THE ARIZONA REPUBLlC

.news.azcentral.com

& State
Valley & State editor, 602.444.NEWS
or metronews@arizonarepublic:com

SAT U RDAY, N 0 V EM B E~ 25 r 200 6 • SECTION B

Memories live
on at online
.death archive .
. By Kristi Eaton
THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC

When Jocelyn Combs

Googled daughter Michelle's
name, a listing popped up un-
der the Web site mydeath
space.com.
Michelle was a 20-year-
old sophomore at the Univer-
sity of Arizona when she died
ina motorcycle accident in
Tucson last year.
Like millions" of other
teenagers and 20-some-
things, she had a myspace .
.com page.
Myspace.com is a social-
networking Web site that al-
lows its users to create pro-
files, post pictures and write
blog entries, and it is becom-
ing increasingly more main-
stream, ,
, Most parents have heard of .
it, and most young people
have been on it. .

See DEATH SPACE Page B8

Memories live on at online death archive
DEATH SPACE Some critics say Patterson is making
Continued from Bl money off of peoples' death, but he dis-
agrees.
But mydeathspace.com is something "Allthe sites I get my articles off of,they
new. get advertising," he said. "Youneed adver-
After her death, Michelle's name and tising to run." .
myspace.com account were submitted to • There is also a forum on the Web site on
mydeathspace.com, a site that archives the . which Patterson posts the hate mail he re-
myspace.com pages belonging to people ceives.
who have died. It is not affiliated with "This website is disgu-sting.You should
myspace.com. not be going around flaunting peoples
The Web site has been down since Mon- death," one post states.
day, which creator Mike Patterson of San ."This site is morbid and sick. ...What is
Francisco attributes to heavy traffic. He wrong with you people?" another asks.
said the site should be back up in a few Patterson said it doesn't bother him.
days after it gets more bandwidth from its "People can say whatever they want,"
host site. he said. "It dependshow thick (your) skin
More than 1;000people are listed on the is." .
Web site, which includes a map of the Patterson said lie plans to run the site
United States that uses little people fig- until he gets tired of it or until someone
ures to pinpoint the location of each death. buys it from him.
Black is for those who died, and red is for Mydeathspace.com has brought Patter-
accused murderers with myspace.com ac- son public attention, with coverage of the
counts. Web site in national media
The deaths listed range from car acci- "I'm enjoying the press," he said. "I love
dents to drug overdoses. A brief descrip- it"
tion or article is included for each person, Michele Mansfield of Phoenix, whose MICHAEL SCHENNUM/THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC
and people can go on and leave comments. 16-year-old son, Nick Serna, died last year Nick Serna, the 16-year-old son of Michele
It lists 15people from Arizona, ranging in after playing a choking game, said my-· Mansfield of Phoenix, died last year after
age from 15 to 30. deathspace.com could help kids see that playing a choking game.
There is also one Arizona murder sus- their choices have consequences.
pect listed: "Hopefully, (the deaths) will ring in
Jocelyn Combs of Pleasanton, Calif., their head when faced with those
was not the one to submit her daughter's choices," she said. Get online
death to the site. She said she has mixed A note Mansfield had written on Serna's
feelings about it. myspace.com page after he died was sub- There are a number of social-networking
"I think death becomes more real the mitted to the mydeathspace.corn Web site. Web sites that are growing in popularity.
more you realize they're real people. It's "My sweet boy died playing The Chok- Myspace: Allows users to create profiles, (
kind of the ultimate reality show," she said. ing Game," Mansfield's note said. post pictures and write blog entries. It
"People can get addicted to it. There are "Losing him has been devastating to our had more than 55 million 'Visitors during
some pretty scary things on it" family. It-is time to make everyone aware August, one-third of who were ages 18 to
Here are a couple of the notes left in of this killer and stop it." 24.
memory of Arizona individuals: ' Mansfield said she doesn't know who
"This is an extreme loss!" one post said submitted her note, but she said she is glad Mydeathspace: Started in December, it
about a 30-year-old Scottsdale woman he or she did. archives the myspace.com pages belong-
who committed suicide. "I'm hoping that by seeing that, (kids) ing to people who have died and to mur-
"Sad story tho. Younggirl," another post willmake better choices," she said. derers. More than 1,000 people are listed.
stated about a 15-year-old Scottsdale teen Brittany Oliver, a University of Arizona Facebook: Started by a Harvard Univer-
who died in a car accident. freshman, has been a daily visitor to my sity student in 2004, it was originally
Patterson, 25, said the site should be deathspace.com since it was created. open only to college students. In Septem-
used as an educational tool. "I started reading and was hooked," she ber, it opened to the general public. It re-
"One mother sat her kids down arid said. ' ported 14 million visitors during August.
forced them to look at the site and (said), Oliver said the site reminds her that
'Look, kids are dying; " he said. death is not something you can always Frienclster: Founded in 2002, the San
Patterson said he started the site after prepare for. Francisco-based site was one of the first
he read about a man who strangled his two "Some are just complete freak accidents in the social-networking revolution. In Au-
daughters. He found their profiles on my and catch you by surprise," she said. "It's gust, Friendster received a second patent
space.com. After that, he said, he would really eye-opening." and a $10miliion.Jnvestment to improve
read news articles and then look to see if Like Patterson, Oliver said the Web site the site. It reported 1 million visitors dur-
the person who died had a profile. The site could open people's eyes to the reality of ingAugust.
was officially launched in December. death. Xanga: An online community of diaries
Patterson said he makes money off of . "A lot of teenagers think they are invin- and journals. It reported 8 million visitors
the Web site through advertisements and cible," she said. . during August. '
selling merchandise such as wristbands "They can see it can happen to you."
and buttons. Source: Media researchfirm comscore
He refuses to disclose how much money Reach the reporter at kristi.eaton@arizona Networks. .
the Web site is making. republic.com.