25 replies to this topic

[Shortpoet-GTD]

or do you investigate the information- as to the validity of the statement?

"Links please" (fact check) is a good way to view things, I think on all sites-news or otherwise
(or even here);
especially now, with so much misinformation or downright lies out there.

(This comes to mind, in part, because of cnn reporting false information about the ACA
just to get the story out there before reading the full report.)



Imo, too many people "believe" whatever is put before them via the tv or the net.
This is a problem I think because not enough people are saying-
"Hey, wait a minute; what's your source; do you have other sources to corroborate that?"

It even happens here. It's not that posters are lying or trying to post misinformation,
but sometimes, only one source is listed, or none at all.
"Oh, that's great-or Oh, that's bad."
is stated but "what's your source or links please" is not asked.

And this is not a slam on this site-I am speaking in general terms.
Bottom line I suppose is-do you believe it or investigate it?


What do you think?

[dconklin]

I have a couple relatives (and I love them dearly) that believe everything they read.  I personally am careful with the source before believing it.  I have come to know that you are quite intelligent with green living and trust your words, but I don't just trust everything I read or hear.

[meowcow]

I always look for proof and/or links whenever I read articles especially on the internet. And even if there are a lot of links and articles talking about the same thing, I am still skeptical. Maybe that's just the skeptic in me, but it has always served me well. Even when I am watching the news on television, I always have my guard up for whenever I feel like I am being fed opinions.

[E3 wise]

I have to agree that we need to be more critical in our thinking, about what we read and see on the internet and television. I am living in a state where the governor is vowing to not accept the federal funds for the Affordable Care Act.  We have an estimated 4-5 million people with no health care, many elderly and children and this guy says sorry I am a Republican and I won’t participate because the law was passed by a Democratic President and Congress and even if those people without health care want to participate, well I won’t let them.

   Florida it screws’s up government of the people, by the people, and for the people every day.  And the rub of it is that people let it happen because they don’t take the time to look at the facts and try to make decisions for themselves.

    My point is that we have to provide information that is clear, factual, and able to be backed up by sources that substantiate the point. I must admit that I am sometimes in a hurry to post and don’t take the time to add all my sources.  Time to change that, so I accept Shortpoets call, and will start adding more sources, takes more time but needs to be done.

   Good call, oh and as a matter of course Texans can be independent thinkers who want things validated, I just wish they and all of us did it more. The devil is in the details.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

dconklin, on 04 July 2012 - 08:37 AM, said:

I have a couple relatives (and I love them dearly) that believe everything they read.  I personally am careful with the source before believing it.  I have come to know that you are quite intelligent with green living and trust your words, but I don't just trust everything I read or hear.

That's very kind of you to say that.
(And that's why too, I like to include links to sources so I am not just spouting junk.)
Thank you very much.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

E3 wise, on 04 July 2012 - 02:51 PM, said:

Time to change that, so I accept Shortpoets call, and will start adding more sources, takes more time but needs to be done.

Good call, oh and as a matter of course Texans can be independent thinkers who want things validated, I just wish they
and all of us did it more. The devil is in the details.

You're a sweetie and thank you first off.

"Consider the source" is often said sarcastically but we should embrace that saying.
Can a source be trusted or are they consistently wrong? Even "sometimes wrong" should throw off
red flags to all of us. Things to consider.

Secondly, I'm a born and bred Chicago native. I'm only a Texan by circumstance; not a real one.   Naturally, I'm
proud of my home state but more than anything, the reason I chafe over someone calling me a Texan
is the fact that there are so many conservatives, big oil folks, anti immigration folks living here, and that just irks me.
(I remember reading an article years ago in Playboy about some poor schnook that got life in prison
for one marijuana cigarette-in Texas, and vowed then to never visit the state, let alone live there. Oh well,
never say never.)
Sorry-off topic.

Back to the credibility of items we read on the net or see on tv-(as in, it's maybe bs?)

[E3 wise]

Sorry Ma'am

    No disrespect intended, just goes to show that I should not assume.  As a native Texican, I must admit there are a lot of, shall we say red neckish people.  One of the things I really disliked about the state.  That said we all need to look at the facts when considering issues, and today there seems to be a lot of disinformation out there.

   Best wishes Ma'am and you have a fine day.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

E3 wise, on 04 July 2012 - 03:47 PM, said:

Sorry Ma'am

No disrespect intended, just goes to show that I should not assume.  As a native Texican, I must admit there are a lot of, shall we say red neckish people.  One of the things I really disliked about the state.  That said we all need to look at the facts when considering issues, and today there seems to be a lot of disinformation out there.

   Best wishes Ma'am and you have a fine day.

The first time I heard Ma'am it ticked me off, but now I'm old enough to warrant it.
You're the best and no offense taken-just breaking your "eggs."

[E3 wise]

Me too thought Ma'am might get you, hope you get some relief from the heat and say Hi to my parents, since Amarillo is such a small town you probably know each other-  Just kidding.

Your the best, health, Happiness & Success and also give em hell girl.

[dconklin]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 04 July 2012 - 02:51 PM, said:

That's very kind of you to say that.
(And that's why too, I like to include links to sources so I am not just spouting junk.)
Thank you very much.

You are welcome! You shined the light on many things here and I value your input as I know there is actual truth behind it

The first time I heard somebody call me ma'am I was a bit annoyed too lol! But in all reality he was only being nice since he was well we shall just say considerably younger then me.

[zararina]

I could say that I do not believe automatically on all things/statements and even studies I had read online since  being online for years, I had learned that it is easy to just made up write ups online. Like I find news reliable when it is being posted on credible news site and being broadcast in a television news show. Links and more studies could also help in ensuring the statement is a fact or real.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

I think a lot of it has to do with the speed of everything these days (past several years)-

I may be wrong here, but when newspapers ran stories, they had the time to investigate the issue.
"Investigative reporting" was the norm then.
Now? Not so much.
Twitter -Facebook also add to the problems because when someone reads it there they take it as gospel.

And too many news/blog sites are the source for so many others because they don't do their "due diligence"
but just spout what has been said elsewhere.

Back in the day, Walter Cronkite was "the most trusted man in America"- hard to find someone now that
fits that bill.

[eds]

But how do you check out something that seems "too good to be true?"
Like Solar and Wind energy combined,
. . . payback of 10-15 years,
. . . doesn't make any noise,
. . . doesn't harm birds or humans,
. . . easily transported, erected and maintained from the ground(no special equipment required),
. . . wind powered by 4-90 mph and solar powered by light, both operate from all directions.

Source: bluenergyusa

[still learning]

eds, on 06 July 2012 - 10:37 AM, said:

But how do you check out something that seems "too good to be true?"

Source: bluenergyusa

If it seems too good to be true, there's a really good chance it isn't true.

Can try to follow the links and try to find out is it is true.

If you follow the links to the company website, I don't see any actual products listed.  No recent updates to the website, most are from 2007, same year as the groovygreen posting.  At the blueenergy site you can find that they expect "installations available starting summer of 2007."  Nothing after that.

if you just google blue energy, get a fair number of different businesses pop up on the first page, but not this one.

Too good to be true, I'd say.

Why not true?  Could be lots of business reasons, but one thing that caught my eye was with the lack of an upper support for the windmill, the lower bearing will be really stressed, will be prone to failure.

[eds]

still learning, on 06 July 2012 - 07:45 PM, said:

No recent updates to the website, most are from 2007.

Good catch, I missed that.  That was just before the Recession hit, when a LOT of companies in the Solar industry began to go bankrupt, from the price-wars.  They seem to be a German company, that expanded to New Mexico.  

Even Big companies like GE are putting their PV plans on hold for 18 months.
http://www.altenergy...nstruction-r806

[milano]

Not all in the internet is true and in most cases it is false. Sometimes even their reference or sources are misleading which would multiply misinformation in the internet.

This is some of the things I look for before I truly believe in a news I have read online. Is the information received from reliable sources like international news channels or government agencies? Is the information full of personal touches or personal beliefs? Are all facts given or only the one side of the "coin"? Read the comments. In most cases, commenters have enough information to add in a news article or debunk it.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

I don't remember the product they were trying to sell me, but there is a new commercial out now that pokes
fun at the fact that "I read it on the internet, so it must be true."

The ad stuck, but sadly, the product they were hawking didn't.

[dconklin]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 07 July 2012 - 05:22 AM, said:

I don't remember the product they were trying to sell me, but there is a new commercial out now that pokes
fun at the fact that "I read it on the internet, so it must be true."

The ad stuck, but sadly, the product they were hawking didn't.

I was just thinking of this commercial! I don't remember what they were selling either, but I had to laugh at the girl's blind date the "French model" lol

[Pat]

During the real estate boom loan officers where telling home buyers that they could refinance their homes and even make money on their over leveraged homes.  As a past real estate agent I counseled people to not believe that line, if the homeowner was not able to refinance they would be in deep trouble.  The papers said all was good, so who do you believe now? My saying is consider the source.

[Sandra Piddock]

I think the problem here is that people think that if someone has gone to the trouble to post something, then it must be true. Also, if enough people are saying it, then again, it must be true. In both my reading and my writing, I look to credible sources to confirm facts before I take something as accurate. If we stop questioning, we only have ourselves to blame if we end up sounding like idiots.