The dangers of local Web forums

Posted on by Susan Richards

My attention was recently drawn to a discussion on a local Yahoo group Web forum regarding an issue I had some firsthand knowledge about. I was not surprised that the initiator of the discussion presented the issue in a self-aggrandizing light. But what did surprise me was the number of people without any firsthand knowledge or involvement who joined the discussion [and presented] their viewpoint as if they knew the actual facts.

The discussion that ensued was rooted in untruth and embellished with misrepresentation. It also came to my attention that the moderators of such groups might be overwhelmed, underqualified or just plain incompetent to appropriately manage [them].

So my message here is, please don't believe everything you read and try to resist the urge to hop on a bandwagon of negativity. I sincerely hope the masses are intelligent enough to understand these points. Though after reading the aforementioned discussion, I'm not so sure.

— Susan Richards
Asheville

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8 thoughts on “The dangers of local Web forums”

  1. bill smith

    This is an untrue lie! Obama IS a muslim nazi! My uncles friend totally told me.

  2. boatrocker

    As no specific forum and topic was addressed, I can’t comment upon the validity, but-

    Here’s a little pearl of wisdom about online forums:

    Image trumps substance evry single time. Every single time. Don’t expect the truth, just the shallow veneer of truth.

    Call it media pollution if you will. It’s fun to lambaste, but tough to overcome.

  3. who

    Yeah, double lie, and people should be able to say what they want to say on the radio and TV.

  4. Orbit DVD

    Unfortunately, I found out in the mid-90s that the internet is far from a utopia sharing constructive thought and ideas.

  5. BigAl

    I strongly agree with Susan. Anyone who says anything in a public forum that anyone else disagrees with should have their freedom of expression denied forever more.

    Let me know when the position for Absolute Moderator opens up. I am fully qualified: I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.

  6. bill smith

    @BigAl–I’m not sure you read the right letter. This one suggests nothing along those lines whatsoever.

  7. D. Dial

    The one thing the cyber world does for sure, is show everyone how easy it is to type out anything…which only goes to show how easy it is for anyone, even well known journalist to type out anything. Take everything you read with a huge grain of salt.

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