Social Networking Sites

I think that social networking sites are good for our world. As we get older and gain responsibilities, we tend to lose connection with some our friends. Social networking sites help us stay in touch with these friends. These sites also have many different applications that provide us with different kinds of imformation. Social networking sites can help find some old friends or even make new friends as well.
Many teenagers and young adults use these sites for many different reasons. Some use these sites for staying in touch with friends, meeting new people, chatting, sharing pictures, and even for work purposes. Social networking is really helpful in the world today. I believe if anyone uses it in a negative way is just taking advantage of what it allows us to do and that it is wrong. I use Facebook all the time. I keep in contact with my friends, I chat with some or even message them. I know people who use Facebook for work purposes and communicating through it. I put up pictures so that people who I dont see much can remember how I look. Facebook and Myspace are great places to do these kinds of things. I think they help keep people in this world more sociable.
There are some improper uses of these sites too. I've heard of a few incidents where people have used these social networking sites to rape girls. My cousin actually had a friend in Philadelphia who was arrested for doing something like that. He was chatting with a girl online and was actually talking to a police officer and was asked to meet up somewhere. He was then later arrested at the place they were suppose to meet. Similar to this story, we read an article in EN 102 talking about how this is a growing problem. But I believe this can be prevent more then it occurs if people were just smarter. You can't always blame it on the person misusing the social network. Sometimes, you have to blame the parents, or even the child for making the wrong choice. The parents should moinitor what there child is doing online and put up firewalls. I dont think 14 year olds should be on such sites anyways and even if they are, I know that there parents atleast taught them not to talk to strangers. I believe we are taught that in school too.
Overall, I believe that social networking is a great thing for the world. I believe that they should keep them and just put an age restriction on the sites. Parents should look after what their children are doing online. With those things done, im sure that the rape rate through social networks will decreaes. Taking away these sites will make it harder for young adults to keep in contact with there friends and meeting new people.