Guest guest Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 Thought this might be of interest because of the recent virus scare. It's from Urban Legends.. Lynn Without researching the factual claims made in a forwarded email there's no 100 percent sure way to tell it if it's a hoax, but here you'll find a list of common signs to watch for... Here's How: Note whether the text you've received was actually written by the person who sent it. Did anyone sign their name to it? If not, be skeptical. Look for the telltale phrase, 'Forward this to everyone you know!' The more urgent the plea, the more suspect the message. Look for statements like 'This is NOT a hoax' or 'This is NOT an urban legend.' They typically mean the opposite of what they say. Watch for overly emphatic language, as well as frequent use of UPPERCASE LETTERS and multiple exclamation points!!!!!!! If the text seems aimed more at persuading than informing the reader, be suspicious. Like propagandists, hoaxers are more interested in pushing people's emotional buttons than communicating accurate information. If the message purports to impart extremely important information that you've never heard of before or read elsewhere in legitimate venues, be very suspicious. Read carefully and think critically about what the message says, looking for logical inconsistencies, violations of common sense and blatantly false claims. Look for subtle or not-so-subtle jokes indications that the author is pulling your leg. Check for references to outside sources of information. Hoaxes don't typically cite verifiable evidence, nor link to Websites with corroborating information. Check to see if the message has been debunked by Websites that debunk urban legends and Internet hoaxes (see below). Research any factual claims in the text to see if there is published evidence to support them. If you find none, odds are you've been the recipient of an email hoax. Tips: Virtually any email chain letter you receive (i.e., any message forwarded multiple times before it got to you) is more likely to be false than true. You should automatically be skeptical of chain letters. Hoaxers usually try every means available to make their lies believable -- e.g., mimicking a journalistic style, attributing the text to a 'legitimate' source, or implying that powerful corporate or government interests have tried to keep the information from you. Be especially wary of health-related rumors. Most importantly, never act on 'medical information' forwarded from unknown sources without first verifying its accuracy with a doctor or other reliable source. More How To's from your Guide To Urban Legends Suggested Reading FAQ: What Is a Hoax? Current Internet Hoaxes Varieties of Netlore: Chain Email Related Articles How to Spot an Email Hoax Further Adventures in Email Tracking Applebee's Chain Letter - Netlore Archive 'Free Stuff' Chain Letters Email Cover Letters Copied from: http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/nethoaxes/ht/emailhoax.htm?nl=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 HI LYNN I have been told - by whom I cannot remember.... that much of the stuff posted in Snopes and Urban Legends per se.... is not really factual, in some cased is down right biased....... This has me wondering: Be especially wary of health-related rumors. Most importantly, never act on 'medical information' forwarded from unknown sources without first verifying its accuracy with a doctor or other reliable source. HEALTH RELATED RUMOURS errrrrr??????? you mean something written that maybe ANTI BIG PHARMA? or does not fall into line with so called main stream medicine.... perhaps is against the Cholesterol Hypothesis or some other (dare I say this tongue in cheek) highly credible medical dogma? Come on now........ tell me just who benefits from a so called warning like this? Did anyone here read what Tim Bolen had to say about scare mongering in his last e-news? This would have you believe that if a story has been passed on and on and on and on ad infinitum...... then it has to be a hoax, scam etc...... Just my early morning thoughts....... happy Saturday! Clare in Taz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 One case in point is the info on aspartame on Snopes . Reading their assertions made me lose certainty re the general validity of their information. That's some years ago. Still a fun website to browse when you're bored though..lol Hanneke At 07:38 AM 15/03/2008, you wrote: HI LYNN I have been told - by whom I cannot remember.... that much of the stuff posted in Snopes and Urban Legends per se.... is not really factual, in some cased is down right biased....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2008 Report Share Posted March 15, 2008 At 05:08 PM 3/14/2008, you wrote: Clare, Oy girl - you must be up early??? As I write, it's 7 pm here in KY...Couple of things - first, I just scanned the article, didn't really read the whole thing, but it looked like it made sense. I think, with many things, you take what is useful, then discard the rest. Urban legends is usually pretty accurate in terms of if something is true or of it's not. They don't deal with medical issues as a general rule - just something someone might send through the 'net. As far as I know, they don't deal with actual medical issues - only in the sense that they verify whether or not the sender of such info is genuine - regardless of their stance. Pro or anti drug is not the issue - it's whether the info has been sent by either someone reputable or is backed up by whatever info. The issue of whether someone is a naturalist, pro-drug, Bretharian - whatever, is not the issue. And, not what the post was referring to. Something else, and sorry of I'm wrong, but aren't you being a bit sensitive when you can see a plot from Big Pharma on a post such as this? There have been a number of health rumors that have circulated via the net - nothing comes specifically to mind, because I have generally ignored such email. But, there have been posts about some terrible disease, or poison in something, that have turned out not to be true at all. Just something to scare people. Some folks get a kick out of doing things like that. You know, sometimes I think things are just what they seem. No big conspiracy. No plot. No gain to Big Pharma or the doctor's collective. In this case, it's simply an attempt to make people aware of the many erroneous things that come from someone you don't know, or a group you've never heard of, which can cause worry and concern. That's all. Personally, I could care less if you or anyone else thinks Urban Legends has an agenda. I don't - and I've been looking at their stuff for a long time - a lot of years, and have never noticed a real bias one way or another with them. They're equal opportunity debunkers. Right now, one of the new things is a Creepy Gnome' Video that apparently has been circulating. They've also just debunked a quote ostensibly said by Obama. He didn't say what people are saying he said at all. What is important, is not whether or not one agrees with whatever - it is whether or not there is any truth to a statement or email. They leave medical issues to those who are more knowledgeable - which can be any number of people. If you've ever checked their site, you would see what I'm talking about.Sorry if it's offended you - that wasn't my intent. I thought some would find it helpful after the recent virus scare. But, I won't make that mistake again. God forbid, I would send something that was pro drug, main stream medical or anything like that.......... Lynn HI LYNN I have been told - by whom I cannot remember.... that much of the stuff posted in Snopes and Urban Legends per se.... is not really factual, in some cased is down right biased....... This has me wondering: Be especially wary of health-related rumors. Most importantly, never act on 'medical information' forwarded from unknown sources without first verifying its accuracy with a doctor or other reliable source. HEALTH RELATED RUMOURS errrrrr??????? you mean something written that maybe ANTI BIG PHARMA? or does not fall into line with so called main stream medicine.... perhaps is against the Cholesterol Hypothesis or some other (dare I say this tongue in cheek) highly credible medical dogma? Come on now........ tell me just who benefits from a so called warning like this? Did anyone here read what Tim Bolen had to say about scare mongering in his last e-news? This would have you believe that if a story has been passed on and on and on and on ad infinitum...... then it has to be a hoax, scam etc...... Just my early morning thoughts....... happy Saturday! Clare in Taz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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