Snopes

2009-03-02T17:42:33Z

204.86.231.10:

{{for|the trilogy by William Faulkner|Snopes trilogy}}
{{Infobox Website
| name = Urban Legends Reference Pages (snopes.com)
| logo = [[Image:Snopes logo.png|Snopes logo]]
| url = http://www.snopes.com/
| type = Reference pages
| commercial = Supported by advertisements and contributions from readers
| registration = Required only on forums
| owner = Barbara and David P. Mikkelson
| author = Barbara and David P. Mikkelson
}}
'''Snopes''' ({{pronEng|ˈsnoʊps}}), also known as the '''Urban Legends Reference Pages''', is a [[web site]] that is a well-known resource for validating and debunking [[urban legend]]s, Internet rumors, e-mail forwards, and other such stories of uncertain or questionable origin in [[United States|American]] popular culture.<ref>Neil Henry, ''American Carnival: Journalism Under Siege in an Age of New Media'' (University of California Press 2007), p. 285.</ref> Snopes is run by Barbara and David Mikkelson, a [[California]] couple who met on the alt.folklore.urban [[newsgroup]]. The Mikkelsons also founded the [[San Fernando Valley]] Folklore Society, and were credited as the owners of the site until 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://msgboard.snopes.com/message/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=55;t=000490|publisher = snopes.com|title = Messageboard post}}</ref> The site is organized according to topic and includes a message board where stories and pictures of questionable veracity may be posted.

==History==
David Mikkelson used the username "snopes" (the name of a family of often unpleasant people in the works of [[William Faulkner]])<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.snopes.com/info/faq.asp#snopes |title = Urban Legends Reference Pages: (Frequently Asked Questions)|quote = What are 'snopes'?|publisher = snopes.com|accessdate = 2006-06-09}}</ref><ref name=Chron>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/09/07/DD242504.DTL |date=2002-09-07|author=Paul Bond
|publisher=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|title=Web site separates fact from urban legend}}</ref> in the [[Usenet]] newsgroup alt.folklore.urban.<ref name=Porter>See Michele Tepper, "Usenet Communities and the Cultural Politics of Information" in David Porter, ed., Culture (1997) at 48 ("[T]he two most notorious trollers in AFU, [[Ted Frank]] and snopes, are also two of the most consistent posters of serious research.").</ref> Barbara Hamel was also a prolific poster. The Mikkelsons created the site in 1995.<ref name=Seipp/> Barbara now works on the site full time, while David, a programmer, works on the site part time.<ref name=Chron/><ref name=Seipp>{{cite web
|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/seipp/seipp200407210830.asp|date=2004-07-21|author=[[Cathy Seipp]]|title=Where Urban Legends Fall
|publisher=[[National Review Online]]}}</ref>

==Main site==
Snopes aims to debunk or confirm widely spread urban legends. The site has been referenced by news media and other sites, including [[CNN]],<ref>[http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/10/03/rec.false.rumors/index.html CNN.com - Hear the rumor? Nostradamus and other tall tales - October 3, 2001]</ref> [[FOX news]],<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,226223,00.html FOXNews.com - Teens Abusing Energy-Boosting Drinks, Doctors Fear - Health News | Current Health News | Medical News]</ref> and [[MSNBC]].<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17798063/ Urban Legends Banned-April Fools'! - ConsumerMan - MSNBC.com]</ref> Folklorist [[Jan Harold Brunvand]] considers the site sufficiently comprehensive to obviate the necessity for launching one of his own.<ref name=Seipp/> Snopes' popular standing is such that some chain e-mail hoaxes claim to have been "checked out on 'Snopes.com'" in an attempt to discourage readers from seeking verification.<ref>[http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp "Urban Legends Reference Pages: Who Is Barack Obama?"]. Retrieved [[22 January]][[2008]].</ref>

Snopes directs people to more information about various hoaxes, especially in regard to [[chain e-mail]]s. Although they claim to research their topics heavily and provide [[bibliography|references]] when possible, not all of their sources (especially personal interviews, phone calls, or e-mails) are fully verifiable. Where appropriate, pages are generally marked "undetermined" or "unverifiable" if the Mikkelsons feel there is not enough evidence to either support or disprove a given claim.

The site is sometimes confused with [[The AFU and Urban Legends Archive]],<ref>[http://www.tafkac.org/ The AFU & Urban Legends Archive]</ref> a similar site run by the denizens of alt.folklore.urban, which houses that newsgroup's [[FAQ]].

The Mikkelsons have stressed the ''reference'' portion of the name ''Urban Legends Reference Pages'', indicating that their intention is not merely to dismiss or confirm misconceptions and rumors but to provide evidence for such debunkings and confirmations as well.<ref>[http://www.snopes.com/info/faq.asp "Urban Legends Reference Pages: (Frequently Asked Questions)"]. (Re "How do I know the information you've presented is accurate?") Retrieved [[June 9]], [[2006]].</ref> In an attempt to demonstrate the perils of overreliance on authority, the Mikkelsons created a series of fabricated urban folklore tales that they term ''The Repository of Lost Legends''.<ref>[http://www.snopes.com/lost/lost.htm "Urban Legends Reference Page: Lost Legends"]. Retrieved [[9 June]] [[2006]].</ref> (The name was chosen for its acronym, T.R.O.L.L., a reference to the early 1990s definition of the word ''[[Internet troll|troll]]'' to mean an Internet prank, of which David Mikkelson was a prominent practitioner.<ref name=Porter/>) One fictional legend averred that the children's [[nursery rhyme]] "[[Sing a Song of Sixpence]]" was really a coded reference used by pirates to recruit members. (This parodied a ''real'' false legend surrounding "[[Ring Around the Rosie]]"'s link to the [[bubonic plague]].) Although the creators were sure that no one could believe a tale so ridiculous — and had added a link<ref>[http://www.snopes.com/lost/false.htm "Urban Legends Reference Page: Lost Legends (False Authority)"]. Retrieved [[9 June]] [[2006]].</ref> at the bottom of the page to another page explaining the hoax, and a message with the ratings reading "Note: Any relationship between these ratings and reality is purely coincidental." — eventually the legend was featured as true in an urban legends board game and TV show.<ref>[http://www.snopes.com/humor/mediagoofs/sixpence.asp "Urban Legends Reference Pages: Humor (Mostly True Stories)"]. Retrieved [[20 June]] [[2006]].</ref>

For some time, Snopes' ad provider was distributing the [[Zango]] adware product.<ref>[http://www.techspot.com/news/28789-snopes-peddling-malware.html Snopes peddling malware] - [[TechSpot]]</ref>

A television pilot based on the site called ''Snopes: Urban Legends'' was completed with [[Jim Davidson (actor)|Jim Davidson]] as host, but major networks passed on the project.<ref name=Chron/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.snopes.com/ Snopes.com]

[[Category:Internet properties established in 1995]]
[[Category:Educational websites]]
[[Category:Skeptic multimedia]]
[[Category:Skeptics]]
[[Category:Urban legends]]

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Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Snopes