Then, three years ago, UCLA student Tom Anderson launched MySpace - a youth-friendly Web site with an outlandish number of features and customizations options that gave youngsters the Internet outlet they wanted to literally connect with others from around their state, nation and the globe.

Numerous incidents of child abduction have been linked to the site, as well as a number of arrests of adults who cruise MySpace in search of sexual liaisons with underage partners.

Like anything an offspring does, parental guidance and control is tantamount to keeping a child safe on the Internet and relieving parental anxieties.

However, those who use the site as intended, upload photos and fill out all fields of personal information to give visitors to their profile an actual view of themselves, or at least the view that flatters them the most.

Adam Klein, a recent graduate of Fontainebleau High School, jokingly refers to the combination of new comments, messages and friend requests at the same time as the legendary "triple stack."

Some users, however, leave comments containing personal information and details that are better suited for a personal message and not the billion or so people on MySpace.

Profiles of users under 15 years of age are set to private for obvious security concerns. This means that only those approved as a friend can view the particular profile.

All that will be seen by someone trying to access a private profile is the profile picture of that person and the option to send a message or request friendship.

Much controversy has surrounded MySpace.com as of late - specials on CNN, writing of regulatory legislation and a countless number of lawsuits and accusations.

Yet, it is abuse of the site from both sides that has created many of the problems - 13-year-old girls can claim to be 18 or 20, while men in their 40s can post pictures and pass themselves off as teen-agers.

"We outlawed myspace for the students' safety. Safety is No. 1 one," Bowling Green computer teacher Telissa Sylvest said. "Pedophiles and predators can find out enough personal information to get in touch with students.

Several private schools have even ordered their students to stay off of MySpace at home with threats of disciplinary action for those caught using the site.

Two New York teens hacked their way into the MySpace maintenance server and demanded over $100,000 from MySpace to keep their method secret. Detectives posing as MySpace employees arrested the two boys.

MySpace is accessed by millions of people across the globe on a daily basis. Though opinions differ, the site and others like it have an undeniable impact on the mainstream culture of our world.

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