There are things that should not be said... and, reading the above scripture... there are things which should not be written.
What and whom do we trust? I think it is a good idea to develop 'anti- gossip' strategies. Now, there are rag mags that do nothing except print gossip and they have such a large customer base that... we cannot deny... there must be a lot of people who love to read or listen to gossip.
Have you ever met someone and said to yourself... 'Wow! That person is real!'
Now, how do you know they are real?
I'm guessing that everyone has met enough people who are not real to know the difference.
First, I think we need to agree that gossip is:
- lies disguised as truth
- rumor or talk of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature (the free dictionary)
- trivial chatty talk or writing (the free dictionary)
- a person who habitually spreads intimate or private rumors or facts (the free dictionary)
I'm going to borrow a history list from 'RealPlayer' to demonstrate a reasonable system for running a 'rumor' through a test in order to decide if it is worth putting into an inform...ation file.
- developers
- initial release
- stable release
- preview release
- development status
- operating system
- platform
- available in
- type
- license
- website
1. Who were the developers of the rumor?
2. Where was the initial release? ( i.e. coffee room at work; text message; telephone call; media...)
3. Was it a stable release? (i.e. were the developers angry or emotional when the rumor was released?)
4. Was the rumor run through a preview before it was released? (i.e. a think before you act kind of system)
5. Development status? (i.e. text to text; phone call to phone call; whisper to whisper; has it grown larger as it spreads? )
6. What is the operating system of the developers or even the person you/ I heard the rumor through? (i.e. are they trustworthy? Do they have a reputation of being part of the rumor mill? )
7. What platform was used? (i.e. political?...get it out there as fast as possible; ask a few questions instead, first. )
8. Is the rumor available in anybody's language? (i.e. is it being spoken in a public platform in a foreign language? no translator present? )
9. What type of information is it? (i.e. something personal? maybe not my business... something world effecting? maybe my business )
10. Does the developer of the rumor have the license to speak on the subject? (i.e. my girlfriend once apologized to me... after a fierce and short debate about something Biblical... saying, 'I should never even have said anything. I was speaking to someone who has done so much studying in this area and I have not.'
11. Should a rumor be posted on a website? (i.e. run through the list again and by the time you can satisfactorily answer each question...
you will know if the rumor is from a real player or if the person is just a real player... and, ironically, what you or I do with it also proves whether we are a real player or just real players.
Information should come with a sticker...
Handle with care!
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