Stemming the tide

Today, I’m going to do a public service announcement.  Are you ready?  Here we go.  

I know it may come as a great shock to people, but those forwards you get in your email may not necessarily be true.  I know, I know, it’s just difficult to understand that not everything you read on the net is true, and, it seems a little odd that I’m using that very medium to inform you of that, but, so it goes.  Case in point:  I received from a person (by the way, this person is none of you reading this, he is someone who is affiliated with WSU and has my email address for other reasons), a forward about Bill Gates and Microsoft offering a refund of 245.00 for each person they sent that email to.  This man, who is known by graduate students and has a fairly public position at the university actually took the time to read the forward, then to send it to at least 300 people in his address book.  

I responded back to him as follows:    
Don't be sending out crap like this.  This is a HOAX.  Please check out:
 http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/nothing/microsoft-aol.asp
 This website addresses this rumor.  You need to send an email out to every single person you sent that load of crap to and apologize.  And next time, check out any internet rumors by going to www.snopes.com and using their search feature.  Are you really that naive that you believe this?

Amazingly, I have not heard back from him.  I would encourage you today that when you receive any kind of internet rumors in your mailbox, that you delete them, or, if you want to be in public service, check them out by using one of the better internet rumor sites, www.snopes.com.  They have search feature that works quite handily-you just have to put in a keyword from the rumor.  Then when you get the real scoop, email the sender the information back.  I realize I’m only plugging up one little hole in the dike of internet hoaxes and rumors, but hey, at least I’m trying to do my part.