Just because it's on the Web, doesn't mean it's credible! Always check out what information you are given online, especially if it just seems too good to be true. You might have seen these floating around:
Did you know that Facebook has changed their privacy settings so all your information is publicly viewable?
Did you realize that you can charge your cell phone using only an onion?
Do you understand that if you don't forward that chain letter that your mother sent you, that you're probably going to get boils, dandruff, or lose your keys?
Hopefully, you've recognized that these are all Web hoaxes, circulated among a large group of people via email, social networking, blogs, and message boards. The most interesting characteristic of a hoax is that it offers a grain of believable truth to it, one that preys on your fears or makes you think "hmmm, I could see that happening!" These Web hoaxes are usually easily discredited with a simple Web search, but people (unfortunately) keep circulating them, adding fuel to the already raging hoax fire. If you've got a Web hoax that you'd like to check out - whether or not you think it's a hoax - you can do that pretty easily with this article titled Five Ways to Check Out a Hoax on the Web.
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