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Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 8:24:36 AM   
Iamsemisweet


Posts: 3651
Joined: 4/9/2011
From: The Great Northwest, USA
Status: offline 		I opened my mailbox this morning to the usual collection of warnings about new techniques gangs are using to tempt women into dangerous situations (bloody baby car seats by the side of the road); claims about outrageous things Obama has done (built a fancy country club prison in Illinois); and helpful tips (dialing 112 on your cell phone will connect you to the emergency call center, even if your phone has no service). Some of this crap has been going around since before email, but anything I haven't heard before, I usually look up on Snopes. My question is, Is Snopes really accurate? How does it work? I hate to tell people their "helpful information" is crap, without knowing whether my source is similarly inaccurate.

The next question, a rhetorical one, is why do people feel the need to pass on this crap to everyone in their address book?

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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 8:28:14 AM   
LillyBoPeep


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Joined: 12/29/2010
Status: offline 		because they genuinely think they are helping.
some people still don't know about snopes.

when i get emails like that, i send back a message letting them know that it's either no longer valid or not true, giving them a link to snopes, and thanking them for trying to be helpful.


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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 8:28:26 AM   
GreedyTop


Posts: 52100
Joined: 5/2/2007
From: Savannah, GA
Status: offline 		SECOND QUESTION FIRST:
I think a lot of the IMMEDIATELY PASS IT on thing comes from folks who are not internet savvy.. I get a lot of these from my mom who pretty much uses the internet ONLY for email...occasionaly for youtube links I send her.

as far as Snopes: I run about everything of that ilk through snopes, and havent gone wrong yet ;)

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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 8:29:38 AM   
GreedyTop


Posts: 52100
Joined: 5/2/2007
From: Savannah, GA
Status: offline 		This too.


quote:

ORIGINAL: LillyBoPeep

because they genuinely think they are helping.
some people still don't know about snopes.

when i get emails like that, i send back a message letting them know that it's either no longer valid or not true, giving them a link to snopes, and thanking them for trying to be helpful.




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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 8:32:18 AM   
Iamsemisweet


Posts: 3651
Joined: 4/9/2011
From: The Great Northwest, USA
Status: offline 		I actually did send a comment back to a sender this morning, on the claim that 112 connects you to the emergency call center, along with a link to Snopes. She became rather indignant, claiming that such emails make people more conscious of danger. Whatever.

_____________________________

Alice: But I don't want to go among mad people.
The Cat: Oh, you can't help that. We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.
Alice: How do you know I'm mad?
The Cat: You must be. Or you wouldn't have come here.

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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 8:52:17 AM   
FirmhandKY


Posts: 8948
Joined: 9/21/2004
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Iamsemisweet

I usually look up on Snopes. My question is, Is Snopes really accurate?

Snopes is a good resource, but like any such, you shouldn't totally give it complete creditability when reading it.

When it comes to "facts" that are research-able, and a definitive "yes" or "no" answer can be found, they are usually (always, as far as I have found) correct.

However, when it comes to the more vague pronouncement of "facts" about political issues, I've sometimes found them to be somewhat biased, based on their own political views.

Firm

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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 9:43:19 AM   
slaveluci


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Joined: 3/2/2007
From: Little Rock, AR
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Iamsemisweet

I actually did send a comment back to a sender this morning, on the claim that 112 connects you to the emergency call center, along with a link to Snopes. She became rather indignant, claiming that such emails make people more conscious of danger. Whatever.

I regularly do the same thing. If they get angry because you politely try to keep them from passing on ignorant and incorrect info, that's a personal problem. I just usually say something like: "I'm afraid that's not right. Check out this website (snopes.com) for more information." I haven't had anyone get too upset. I think, on the whole, most people want to know if they're believing something incorrect and/or passing it on as fact. Well, of course, unless it concerns politics or religion and then, of course, no one is ever incorrect

luci

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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 10:00:49 AM   
kalikshama


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Joined: 8/8/2010
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quote:

when i get emails like that, i send back a message letting them know that it's either no longer valid or not true, giving them a link to snopes, and thanking them for trying to be helpful.


I do this too, and if the urban legend was particularly egregious, I will send it to every email address included in the email, because compulsive forwarders of urban legends are unfamiliar with BCC.

ps - I have trained my mother to check with me before forwarding, but not, alas, to check with snopes.

Who has noticed that the latest urban legends include a link to snopes? (The link doesn't support the email; most people are too naive to actually CLICK on the link.)






< Message edited by kalikshama -- 10/27/2011 10:03:19 AM >

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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 10:23:08 AM   
littlewonder


Posts: 15659
Status: offline 		they pass it on because they are gullible, naive and believe everything they read.

I get at least 4 of these a day from family members. I used to try and be  helpful by sending them links and telling them it's a scam or rumor and nothing more but my family also believes in fairies and crystals and ufos and think I'm the one who is wrong because it's on the internet so of course it's true!!

Now I just delete the emails and let them think whatever they want. Whatever.



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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 1:53:04 PM   
Muttling


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Joined: 9/30/2007
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: littlewonder

they pass it on because they are gullible, naive and believe everything they read.




Stop talking about the Republican Party outside of the politics forum.

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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 2:15:54 PM   
Winterapple


Posts: 1343
Joined: 8/19/2011
Status: offline 		Urban legends, old wives tales,gossip,
chain letters, conspiracy theories and
hysteria predate the Internet.
The reasons why are built into humans.
A desire for secret knowledge.
Pleasure in having ones prejudices and
and fears confirmed.
Excitement in sensationalism.
I find snopes a very credible source.
I've sent a naive and gullible friend
there several times.
It works because most nonsense is
easily exposed with a little effort and
critical thinking.
Of course, facts and logic rarely hold
much sway with true believers of various
ilks.

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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 2:28:24 PM   
MissImmortalPain


Posts: 2440
Joined: 4/1/2011
Status: offline 		First question...yes they are normallly very good at checking their information before they put it on the site. But as always if you really want to know check in more than one place.

Second question.....I think others got this right. They think they are being helpful. You would be shocked by the amazing amount of things people don't know(well actually I would be shocked if you were shocked because you seem to know how foolish people can be)

*example* My 61 year old ex mother in law did not know that if you set your cruise control when driving in the rain that the car can slip it's contact with the road(hydroplane) and accelerate to the point where one can not control the vehicle. The reason it is silly that she didn't know this is because she was married to a mechanic and works on cars herself.


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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 4:40:43 PM   
Epytropos


Posts: 699
Joined: 7/23/2011
Status: offline 		Snopes is... gray area. If you do some googling you'll find multiple instances of misconduct and outright lies on their site in the past, lots of lawsuits, all sorts of shit. I still use them sometimes, but for the most part anyone who knows anything about the web will be able to do more reliable research on their own. For those who don't, I suppose it would be nice, but then those sorts of people don't know about Snopes in the first place, now do they?

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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 4:58:48 PM   
DomKen


Posts: 19457
Joined: 7/4/2004
From: Chicago, IL
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Epytropos

Snopes is... gray area. If you do some googling you'll find multiple instances of misconduct and outright lies on their site in the past, lots of lawsuits, all sorts of shit. I still use them sometimes, but for the most part anyone who knows anything about the web will be able to do more reliable research on their own. For those who don't, I suppose it would be nice, but then those sorts of people don't know about Snopes in the first place, now do they?

Well I just did some checking and couldn't any instance of anyone suing snopes. Do you have anything beyond a vague claim?

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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 5:03:30 PM   
Iamsemisweet


Posts: 3651
Joined: 4/9/2011
From: The Great Northwest, USA
Status: offline 		I googled.  I couldn't find anything about lawsuits either.  I found a 2010 New York Times article, and it didn't mention any legal issues.  Epytropos, could you be more specific?  I really don't want to rely on Snopes if it is not reasonably accurate.

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Alice: But I don't want to go among mad people.
The Cat: Oh, you can't help that. We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.
Alice: How do you know I'm mad?
The Cat: You must be. Or you wouldn't have come here.

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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 5:03:57 PM   
TheFireWithinMe


Posts: 1672
Joined: 10/3/2011
From: The Depths of Hell
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Epytropos

Snopes is... gray area. If you do some googling you'll find multiple instances of misconduct and outright lies on their site in the past, lots of lawsuits, all sorts of shit. I still use them sometimes, but for the most part anyone who knows anything about the web will be able to do more reliable research on their own. For those who don't, I suppose it would be nice, but then those sorts of people don't know about Snopes in the first place, now do they?


Given that people will sue for any damn thing, that doesn't necessarily mean anything. I like and trust Snopes.


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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 5:08:52 PM   
tazzygirl


Posts: 37833
Joined: 10/12/2007
Status: offline 		You wont find any.

Snopes is run by a candian woman and a man who was once registered as a republican, who since switched to independent. Sorta funny since most of the complaints about Snopes is that they are liberally biased.

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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 6:13:58 PM   
Epytropos


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Joined: 7/23/2011
Status: offline 		I know I've read articles regarding it, but my googling isn't turning anything up, either. The website I originally got the links from is defunct now, so I suppose I'll just have to retract my statement and go think about what I've done.

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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 6:15:14 PM   
DarkSteven


Posts: 28072
Joined: 5/2/2008
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: LillyBoPeep

because they genuinely think they are helping.
some people still don't know about snopes.

when i get emails like that, i send back a message letting them know that it's either no longer valid or not true, giving them a link to snopes, and thanking them for trying to be helpful.

Every time I've told someone about snopes, it hasn't prevented them from doing it again.  And again.  Grrrrr.

quote:

ORIGINAL: DomKen

quote:

ORIGINAL: Epytropos

Snopes is... gray area. If you do some googling you'll find multiple instances of misconduct and outright lies on their site in the past, lots of lawsuits, all sorts of shit. I still use them sometimes, but for the most part anyone who knows anything about the web will be able to do more reliable research on their own. For those who don't, I suppose it would be nice, but then those sorts of people don't know about Snopes in the first place, now do they?

Well I just did some checking and couldn't any instance of anyone suing snopes. Do you have anything beyond a vague claim?


Ya wanna check it out on snopes? 


< Message edited by DarkSteven -- 10/27/2011 6:16:18 PM >

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RE: Snopes is our friend? - 10/27/2011 6:24:53 PM   
Lucylastic


Posts: 40310
Status: offline 		will you be standing in the corner with your nose on the wall? grins
just jokin.. I know that some anti liberal have said that snopes , this n snopes that, but yeah there is nothing outside of rumour that they are anything but out to put people straight..
and because they ARE Canucks, they are automatically liberal

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