When a friend posts an urban legend on Facebook...

[cbcb]

I think the same way people here often say "safety trumps etiquette", that truth does as well. I think false urban legends, posted (semi)publicly, should be corrected in the same manner.

And frankly, if the person corrected is embarrassed or hurt, they should consider that they put themselves in that position, by blindly believing forwards. I feel differently when the status is someone's feelings about something, or mode or expression (e.g. I think the dad in another thread who responded to his son's status and chastized his son for swearing on facebook was way out of line), but truth isn't a point-of-view or opinion, it's the factual truth.

[T'Mar of Vulcan]

Some people have again said that some urban legends "don't hurt anybody", for example glurge (those "heartwarming" stories that people pass around). Someone said that if it helps someone's faith, it doesn't matter. I disagree. I think it's still wrong to pass glurge around, especially religious glurge, and I AM a Christian. But I think it does hurt, because if you (in general) pass around such a story and someone later finds out it's not true, that could tarnish their faith, or if they're not religious, it could lead them to thinking that all people of X religion tell lies in order to gain converts. That's definitely a bad idea! And why the necessity for glurge, anyway? There are dozens of TRUE, heartwarming stories out there. There's no need to pass around false ones!

[familyfun]

I think responding to an urban legend would be dependent upon just how harmful believing it would be.

Something that would lead to physical danger, or be libellous to someone, should be responded to. Some sugary piece of glurge may be annoying, but probably less harmful in the long run.

This is my criteria too.  For example, the missing children hoaxes are harmful because when people call in possible sighting to police departments and/or 911, it ties up the phone lines and has in the past resulted in legitimate emergency calls not going through or being delayed.    Even with that, a first time offense gets a message on Facebook (which is addressed only to the person and not posted on the Wall where everyone else can see it) or a one on one email.  Repeat offenders get a wall post or a reply to all email. 

[HeeBeeJeeBee]

I have to tell you, I find snopes intolerable .....it's not that I don't like to be informed, but I am not the type to reference snopes, and point out when I know someone has incorrect info.  To me, referencing snopes smacks of "I told you so, na-na-na-na-na-naaa!", and I don't like that in grown adults. 

I am sure I breached etiquette not long ago with this when I read a response to a chain e-mail my friend sent.  The response was a friend of hers telling her she had the wrong info, in this case, had given the wrong name for a quote, and she sent it to everyone the story had been sent to!  She hit "reply all"!  I thought this was rude, and told her so.    

[BettyDraper]

I have to tell you, I find snopes intolerable .....it's not that I don't like to be informed, but I am not the type to reference snopes, and point out when I know someone has incorrect info.  To me, referencing snopes smacks of "I told you so, na-na-na-na-na-naaa!", and I don't like that in grown adults. 

I am sure I breached etiquette not long ago with this when I read a response to a chain e-mail my friend sent.  The response was a friend of hers telling her she had the wrong info, in this case, had given the wrong name for a quote, and she sent it to everyone the story had been sent to!  She hit "reply all"!  I thought this was rude, and told her so.    

Why does referencing Snopes or some other means of debunking of an urban myth smack of "I told you so, na-na-nah?"    I'm not following your reasoning here.   

[familyfun]

I have to tell you, I find snopes intolerable .....it's not that I don't like to be informed, but I am not the type to reference snopes, and point out when I know someone has incorrect info.  To me, referencing snopes smacks of "I told you so, na-na-na-na-na-naaa!", and I don't like that in grown adults.  

I am sure I breached etiquette not long ago with this when I read a response to a chain e-mail my friend sent.  The response was a friend of hers telling her she had the wrong info, in this case, had given the wrong name for a quote, and she sent it to everyone the story had been sent to!  She hit "reply all"!  I thought this was rude, and told her so.    

I prefer to address the person individually in a private message or one one one email, if it's a first offense.  But how do you know it was with your friend?  Maybe she had done it repeatedly.

Out of curiosity, do you find it more preferable for police lines to be tied up by missing child hoaxes like the one below?  They sometimes result in REAL emergency calls going unanswered or the responses delayed.  In this one, the police department had to hire an extra part time receptionist to deal with all of the phone calls.  Think of what good that money could have done spent on additional personnel or equipment instead of responding to a hoax generated by well meaning people:

http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=217822

How about this one on Haiti?  Do you support people mistakenly thinking they've done their part by copying and pasting an update about Facebook donating a dollar to relief for every time the status is copied & pasted?  Which isn't true.  Instead of actually donating that $1 to the Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders?  Or any of the other legitimate organizations sending supplies, etc. to Haiti to help the survivors?

http://urbanlegends.about.com/b/2010/01/14/haiti-relief-hoaxes-spread-via-twitter-facebook.htm

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but are you actually saying these two examples I gave are more acceptable than someone sending a Snopes link (which I agree should be done in "private" vs. publicly unless the person keeps posting this kind of misninformation)?  If so, could you please explain why it is less acceptable to send a Snopes link than to tie up police resources and spread false information about disaster relief to a devastated region.  No one is going to die from getting a Snopes link.  But people could die from delayed or unanswered police calls or from disaster relief being divereted or not sent because of internet hoaxes like the Facebook status ones.

[ginlyn32]

Some people have again said that some urban legends "don't hurt anybody", for example glurge (those "heartwarming" stories that people pass around). Someone said that if it helps someone's faith, it doesn't matter. I disagree. I think it's still wrong to pass glurge around, especially religious glurge, and I AM a Christian. But I think it does hurt, because if you (in general) pass around such a story and someone later finds out it's not true, that could tarnish their faith, or if they're not religious, it could lead them to thinking that all people of X religion tell lies in order to gain converts. That's definitely a bad idea! And why the necessity for glurge, anyway? There are dozens of TRUE, heartwarming stories out there. There's no need to pass around false ones!

Podding this to the Nth degree!

ginlyn

[wendelenn]

I have to tell you, I find snopes intolerable .....it's not that I don't like to be informed, but I am not the type to reference snopes, and point out when I know someone has incorrect info.  To me, referencing snopes smacks of "I told you so, na-na-na-na-na-naaa!", and I don't like that in grown adults. 

I am sure I breached etiquette not long ago with this when I read a response to a chain e-mail my friend sent.  The response was a friend of hers telling her she had the wrong info, in this case, had given the wrong name for a quote, and she sent it to everyone the story had been sent to!  She hit "reply all"!  I thought this was rude, and told her so.    

You'd really rather someone, for example, send a Christmas card to "Any Soldier at Walter Reed Hospital", where it will be thrown out and never seen by a soldier, than have someone correct them with a snopes link to where they can ACTUALLY send cards that would ACTUALLY be read??!!   

[Amava]

I have to tell you, I find snopes intolerable .....it's not that I don't like to be informed, but I am not the type to reference snopes, and point out when I know someone has incorrect info.  To me, referencing snopes smacks of "I told you so, na-na-na-na-na-naaa!", and I don't like that in grown adults. 

I am sure I breached etiquette not long ago with this when I read a response to a chain e-mail my friend sent.  The response was a friend of hers telling her she had the wrong info, in this case, had given the wrong name for a quote, and she sent it to everyone the story had been sent to!  She hit "reply all"!  I thought this was rude, and told her so.    

Why does referencing Snopes or some other means of debunking of an urban myth smack of "I told you so, na-na-nah?"    I'm not following your reasoning here.   

Me neither.

[Hawkwatcher]

As others have pointed out, urban legends are not necessarily harmless.  I have had people send me false information about about breast cancer.  False medical information is dangerous. 

[Dr. Horrible]

People are amazingly brazen in what they will spread without fact-checking.  This is sort of OT but I once sat stupefied with astonishment at a corporate holiday dinner as a co-worker related to a breathless table of colleagues the dramatic tale of a burglary in which she lost a gold watch that was a graduation present from her grandma, and other items, as she slept unawares just feet from where the thieves had to have been, after they climbed in a living-room window foolishly left open due to the heat. 

Totally OT, but I guess you should have bought that cooling air conditioner from that delightful door-to-door salesman, Mrs. Draper  (Couldn't resist!)

Back to topic, I don't get forwards anymore (thank sweet Deity!). My friends have gotten over that, otherwise I would be hitting them up with some snopes. I hate misinformation with the passion of a thousand burning suns. Now, if only to convince my mothers friend to stop sending my mother forwards... (mother has been banned from opening those emails on my laptop. My computer has enough problems already, thank you!)

[Sharnita]

I have to tell you, I find snopes intolerable .....it's not that I don't like to be informed, but I am not the type to reference snopes, and point out when I know someone has incorrect info.  To me, referencing snopes smacks of "I told you so, na-na-na-na-na-naaa!", and I don't like that in grown adults. 

I am sure I breached etiquette not long ago with this when I read a response to a chain e-mail my friend sent.  The response was a friend of hers telling her she had the wrong info, in this case, had given the wrong name for a quote, and she sent it to everyone the story had been sent to!  She hit "reply all"!  I thought this was rude, and told her so.    

You'd really rather someone, for example, send a Christmas card to "Any Soldier at Walter Reed Hospital", where it will be thrown out and never seen by a soldier, than have someone correct them with a snopes link to where they can ACTUALLY send cards that would ACTUALLY be read??!!   

But couldn't you pm them that information so they can post tehir own correction?

[StressedGroom]

I have to tell you, I find snopes intolerable .....it's not that I don't like to be informed, but I am not the type to reference snopes, and point out when I know someone has incorrect info.  To me, referencing snopes smacks of "I told you so, na-na-na-na-na-naaa!", and I don't like that in grown adults. 

I am sure I breached etiquette not long ago with this when I read a response to a chain e-mail my friend sent.  The response was a friend of hers telling her she had the wrong info, in this case, had given the wrong name for a quote, and she sent it to everyone the story had been sent to!  She hit "reply all"!  I thought this was rude, and told her so.    

You'd really rather someone, for example, send a Christmas card to "Any Soldier at Walter Reed Hospital", where it will be thrown out and never seen by a soldier, than have someone correct them with a snopes link to where they can ACTUALLY send cards that would ACTUALLY be read??!!   

But couldn't you pm them that information so they can post tehir own correction?

Have you ever seen someone post a correction to an urban legend?  I've seen them take it down, but never with an explanation as to why.

[Sharnita]

I have to tell you, I find snopes intolerable .....it's not that I don't like to be informed, but I am not the type to reference snopes, and point out when I know someone has incorrect info.  To me, referencing snopes smacks of "I told you so, na-na-na-na-na-naaa!", and I don't like that in grown adults. 

I am sure I breached etiquette not long ago with this when I read a response to a chain e-mail my friend sent.  The response was a friend of hers telling her she had the wrong info, in this case, had given the wrong name for a quote, and she sent it to everyone the story had been sent to!  She hit "reply all"!  I thought this was rude, and told her so.    

You'd really rather someone, for example, send a Christmas card to "Any Soldier at Walter Reed Hospital", where it will be thrown out and never seen by a soldier, than have someone correct them with a snopes link to where they can ACTUALLY send cards that would ACTUALLY be read??!!   

But couldn't you pm them that information so they can post tehir own correction?

Have you ever seen someone post a correction to an urban legend?  I've seen them take it down, but never with an explanation as to why.

Yes - and a case where it was an address for a soldier why wouldn't they say something like "Hey, I just found out that this is now the address to send it to?"

[evely28]

I have to tell you, I find snopes intolerable .....it's not that I don't like to be informed, but I am not the type to reference snopes, and point out when I know someone has incorrect info.  To me, referencing snopes smacks of "I told you so, na-na-na-na-na-naaa!", and I don't like that in grown adults. 

I am sure I breached etiquette not long ago with this when I read a response to a chain e-mail my friend sent.  The response was a friend of hers telling her she had the wrong info, in this case, had given the wrong name for a quote, and she sent it to everyone the story had been sent to!  She hit "reply all"!  I thought this was rude, and told her so.    

You'd really rather someone, for example, send a Christmas card to "Any Soldier at Walter Reed Hospital", where it will be thrown out and never seen by a soldier, than have someone correct them with a snopes link to where they can ACTUALLY send cards that would ACTUALLY be read??!!   

But couldn't you pm them that information so they can post tehir own correction?

Have you ever seen someone post a correction to an urban legend?  I've seen them take it down, but never with an explanation as to why.

Yes - and a case where it was an address for a soldier why wouldn't they say something like "Hey, I just found out that this is now the address to send it to?"

Because some people are more interested in posting things they think make them look smart and privy to be in the loop, rather than things that are true.

If I posted mis-information on this forum, I wouldn't expect someone to keep it private and send me a PM, I would expect to be corrected-kindly and politely. Same thing for any other public venue.