With all the recent press coverage in the past few months the Myspace name has worked its way into almost every home in America. Many parents were alarmed to find out that a web site as innocent looking as Myspace was capable of harboring the dangers that were quickly becoming the lead story in the evening news.

While the news stations and reporters are quick to point out the dangers of social networking sites such as Myspace what they are not so quick to point out is the fact that these are but a few random isolated instances in an online community of over 24 million members.

So what is it exactly that sets Myspace apart from the rest and draws such a loyal following? To answer this we must break down the components that make up the online social community.

Myspace Layouts - These are probably the most popular reasons behind the success of Myspace. Layouts allow each user to create and customize their "Myspace Profile" to reflect the user’s personality and interests. The popularity of creating ones own unique looking profile has led to the spawn of millions of Myspace help sites

Myspace Music - This is another highly popular feature in which any band whether signed or unsigned can create their own band page and upload their own music for anyone to listen to. Not only does this help aspiring artists but it also allows users to find and listen to bands which they like but otherwise might have never heard of.

Communities - Myspace users can join or even create their own public or private community based on a particular theme or interest such as art, music, pretty girls, Goths and so on. This feature allows users to interact and be part of a group of people with similar interests without feeling out of place or isolated.

Friends - Another one of the main draws and an essential part of any good social networking site is the ability to browse through thousands of profiles and contact other members with "Friend Requests". The user on the other end can then accept or deny a persons request and if they accept then both users can begin interacting through "Myspace Mail" leaving comments on one another’s profiles and even through a Myspace IM client.

With so many different ways to interact, entertain, and express oneself its easy to see how any adventurous or bored teenager can easily become immersed for hours at a time while drowning out the would around them. Even when not on Myspace just browsing through hundreds of other Myspace layout sites can easily occupy most teens for an hour or two.