Subject:
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Re: Rules for April Fool's Day (was: Strange Find on Lego.com)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Thu, 3 Apr 2003 11:43:08 GMT
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Viewed:
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417 times
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In lugnet.space, Rick Clark writes:
> Okay, so for next year, let's review:
>
> 1. On or around April 1st, someone may post astonishing news/pictures on LUGNET.
> 2. Some people may believe the news/pictures are real, and post incredulous
> comments about them.
> 3. Some people may realize it is an April Fool's joke. These people should
> please keep quiet about it until the 2nd, so as not to ruin the fun for others.
> Some of us actually LIKE to be fooled on the 1st.
> 4. Some people may be unsure whether or not it is a hoax. I would ask that they
> refrain from posting as well. If it's April 1st, just wait a day to post your
> doubts.
> 5. Some people may sound like #2-4, but actually are shills who are in on the
> joke, and are posting to create a setup for a denial/proof of the hoax. Please
> leave these people alone, and do not resort to name calling about how gullible
> they are for believing, or about how mean they are for revealing the joke. If
> you yourself aren't personally in on the joke, and you suspect it's a fake, just
> don't post for a day. Let it play out.
>
> In summary, if you suspect a hoax on or around April 1st, be a good sport and
> please refrain from calling attention to the date. Don't spoil it for others. If
> you want to post on the 2nd that you knew all along that it was a hoax, and
> exactly how you deduced it from the clues, we will take you at your word. You
> don't need to say so on the 1st.
>
> Or am I the only one who feels this way?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Rick Clark
> Proud (and embarassed) Foolee of the Great 2000 Ben Beneke Train Hoax
> see: http://news.lugnet.com/trains/?n=5208
Well if there are going to be rules about this sort of thing then how about
this one: lame or copycat hoaxes need not apply.
Personally, I feel that April Fool's has gotten a bit out of hand around
here. It seems that everybody and his dog have a hoax to spring, and some
of them aren't all that good. We've all seen the "hey, look at this cool
picture of a set you wish you had" thing, even with the "you'd better take
that down right now" counter-post.
I am reminded of this type of experience: Room full of people claim that X
is true. Lone rational person says "you guys are incorrect..." but gets
repeatedly told by roomful of people that X is really true. Finally, not
wanting to argue any more, lone rational person agrees: "Ok, I guess you
must know what you're talking about." Roomful of people break out in
laughter "we got you!" Tee-freaking-hee. Oh, what fun. Glad we wasted the
bandwidth, folks...
I enjoyed (and even initially fell for) the rtlTorronto/beep1 prank, but
that was actually funny to read even after one realizes it is a joke. It
was also constructed in such a way that the clues were right out in the
open, and it had opportunities for others to join in the fun as the prank
unfolded. A decent prank is one that you don't need additional information
(or a calendar) in order to solve, you just need to trust your own sanity.
All that being said, I must admit that I did have some fun leaving people
guessing once it was suggested that my clock tower might be a hoax. I even
considered whether I was being a "bad sport" to validate that my clock was
for real without waiting until the 2nd. Hope I didn't spoil anybody's fun.
- Chris.
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