Myspace.com is where it's at
Rachel Dugan, 26
Masters student, NUI Galway
The Bebo phenomenon is sweeping through the education system like a bad case of head lice. But Bebomania is not solely confined to teenagers - those in third level and beyond are coming down with the Bebo bug.
Last year, when I began studying a Masters degree, I flung myself on to the Bebo bandwagon. I was soon decorating my own little corner of cyberspace like it was that longed-for first home. There were colour schemes to be deliberated over, cheeky quizzes to be devised and the most flattering of homepage photos to be chosen.
Recent stories in the media detailing parental concerns over Beboing teens, coupled with the strong link between the controversial website and teen culture, have put me off the site. However, I have discovered that there is life after Bebo, and it is a million miles away from bubblegum wallpapers and quirky cartoon characters.
The website Myspace.com is based on the same networking principle as Bebo, but is the infinitely trendier way to create your own webpage, with the emphasis on alternative and subculture music and arts scenes.
Last month, singer-songwriter Sandi Thom signed a one million euro record deal with Sony. As a struggling musician, Thom, who was finding it increasingly difficult to pay the fuel costs associated with incessant and fruitless gigging, started playing live concerts via webcam on the Rupert Murdoch-owned Myspace.
Within two weeks she had signed that lucrative contract, appropriately enough, live on the web.
It's not all about the music though. Neil McCarthy (26) from Cork uses his Myspace homepage as a way of bringing his poetry and other writing to the attention of a wider audience.
"I think it's useful for getting your work out there," he comments. "I have posted new poems, works in progress and the odd essay, and received good feedback from a network of poets. I have also used it to advertise upcoming readings I am featuring in."
Neil is realistic about both the small annoyances and more serious dangers of entering this virtual hang-out.
"I think people do abuse the site," he says. "You often get lots of 'Friend Requests' from unheard-of musicians who are hoping to advertise their music on someone else's site. It's a bit cheeky really."
On a more serious level, he is concerned that the site, despite being aimed at a predominantly older market, holds the same lure as Bebo for what he refers to as "the chatroom demons".
"I have had friend requests from girls as young as 14," he says. "I was shocked; I thought Myspace was just for adults." The content of some of the homepages on the website can also contain some very adult themes, he adds.
This week I created a Myspace webpage, and looking back at my garish Bebo homepage I feel relieved that I have taken the next step in cyberspace. I have finally graduated, if not from my masters course, then at least from Bebo.