One site sells sex and the other protects minors from it.Two L.A. Web sites, BeNetSafe.com and Utherverse.com, aim to address the question of sex on the Internet Internet Publicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the . The first does so by protecting minors from sexual content; the second provides a fantasy world. If the wildly popular MySpace The most popular social networking site on the Web, especially for teenagers and people under 30. Founded in 2003 by Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe, MySpace was acquired by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation via its $500 million purchase of parent company Intermix in 2005. .com could be converted into an adult content site, it might look a lot like Utherverse.com. Utherverse.com launched with the intent of creating a fantasy-driven virtual reality network for adults. The executives at Utherverse.com wanted to emulate em·u·late tr.v. em·u·lat·ed, em·u·lat·ing, em·u·lates 1. To strive to equal or excel, especially through imitation: an older pupil whose accomplishments and style I emulated. 2. sites like MySpace.com and Friendster.com, but aimed at an alternative lifestyle audience. "We created the world to provide a virtual social experience, rather than a real-life experience," says Ray Schwartz, president of RedLightCenter.com, which is a division of Utherverse.com. "It's an alternative lifestyle experience where you can live a totally different life." While MySpace.com is getting tens of millions hits throughout the country, Schwartz can only be hopeful about Utherverse.com, which only has about 40,000 users currently. He's hoping for as many as a million users by the end of 2006. If just 10 percent of those visitors pay the $20 to engage in "adult activities"--like interacting with other users--that would translate to about $2 million. For the most part, the site is free to explore. "It's pretty amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. ," Schwartz says. "The primary reason people come together is just to socialize so·cial·ize v. so·cial·ized, so·cial·iz·ing, so·cial·iz·es v.tr. 1. To place under government or group ownership or control. 2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable. ." The creators say they are determined to safeguard the site from underage users, but in reality all that is required to access the site is a user's claim that they are of age. "Our solution to providing adults with their own online venue was simply to prohibit pro·hib·it tr.v. pro·hib·it·ed, pro·hib·it·ing, pro·hib·its 1. To forbid by authority: Smoking is prohibited in most theaters. See Synonyms at forbid. 2. anyone under 18," said Brian Shuster, chief executive of Utherverse.com Inc. "Our users can feel safe and relaxed in the knowledge that they are dealing with adults." |
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