Just a little bit freaked. Just a little.

The Lady · Jan 20, 2007

Had a teeny weeny nasty experience on another site. Somebody posted a link to a Youtube video about the novel writing experience. The video was fine but I scrolled down to the comments. Saw a horrible The Ring type chain mail going on. It had caused the comment chain to go wild because it said you had to repost the message or suffer the consequences. I won't say what they were. I just want some nice people to say it's all right. Course I didn't repost it. Had to make a stand.

Don't anyone dare say it's not all right

Rolling Thunder · Jan 20, 2007

It's not all right. :tongue

(Never make dares in OP. I hear the hungry horde coming this very minute.)

Pamster · Jan 20, 2007

I'm sure it's fine, those things never phase me because it's all made up by someone with too much time on their hands The Lady, so just hang out here, grab a cup of water from the Cooler and we'll sing campfire songs til we can't eat any more s'mores by the fire!

Jean Marie · Jan 20, 2007

I do not believe in chain mail. Nothing bad has ever hap

Soccer Mom · Jan 20, 2007

Of course it's all right. I never forward emails that insist that I do. I'm just contrary that way.

A. Hamilton · Jan 20, 2007

there's other writer's sites? :O

of course everything is alright.

I have french vanilla ice cream with little bits of vanilla bean shavings, want some?

BardSkye · Jan 20, 2007

Chain letters, paper or virtual, are emotional blackmail. I've been burning or otherwise deleting the nasty little buggers for over forty years.

You did good. Don't give in to the blackmail.

robeiae · Jan 20, 2007

Rllgthunder said:
It's not all right.

(Never make dares in OP. I hear the hungry horde coming this very minute.)

(Rolf is a little slow)

The Lady · Jan 20, 2007

Thank you all you good folk who offered reassurance. i managed to get a friend on the phone to talk me down

JDCrayne · Jan 20, 2007

Rllgthunder said:
It's not all right.

(Never make dares in OP. I hear the hungry horde coming this very minute.)

And they have pitchforks, hoes, and other agricultural implements, plus torches with which to set fire to the old mill. Alas, just because SHE didn't forward that chain letter. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

The Lady · Jan 20, 2007

JDCrayne said:
And they have pitchforks, hoes, and other agricultural implements, plus torches with which to set fire to the old mill. Alas, just because SHE didn't forward that chain letter. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

That's just mild compared to what was threatened

dclary · Jan 20, 2007

Who believes chain letters? LOL.

JDCrayne · Jan 20, 2007

dclary said:
Who believes chain letters? LOL.

In all seriousness, I have met several people who are really superstitious about them. At least the electronic ones don't fill up the wastebasket. On the other hand, they proliferate because none of the senders have to buy stamps, paper, or envelopes. I do feel somewhat sorry for people who are that scared and feel as though they have to get rid of them like the ball in a game of Hot Potato. Superstition is a crippling thing.

C.bronco · Jan 20, 2007

Hey, don't worry aboudit. You gotta friend in Jersey who says "just whack them chain emails."

san_remo_ave · Jan 20, 2007

No worries. I happily shred, burn and delete these things all the time.

Ol' Fashioned Girl · Jan 20, 2007

If I only had a nickel for every chain letter I've deleted... and the ones I thought were cute, I stripped off all the blackmail stuff before forwarding.

Just stay off those other sites and you'll be fine.

Now... copy this message and paste it into an email and forward it to your ten closest buddies and see what happens on your screen!

benbradley · Jan 20, 2007

JDCrayne said:
In all seriousness, I have met several people who are really superstitious about them. At least the electronic ones don't fill up the wastebasket. On the other hand, they proliferate because none of the senders have to buy stamps, paper, or envelopes.

Precisely. The real danger is that large numbers of people will believe and forward them, resulting in huge numbers of inappropriate posts and email, just like spam. These actually fit one commonly used definition of spam (unsolicited email). This is certainly damaging to the usefulness of electronic communication.

JDCrayne said:
I do feel somewhat sorry for people who are that scared and feel as though they have to get rid of them like the ball in a game of Hot Potato. Superstition is a crippling thing.

It's always good to examine one's own beliefs, and rationally analyze the message to see how it emotionally manipulates the reader.

If you DO feel compelled to forward such things, you may want to generate an "anonymous"[1] email account, and keep a list of online enemies to send these things to.

You surely don't want to send one to any of your friends.

1. Email addresses such as Hotmail, Yahoo and Gmail can be traced, but rarely are unless illegal activity is involved.

Rolling Thunder · Jan 20, 2007

Ol' Fashioned Girl said:
If I only had a nickel for every chain letter I've deleted... and the ones I thought were cute, I stripped off all the blackmail stuff before forwarding.

Just stay off those other sites and you'll be fine.

Now... copy this message and paste it into an email and forward it to your ten closest buddies and see what happens on your screen!

Otherwise you'll end up as a mindless flea market zombie, wandering about AW peeking in other peoples garages.

(I suggest trying the erotica forum first. The look af terror that will remain on your face will fit in nicely as you stroll through TIO.)

writerterri · Jan 20, 2007

I've never answered chain mail and I'm okay, just a small twitch.

maddythemad · Jan 20, 2007

benbradley said:
Email addresses such as Hotmail, Yahoo and Gmail can be traced, but rarely are unless illegal activity is involved.

Uh-oh...

*Dashes to erase Yahoo address*

PeeDee · Jan 21, 2007

The Lady said:
That's just mild compared to what was threatened

I know what chain letter you're talking about, Lady. I'll be happily watching Groucho Marx and Jackie Gleason singing, on YouTube and I'll scroll down to see what people say (because, in a moment of idiocy, I care about their opinions) and I see these stupid chain letters.

They are mildly creepy, especially if you're not expecting them. Don't worry, though. I've so far not forwarded dozens of them, and I'm still alive.

(writing, in the dark, in my closet-office....)

(...and now a bit creeped out...)

(and going to go listen to happy music)

Unique · Jan 21, 2007

I hate those things, I hate those things, I HATE those things!

What kind of pal sends all their other pal's email addresses all around the world and now you've attached mine!

Thanks a bunch.

Not.

The Lady · Jan 21, 2007

Thank you all for your comments and reassurance. It kinda brings you back to normality after reading something horrible like that. As you can see I've made it through the night, and I've deepened my relationship with God

so that's good anyway. And I'm glad to know some other people who saw it still live.

I tried to report the page on youtube so they could at least take the comment chain down, but there didn't seem to be any way, not any easy way that I could find anyway. That's a pity. I noticed some people had reposted it with big warning comments saying DO NOT READ on the top. That's some kind of fear that's propelling them, when they hate what they're doing, and know it's wrong and they do it anyway.

Oh well. At the very least, it might have cured me of Internet flicking. Worse than channel hopping it is.

Again, thanks you all.

Carole · Jan 21, 2007

I never forward chain mail either. I sometimes open it by mistake, especially if it has been forwarded by someone I know, but I never forward it. Actually that's not entirely true. I did forward one once. It told me that I'd find $20 on the ground if I did. I did and I didn't. (Did forward, didn't find the $20) It was purely for experimental purposes!

So far I still have all my digits, my life hasn't fallen apart, I found the love of my life a long time ago and he hasn't left me and my kids are fine.

I remember the days when chain mail actually came in the mailbox. How old does that make me??

Carole · Jan 21, 2007

regarding You Tube, though - do be careful. My brother's wife was surfing around there one evening and ended up with a ton of viruses.

Just a little bit freaked. Just a little.

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