people you don't fully know. If you really must meet someone, do it in a public place and bring a friend or a trusted adult.

Step 3: Harassment, hate speech, and inappropriate content

If somebody is harassing you or sending you inappropriate pictures, comments, or messages, the best thing to do is to ignore them. Ninety-nine per cent of the time they will leave you alone. Most people will simple get bored and go away. If they are on your friends list you can delete them and they will no longer be able to leave comments on your page. To do this, go to 'Edit friends' on your friends list. Tick the box next to the person you want to delete, and select 'Delete selected'. You can also go to their profile and click 'Block user' which is found underneath 'Send message'. Blocked users can still view your profile, but they cannot send you a message or communicate with you.

To report inappropriate content, look at the bottom of the profile and click on the link 'Report inappropriate content'. If the content is an image uploaded to the user's image gallery, click on the 'Report this image' link that is under the image.

If someone threatens you, contact law enforcement immediately. You can report problems with other users to the Myspace authorities. Go to 'Contact Myspace' at the bottom of your page, select a subject such as 'reporting abuse'. Then select a sub-topic such as 'cyberbullying' and follow the instructions to report to customer service.

Step 4: Don't post anything embarrassing

Avoid posting a photo, blog, or comment that you wouldn't want your boss, or your parents to see, it may come back to haunt you later.

Step 5: Don't lie about your age

If you are under 14 and pretend to be older, Myspace will delete your profile. Likewise if you are over 18 and you pretend to be younger to contact underage users, your profile will be deleted.

Step 6: Making your profile private

If you make your profile private, then only people you have accepted onto your friends list can view your full profile - including blogs, pictures, comments, and friends. It's a good option to stop random strangers viewing your profile. On your homepage, go to the privacy option under 'Account settings' - 'Privacy settings'.

Step 7: Adjusting your privacy settings

In privacy settings you can also specify that when people add you as a friend, they muster enter your correct email address or surname before a request can be processed. This means that only people you know can send you friend requests. You can also block group invites, block picture forwarding, hide your online status, and allow you the option of approving comments before they are posted onto your page.

Step 8: Adjusting your instant messenger privacy settings

There's also the option of changing you myspace instant messenger settings. You can block instant messages and invites from people who are not added as your friends to stop strangers attempting to contact you.

Step 9: Spam

If you receive messages that you heavily suspect to be spam, simply click 'Flag as spam' or if you are offended, click 'Report abuse'. If you do the latter, you will be taken t