h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Online Sympathy Scams - A22821932 Author: gnatty - U4303014 From this conversation. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/F19585?thread=4164138 Is this the right place to put this I don't know!

Interesting. However, no, I don't think this *is* the right place for it. The Edited Guide mostly deals with dull factual stuff. This is a conversation piece. Perhaps the ?

I thought the workshop was for people who wanted help in writing an article? I wasn't proposing the entry be comprised of the above, I was just seeking initial advice on how to start.

The Guide has an entry on internet trolls, isn't the idea behind this entry the same kind of thing?

I think it's a brilliant idea for a guide entry, and long overdue. You'll have to structure it:

First of all, drop all first person singular references.

Write a short para introducing the problem.

Write some headers like: 'Possible reasons' ; 'Effects on the betrayed people'; 'What to do'; 'Conclusion'
or similar.

If you quote people directly, use the Blockquote tags.
Make this a collaborative entry and add all people who have contributed to the list of researchers.

That is, if you're still up for it.

Bel

Thanks B'Elana

Yes, I am thanks. I thought I'd also include some links to news stories about some of the more famous cases, some of them used these scams to make money for 'treatment for their daughter with cancer' - and were found out - I remember reading them, I'll have to look them up.

Good idea, with finding those links.

Any more work going on here?

I don't know if these are the sorts of stories you're looking for (and obviously you don't want to copy Snopes, which does an excellent job in its own right), but you may find some of these interesting and even, perhaps, useful.

http://snopes.com/glurge/glurge.asp

http://snopes.com/inboxer/inboxer.asp

TRiG.

Hullooo?

The author seems to have - should this be moved to the Flea Market?

Alex

Seconded