Stan Suther's Real Estate and Stuff

I never fail to be amazed at all the stupid “alerts” that circulate on the Internet every day.  Now, we see them showing up on Facebook and other social networks, too.  I do have sympathy for all the Internet “newbies” out there who have concluded that if they see it on a computer screen then it must be true.  I’ve been on-line since before the advent of the Internet.  Prior to the Internet, there was something called Gopher that worked somewhat like the Internet, and there were various forums on locally connected “bulletin boards (BBs)” where people did then what they do now- ask questions and communicate information- all at blazing dial-up speeds.  Early on, the more devious people using these tools found that they could launch a rumor more effectively on these tools than had been possible before.  These could be used just for fun to see how long it would take for a rumor to really start spreading, or more maliciously, to try to destroy someone’s good name or launch a computer virus.  With the advent of email and social networks, it’s become way to easy to try to fool people who aren’t skeptical enough of what they see out there.  If you assume these communications are all real, then there’s a guy in Nigeria who really wants to work with you and guarantee you’ll become rich.  All you have to do is send him a few hundred dollars to get the process going.  If you have not seen this, just wait.  You’ll be getting email from him soon.

There are websites that have been created to try to combat the spread of these “urban legends” and hoaxes, and they are awfully handy when you want to check out the accuracy of some of the things you read.  My go-to site is called www.snopes.com.  Others can be seen at http://www.scambusters.org/, http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/internet/u/current_netlore.htm, and others.  Just Google “urban legends” to see more.  When you check out a hoax or urban legend, you might be surprised to find that many of them have been circulating since the mid to late nineties.  They are written to sound like they’re brand new, and some people who spread these will modify old ones to make them look new.

The bottom line is that if you read something that seems a bit preposterous, whether it is a warning or a negative statement about a public figure, be a little skeptical and check them out on one of these sites that research the details and history of the statements.  You’ll find that most are BALONEY, and that you can stop yourself from spreading the baloney to your friends.

Remember that it’s not hard to have an opinion if you don’t bother with getting the facts.