There are all kinds of posts on Facebook, Twitter and other social media that seem too good to be true. Sadly some of them are just that … too good to be true. But how can you tell which are true before you reshare that content on your social networks? Tools to detect an Internet fake: Google: In a Google Search window put the title of the internet post or image or video or the key subject of the piece. If the only results that come back are for that one piece of content, chances are it is fake or at the very least not credible, because if it were credible it would be found in a lot of (credible) places on the web. Google link checking: Google makes it easy to see who else is linking to something on the web. To do this, type the word “link” into a Google Search window, follow it with a colon and the URL of the page you want to check. Doing this kind of search will show you if any credible sites are linking to the suspect page. To read more: See who links to your site, and how. Snopes is a well-known site that either validates or debunks urban legends, Internet rumors, e-mail forwards and other stories of unknown or questionable origin. Search for some keywords from a questionable site to see if Snopes has investigated. Hoax-Slayer is an Australia-based debunker of all manner of hoaxes that includes sections on Facebook hoaxes and internet scams. Common sense: Finally, and this may seem obvious, checking a few basic things will likely reveal hints about the legitimacy of a piece of web content.
Is it hosted on a reliable website? For example, a major news outlet, a university website or a ".gov" domain.
Does it quote known, reliable sources?
Check for misspellings – a lot of them probably means an non-credible site.
Is the site overwhelmed with advertisements? That might be a sign that the site is all about attracting the unwary just to show them ads.
Is the website selling something? Be especially skeptical of information about something on a website that is trying to sell you that something or an item related to it.
If a website asks you to login using your social media credentials, make sure you check the domain first and verify that it is legitimate.
A final word: When you want to believe something is true, that’s the time when you have to recognize that you’re susceptible to being tricked. It’s also the time to put on the skeptic’s hat and really check something out. And just for fun, here are a few of the more memorable hoaxes perpetrated on Facebook in the past year:
You can charge your iPhone by placing it in and running a microwave.
A large number of members of Congress have criminal records.
There has been a confirmed case of an Ebola victim rising from the dead in Africa
Liking the image of a sick child equates to one prayer for that child while sharing equates to 100 prayers.
Publishing a "Privacy Notice" on Facebook will stop anyone from using your images or posts on FB for anything else.
Do you know of other ways to check for scams? Please share in the Comments area.
Wish you could get more from your time on social media? Is that especially true on Twitter? Well, have I got a post for you. 7 Ways to Get More from Twitter Lists as a way to get a lot more from Twitter: Lists are probably the most under-appreciated, most-useful feature of Twitter. They are a way to manage the "firehose" of tweets come from large numbers of people you follow. Lists are best organized around your interests (this could mean the industry you work in, family and friends or even competitors). When you open a list you only see tweets from those people. It is important to remember that Twitter lists can be public (visible to anyone and searchable on Google) or private (visible only to you). Some resources for more information on lists:
Use Advanced Search: Use the Twitter Search window at the top right of the page and once you have results look to the left for the “Advanced Search” tab. In Advanced Search Twitter allows users to search by different arrangements of words, excluded words, hashtags, type of language, from certain accounts, mentioning certain accounts, near a certain place and/or within a date range. There is also some modest sentiment analysis that allows searching by positive or negative mentions. The best aspect of search in Twitter is that you can save your searches and re-run them when you want.
Twitter also allows embedding searches (which Twitter calls Timelines) so they can be displayed on a website or at a conference, for example. How to embed a timeline Join a Twitter chat: These are an under-utilized aspect of Twitter. They are a discussion held via Twitter where everyone follows the same hashtag at an agreed-upon time. They are great way to learn in any field you’re interested in and to connect with new, relevant followers. The company Gnosis has compiled a very useful resource: Twitter Chat List By Day of Week Follow a relevant hashtag: One of the best ways to network (whether it’s at a conference or some other event or even in your day-to-day life) is to follow a hashtag and to engage in conversation using that hashtag. For more see Twitter’s own Using hashtags on Twitter. Pinning a tweet: If you have a tweet you’d like more people to see or to be associated with you for a longer period of time you can pin it to the top of your Twitter profile (meaning it stays there until you unpin it). For example if you have a tweet about a new blog post or a tweet about how your business is offering a special deal then it can stay at the top of your profile where it is more likely to be seen. For more, see: How to Pin Tweets to Twitter Profile Page. Use tweet sorting: Visitors to any profile can choose which timeline to view: a basic Twitter stream (the default), tweets and replies or a stream of only photos and videos. This is useful to see how engaged a Twittter user may be. Optimize your Twitter profile: Do such basic things as ensure your bio has all of the critical information and keywords you would want related to you in the 160-character space. Use the same avatar (preferably showing your face) as you use on other social profiles. Choose a large background image that says something about you. For more, see Kevan Lee’s 5 Tips to Optimize Your Twitter Profile. This is not a complete list, but I hope it's a good start. What other things would you like to know about Twitter? Related posts: 13 Very Useful Twitter Infographics 9 Surprising Things You Can Do With Twitter Twetiquette: 10 basics for Twitter politeness
Twitter can be confusing to some and even baffling to those who have not fully embraced it. With so many great resources out there it can be hard to know where to start. But, wait … let me present for your Twitter enlightenment…. A Baker’s Dozen of Great Twitter Resources
Should You Use Twitter? This old-but-still-useful flowchart can help you decide whether Twitter is even the right place on social media for you.
And, finally, just for fun: A Dr Seuss Inspired Guide to Twitter has fun with Twitter don’t you know/ with some useful advice before you go.
So what do you think? Are you ready to learn a little more about Twitter to get more from it? If you know of other good resources please not them in the Comments area.
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