Check the Facts Before You Forward Those Photos

Back in March I wrote a post about a picture supposedly taken of a tornado in Georgia.  The photo was being passed around Facebook, and it was an awesome photo.  However, it was not of a tornado in Georgia the previous evening.  It was a very cool phenomenon caused by an erupting volcano.

Today I saw this photo on Facebook:

This is supposedly Hurricane Sandy bearing down on New York City and Liberty Island.

Well, guess what?  Yep, you guessed it - it's NOT Hurricane Sandy.  It's not even a 'real' picture - it's a Photoshop image combining a photo of  the Statue of Liberty and another photo of a  supercell thunderstorm from 2004.  It looks really cool, but it's not the real thing.

I haven't seen all the others floating around, but here's a list of 11 Viral Photos That AREN'T Hurricane Sandy.  What can we learn from this?  What should we have already learned regarding practically everything that we find on the internet, and that definitely includes Facebook?  Check the facts before you forward or share those photos.  Or emails.  Or anything else.

Maybe you think it doesn't really matter, but it's so easy for something to take on a life of its own.  If you don't believe me, be sure to check out this explanation of How a Fake Photo Goes Viral.

Undecided?

Vote Oregon! (Photo credit: jugbo)

The election is coming up.  Soon.  By now most people have a pretty clear idea of who they will be voting for.  Some have already voted.  However, according to the media, there are quite a few people out there who are still undecided.

If you're one of those undecided voters - and even if you already think you know who you're voting for - be sure to take the Presidential Election Quiz at ISidewith.com.  The quiz will ask you questions about the issues to determine where you stand.  Be sure to click on the 'Choose another stance' option for more options, because most of these issues are not simply black and white or Yes or No questions.  You might end up choosing Yes or No, but it's good to at least read all the options.

There's at least one question where I forgot to do that, and at least one of those other options would have been more in line with my beliefs.

Anyway, once you answer all the questions, ISidewith.com will analyze your responses, compare them to the candidates' stands on each of the issues, and let you know which candidates you most agree with on those issues.  It might just help voters make up their minds or at least help to educate them on where the candidates stand on the issues.

Save Money with DealDash

I've been seeing posts about DealDash on Facebook recently. People are getting some really good deals on things like cameras, computers, and sewing machines - just to name a few of the deals I've seen. 

The way it works is you sign up for a free account and purchase what they call Bid Packs.  These are sold in packs of 60, 100, or more and usually cost 60¢ per bid, but there are often Bid Sales where you can get them for as little as 15¢ per bid.  Currently they're going for 17¢.

Once you have your free DealDash account and have purchased some bids, you can start looking for deals and start bidding.  All auctions start at $0, and each bid raises the price by one penny.  Highest bidder wins the auction, and that is the price they pay.  I've been watching the front page, and there are lots of items available.  The final prices are pretty good.  Of course, I can't really tell how many times people are bidding on these items, and the cost of the bids would have to be factored into the cost.  Even with that, I think people are getting items for significantly less than they could buy them elsewhere. 

It's risk free to try Deal Dash.  Here's why:

• If you’re a first time bidder on DealDash and use all your bids without winning a single auction, DealDash will return all the bids from your first bid pack purchase, for free, to give you a second chance!
• Bidding on DealDash is also risk free thanks to the Buy it Now option. If you don’t win the auction, you can buy the item you were bidding on for its regular price and get back all the bids you used in that auction for free. This way you not only get the desired item, you don't lose the bids and can use them again to try and win another auction.
• DealDash offers a no questions asked 100% money back guarantee. If you are not satisfied for any reason, DealDash will refund your entire first purchase – no questions asked!

If you're looking for some good deals, be sure to check out DealDash.  If you've already tried it, let me know what you think.