Many of my generation participate in F.I.T. (Family I.T.) activities on a regular basis, including, but not limited to, incidents wherein family members (and family members’ computers) must be rigorously brought to heel. Of particular use in these situations are the following very helpful websites:
- Snopes: Useful for debunking outrageous claims, oftentime made in the form of “FW: Check this out!”-style email.
- Museum of Hoaxes: Similar to Snopes, although it specializes in debunking hoaxes and not simple folklore or misunderstandings.
- Thanks, No.: Useful for a gentle correction for FW:-addicted relatives that put a monstrous list of email addresses in the To: field.
- BCC. Please.: Similar to Thanks, No., although it gives step-by-step instructions on how to use the Bcc: field.
- Five Sentences: Explain to your kin that you’re not being rude when you keep your email to less than 5 sentences, you’re valuing their time and letting them know you care.
Hopefully these can help you get out of a rough spot or two, relatively unscathed, or at least only minorly passively-aggressed.
