For those that don't know, snopes is a website that clears up the Internet rumors: " The new U.S. dollar coins were designed with the motto "In God We Trust" omitted (FALSE)," "Abused goat kills it's owner (TRUE) ," "During a campaign stop, Barack Obama stated that he had visited "57 States," a reference to 57 Islamic states (Multiple Truth Values)," "Keith is the best computer guy around (snopes has never heard of this one, but this is my blog & I say TRUE)", and the list goes on.
I check all e-mails I receive on snopes first before I forward them on like so many emails ask me to do. It is quick & easy to check these stories out, all you have to do is go to snopes website, chose from one of their search categories or type in either the email title or some key words into the search box and snopes will do the rest. Occasionally a topic can not be found, but my experience has been that this doesn't happen very often.
When the item is found, snopes gives it one of 5 different rates:
- (Green Circle) = True
- (Red Circle) = False
- (Red & Green circles joined) = Multiple Truth Values
- (Yellow Circle) = Undetermined
- (Grey Circle) = Unclassifiable Veracity
The reason for this post is, I usually don't mind checking these out when I get them, but recently I was told by a friend, that I was their fact checker. I receive a lot of emails from this person and a lot of them are False, so when I asked them if they checked them out at snopes before they forwarded them to me, they replied, "No, that is why I send them to you. I know you check them & then let me know one way or another." Last time I checked, Fact Checker was a paying gig. I will be glad to do this if you forward along a check or money order made payable to Keith Schwandt. HA HA.
Seriously though, I will probably continue to be their unofficial, unpaid fact checker. Plus a lot of people are unaware of this website and I am here to inform.
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