I meant to post a note about the backlash against MySpace.com, which I have written about before, in early February but I forgot. Wired, however, has not, and they include an article about the backlash and a guide for parents.

While in Orlando, I heard on CNBC that MySpace.com subscriber growth was 165,000+ per month, and growing significantly. I am defintely bullish on MySpace.com, but I have not seen “active account” numbers reported. For every new band that is created, who knows how many break up, die, or some other way go inactive. And with non-music people joining MySpace.com, how often is everyone active? Inactivity will probably increase, as the buzz dies around the community; how does this impact growth numbers, account numbers, and News Corp’s bottom line?

The same CNBC report, as well as reports elsewhere, began noting parental concerns of the social networking community. While I suspect it is probably one parent in the Midwest who is concerned, the backlash is interesting in that it represent a shift from MySpace.com being on the edge of US culture to being having a more central position; after all, if parents and the mainstream media know about it and report on Web site regularly, it must be well known.

Another sign of MySpace.com’s significance appeared as part of a conversation I had with a friend (KP). He mentioned that, through MySpace.com, he had re-established contact with a friend from a long time ago. That friend now lives in the same city/town/area I do. I mentioned that he should pass on my e-mail address, as there aren’t many young people in the area, and it would be nice to have someone with whom to grab coffee. He told me my best bet would be to create a MySpace.com account, because using its IM features comes off as less weird/stalky then passing a phone number or e-mail address. Reminds me of the comment about Korea’s equivalent to MySpace.com.