subject: How To Get On Myspace At School [print this page] Schools typically have blocks in place to stop students, teachers or passers-by from accessing their network and going to certain websites. The chief purpose for restricting websites, especially those for social networking is to limit the amount of traffic on the network and increase overall proficiency.
Though in the majority of cases the schools have more than sufficient bandwidth to enable every student to simultaneously go online, the blocks may have been put in place many years before and may not have been revised since. So here are a few guidelines to help you to get onto a social network like MySpace and at minimum check for new messages from friends and family while at school.
Required Tools
Internet access
Proxy software
Alternate internet access
Thumb drive
Required Materials
A PC or a laptop
A network cable
A network outlet
Wireless access
Instructions
If you do not have normal internet access at your school and find that quite a few different websites are blocked then you will first have to find some additional internet access by visiting an internet cafe or by some other method. You will need to look for and download a free or a paid proxy tool that you will bring back to your school utilizing the thumb drive, or transfer the file to your PC or laptop utilizing the thumb drive. A really well reviewed paid solution may be seen at http://www.hide-my-ip.com however, although free solutions exist, some people may have problems setting up the free program depending on their level of computer skills.
Assuming that you own a PC or desktop with internet access at your school, you probably get online in your dormitory where your PC or desktop is connected by way of a network cable to a network outlet which connect you to the school's network and finally the internet, or you connect by going to the computer lab. If you do not have a PC or desktop your laptop might be able to connect to the internet utilizing the same method as the desktop or through wireless connections if your school allows internet access by way of that method.
Next you will transfer the application to your PC or laptop and set it up. Once installed the software will supply you with access to any site you desire as long as the proxy server you are logged on to will work with your school's network. From here accessing MySpace is as easy as entering the address into your browser and pressing ENTER on your keyboard.
Tips and Warnings
Periodically there are people who monitor the network and if it is found that you are not getting on the internet via regular procedures then the proxy servers you utilize may be restricted or you might be asked about your activities. In order to avoid this you should only use the application when accessing MySpace and use the normal internet connection for all other activities.
If your school is not very stringent on accessing different websites but only the social networking sites are blocked, you might wish to look at free web-based proxy servers like the interestingly named www.hidemyass.com. Additional free sites exist online that you can utilize, but in the event that these are blocked then a proxy program is your only route.
If web-proxy sites are utilized and visited too frequent then individuals who police the network might again pressure you for answers for why you are utilizing other methods to circumvent the network blocks. As with all other security enabled networks one should be extremely cautious in their selection to visit sites that are not allowed, and if you are truly unclear of what to do your best alternative is to wait until you are home or in an internet cafe.
