The only thing this "teaches" us are that you're a moron, liar and manipulator, and are never, ever to be trusted. I hope it was worth it.
Pretty much
The only thing this "teaches" us are that you're a moron, liar and manipulator, and are never, ever to be trusted. I hope it was worth it.
Ohmycrap, I can't resist. What a bunch of cry babies.....
Actually, if he ever applies for college, applies for a job, etc., his lies would probably bite him in the behind.
Ohmycrap, I can't resist. What a bunch of cry babies.
Reputation? As if Kellys life is over now because of... an apparently highly fragile offended fraction, of the small fraction of people who follow the firmware releases, of the small fraction of people in the world who own iPhones... yay, a couple hundred of you got all butt-hurt. Perhaps you shouldn't hang your lifes high hopes and dreams on the specific details of a FIRMWARE UPDATE for your TELEPHONE (and what details were they, that one is coming (wow!) and it'll be called 1.1.4. (omg!)). I mean, do any of you people ever go outside? Holy pants!
I like all the "You've ruined your credibility in my eyes! I'll never trust you again!" replies. Sounds heavy! Did his credibility in your eyes previously bring him something of value? Were you perhaps paying him for the work he did so you could get more out of your novelty phone? Or perhaps the two of you sat around the campfire singing songs together, and now, woe, he won't be able to look forward to those good times anymore. Delusions of grandeur, all this.
HA! Oh man. That was pretty good. I've hoaxed a forum or two in my time...
People can make up whatever they want on the internet. It's called freedom of speech....
...posted regretfully (and somewhat out of context) by a print journalist, whose job and the jobs of his peers relied on being accurate...
What you say is true. It's also true that if you lie (ie, "make up whatever [you] want"), your credibility will be damaged.
Think about it for a moment: In your personal life, do you feel free to make up whatever you want in conversation with your family? Your friends? Co-workers? With other techies when you're discussing an upcoming release? That's all freedom of speech. But with each of those groups, if your answer was "yes", how do you think that affects what those people think of you, and your credibility with them?
People get carried away with the freedom of the internet--where yes, it's true, you can make up whatever you want--much as some kids do when they get out of town for the first time, where their actions won't be observed by those who know them. The problem is that whether you're here on the internet, or there in the-town-down-the-road, you're still a part of a community. Your actions will determine how people react to you.
Someone please enlighten me, because I still don't understand how -- barring legal action (if even possible) -- the person behind the screen name will have any detriment because of something said on a message board.
That means that your kids, nieces, and grandkids might look you up and find you said things you regret. For that matter, many companies do net searches before hiring.
Odd that, as a professional print Journalist...you fail to see the difference between what you do, or even how people relate in person, and what goes on in a public chat forum of user-generated content dedicated to rumors and gossip...How do you think rumors are started? The reality is, expecting credibility here will only lead to disappointment.
And yes, I have hoaxed a couple forums (forums I hosted) in my time. If you must know, I created an account for a splinter group of the forums more even-keeled regular contributors. We used this fictional character to flame boneheads, disseminate misinformation, manipulate trends and people... after a couple years, the forum got so big, we eventaully used several characters to steer public opinion and perceived values to our benefit, capitalized on this, and felt like puppeteers/gods orchestrating this whole thing. I cut it off as it was getting out of hand. Some time later, the group wanted to pick up where it left off, and not wanting another one out of my control, I obliged, but guided this one into irrepairable self-destruction, like Kelly's gag, setting it right in the end. It was an interesting experiment, and one not without consequence.
I don't expect--more importantly don't want--to have to deal with people who're willing to lie to me (without a giveaway wink), to hoax the forum, or to "disseminate misinformation" for their own gratification.
...People who would do that might have either too high an opinion of themselves or too little regard for the rest of us, imho.
You said your hoax made you feel "like puppeteers/gods". You're obviously a smart guy: wouldn't it feel better to feel a little self-worth based on real contributions--the way that three-year-old might feel if he grows up and actually designs or builds playgrounds for kids, without depositing poop in the sandbox the rest of us are playing in? There's a big difference. imho. Thunderskunk, does that make any sense?
So this Kelly post claims the same motive for his hoax - he did this to teach everyone on the Web a important lesson!!! By pretending to be a liar, he exposed journalistic vulnerabilities and human gullibility. The world is now a better place because of this self-sacrifice.
What a complete waste of everyone's time.
dude, you are posting on a RUMORS forum and complaining about your wasted time!!! sheesh!