Marines Seeking MySpace Buddies

Web surfers now can go to the Marines’ MySpace page and click on “Contact a Recruiter.” This directs them to the Marines.com site where they can insert their name, address and phone number on a form to enable recruiters to arrange to meet them. Since the site was activated five months ago, more than 12,000 MySpace visitors have checked in as friends of the Corps, and more than 430 have signed up to contact a Marine recruiter. The Marines consider 170 of them to be prospective recruits. The Army tried MySpace in January, but dropped it after reports surfaced of predators approaching children through the site. The Air Force advertises on MySpace but hasn’t posted a profile. The Navy hasn’t participated. The site has more than 94 million registered members. Many younger users of MySpace.com post personal profiles and develop lists of contacts with similar interests.