One Born Every Minute – How Hoaxes Live On

by Chris Redding

​W. C. Fields said that there was a sucker born every minute. A lot of them are on social media, as it turns out, specifically Facebook...

That’s how some unknown person managed to convince users that if they posted a statement on their pages, Facebook couldn't use anything they posted.

Business owners who perpetuate hoaxes run the risk of losing customers due to loss of credibility.

I'm sure you've seen it:

"Now it's official! It has been published in the media. Facebook has just released the entry price: $5.99 to keep the subscription of your status to be set to "private". If you paste this message on your page, it will be offered free (paste not share) if not tomorrow, all your posts can become public. Even the messages that have been deleted or the photos not allowed. After all, it does not cost anything for a simple copy and paste…"

Well, it was a hoax. Probably in the realm of one of the most annoying hoaxes in the history of social media. Anything a user posts on Facebook belongs to the user. Which was covered the last few times this particular hoax made the rounds.

Yes, people have fallen for this more than once.

Not checking your facts can hurt you

Believe it or not, business owners have fallen for this hoax too. And here's the thing – if their privacy or copyright were really in jeopardy, they'd have a right to be concerned.
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But that's not the case. And by perpetuating this hoax they run the risk of losing customers due to loss of credibility – not to mention what would happen if customers acted on the information themselves with a negative outcome.  

So how do you know the difference? A few ways:

• Use a little common sense – if it seems too good to be true, it usually is
• Check Snopes – a reliable source for debunking urban legends and such
• Learn from past mistakes – if one FB privacy post is a hoax, they likely all are

Question everything

The surest way to not be taken in by the hype of a situation is to step back and question it. Spreading a story without knowing if it is true could seriously impact your business. Take a beat, check the facts – seriously, Snopes is your best friend – and remember the Internet is forever. Verify everything before passing it on to anyone else.

Did you fall for the latest Facebook hoax – or any other web hoaxes? Tell me – it'll be just between us! ;)
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