Answer this...

Dale Jr.: Don't get duped by counterfeit of this...

No MySpace for Junior

"Obviously there are many people who like to pretend to be someone else, and that's fine, but when it comes to MySpace, they convince many innocent — and perhaps gullible — people into believing them. So I want to say that if you come across a MySpace page that claims to be me, that's all you need to see to know it's a fraud, because I don't have a MySpace account anymore. I haven't for a long time, and back when I did, it was set to private. And to be honest, you wouldn't have even known it was me in the first place. I just want you to hear it from me." - Dale Jr.

Dale Jr. is underestimating many of his fans thinking they don't recognize real "Sunday Money" when they see it, but nonetheless, he has set a frequent TGOM FAQ straight.

Socially sharing their personal lives with this...

MySpace and other social media sites are primarily intended as a place someone can share themselves with others. Probably has something to do with the "social" aspect and might be the reason they are called "social" networks.

As members of the NASCAR community become more and more active in social networks, fans have more access than ever to get a glimpse into their personal lives. Same goes for inside looks into the sport as crew members write blogs, contribute to photo-sharing sites, etc.

On the one hand, it's great. Sponsors have more opportunities to market to their loyal fans. Drivers can connect directly with fans whenever they want. And let's face it, arranging bootie calls and race weekend hookups has never been easier with an endless pool of racer chaser candidates just a click away.

On the other hand, the direct communication works both ways. Some impassioned fans have been known to harass girlfriends and female friends of drivers to the point they have closed their profiles and/or engaged in hostile open and private communication. And drivers, teams and sponsors do not always have complete control over what is shared on their own sites and elsewhere.   

Most of the time, it's all in good fun. This week there were a couple of pithy entries from crew members worth mentioning:

• An RCR team member thanked Tony Stewart proclaiming, "Goodyears are POS."
• One JR Motorsports over the wall crew member had a public message for a choice few:

"DAMN RACER CHASERS... GET A LIFE... GUYS TOO... !!"

P.S. It's bad enough that drivers have to put up with female racer chasers constantly. The guys have to be worse.

But as with all communities, on- and off line alike, social- networking sites are ripe for soap opera-like drama--and sometimes, once information is out in the open, there's just no putting back. Case in point: the following entry, which comes in the form of an apology issued to a driver.

Parents: Faker led to the suicide of this...

Megan Meier thought she had made a new friend in cyberspace when a cute teenage boy named Josh contacted her on MySpace and began exchanging messages with her. Teen's parents say she thought she had made a friend through the social networking web site MySpace. Megan, a 13-year-old who suffered from depression and attention deficit disorder, corresponded with Josh for more than a month before he abruptly ended their friendship, telling her he had heard she was cruel. The next day Megan committed suicide. Her family learned later that Josh never actually existed; he was created by members of a neighborhood family that included a former friend of Megan's. Now Megan's parents hope the people who made the fraudulent profile on the social networking web site will be prosecuted, and they are seeking legal changes to safeguard children on the Internet.

CNN

MySpace fakers no joke to this...

In case you were wondering, online identity fraud is still a federal offense:

Principal Sues Youths Over MySpace Fakes

This should serve as a warning to the Answer this... readers who continually create fake MySpace profiles who are under the mistaken impression that their identity is unknown (to TGOM, MySpace and persons being impersonated).

Thank you to the many NASCAR fans who continually report fake MySpace profiles to myself and others. We continue to work with MySpace to have these sites shut down on a regular basis.

REMINDER

Identity theft is a federal crime. If you believe you are a victim, you may file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (check the internet/email box).

The FTC serves as the federal clearinghouse for complaints by victims of identity theft. While the FTC does not resolve individual consumer problems, it helps them to investigate fraud, and can lead to law enforcement action. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel®, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies worldwide.

Authenticating the MySpace profiles of this...

Q. How about listing the authorized NASCAR myspace pages!! We know there are a lot of fakers out there, can you show us where to find the real deal?
A. By popular request, following is a short list of legitimate NASCAR driver public MySpace profiles. TGOM has confirmed that the profiles on this list are run by an authorized individual or organization and sanctioned by the driver:

www.myspace.com/gregbiffle

www.myspace.com/clintbowyerinc

www.myspace.com/official_robby_gordon

www.myspace.com/kevinharvick

www.myspace.com/davidstremme

www.myspace.com/rustywallaceinc

www.myspace.com/ultimatewheelman (Steve Wallace)

Know of one missing? Please email me only if you are an authorized driver representative or can otherwise provide proof of authenticity, i.e., a link to a driver's official website where it links to the MySpace profile.

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The tallglassofmilk can also confirm that at the time of this posting, the following drivers DO NOT have authentic MySpace driver profiles:

A.J. Allmendinger
Chad Chaffin
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Denny Hamlin
Kasey Kahne
Travis Kvapil
Carl Long
Casey Mears
Steve Park
Reed Sorenson
Tony Stewart
Martin Truex Jr.
Brian Vickers

Also, to the best of TGOM's knowledge, these drivers don't either:

Kurt Busch
Kyle Busch
Jeff Gordon
Jimmie Johnson
Matt Kenseth
Travis Kvapil
Jamie McMurray
Ryan Newman
Scott Riggs

This list is by no means comprehensive.  Included are the drivers that have been impersonated or that I have been asked about specifically.

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Please note that per usual, the tallglassofmilk WILL NOT post or give out drivers' personal profiles or those of their significant others.  Do not bother asking.  I will not bother answering.

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Please also note that I have not and will not be posting the numerous *fan* profiles. The majority of them are not affiliated in any way with the driver--including several that claim to be *official*.  If it's not on the authorized list above it is either unofficial, I am unaware of it or I have not yet been able to verify its authenticity.

If posting this list elsewhere, please link back to drinkthis.typepad.com/answer_this/2007/01/nascar_myspaces.html
and include the date as this list may change.  It is my intention to keep this post current.

This post was updated Aug. 26, 2007