BREAKING NEWS! Google to File Bankruptcy!

With my interest, I find I'm on the internet quite a bit each day. Between hubs, blogs, forums, YouTube, MySpace, facebook, (the list is endless), you are bombarded with tons of information. You can find detailed information on just about any subject in this technologically advanced world we live in today. The internet is now even on the go with cell phones, blackberries, laptops, etc.

So what is the problem? Why the alarm? The problem is that too many people believe EVERYTHING they read. No matter how bizarre, irrational, illogical it may seem - they will read it, absorb it, spread it as fast as their fingers will type.

No - Google is not going to file bankruptcy. As most know, Google is going strong. As a matter of fact, several companies see Google as quite a threat right now and are trying several things to try to draw level with Google. Let's all agree that the statement "Google to File Bankruptcy" is quite absurd.

When trying to decide on a title for this hub, I was trying to think of something that most would think of as absolutely implausible, yet would make you pause and wonder. Why? Because I have found that with the freedom of the internet also comes a responsibility. With anyone and everyone being able to post articles, hubs, opinions, videos, you name it, on the internet, you must take everything you read with a grain of salt. According to Wikipedia, taking something with a grain of salt means that it should not be blindly accepted and believed without any doubt or reservation.

You must understand that in most cases you do not know the person who is behind the writing. For all you know, that marriage advice may be coming from a divorce lawyer, the weight loss article could be written by someone who hasn't exercised in three years, the person telling you how to reduce your debt may have just gone through bankruptcy, the mortgage advice may be from someone who has never even owned a house, the child rearing tips possibly passed on from someone who does not even want children, and instructions for that beautifully grown garden perhaps comes from someone born with no sign of a green thumb.

Does this mean you should discount this wealth of information? Of course not! The opportunity to learn off of each others' experiences is too great to waste. Just use a little reservation and be willing to test or at least think through the information logically. Gather information, sort through it, and analyze it.

Even though someone may not have experienced something does not mean they didn't do the research necessary to relay accurate and relevant information. Someone doesn't have to have met George Washington before they could write about him, but they would need to do some work. But, if someone tells you that the first place you need to visit on your trip to Egypt is Mount Rushmore, you might not want to take anything they say seriously.

Some things to keep in mind:

• What works for one person may not work for another.
• Persuasive arguments can be made for two sides of a lot of arguments. Be familiar with both sides instead of just one before coming to a conclusion.
• Some things that may be true when quoted may very well have been taken out of context.
• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If you are thinking about making serious changes in your life (i.e. marriage, divorce, buying a house, quitting a job, telling off a boss), remember that even doctors with degrees displayed on their walls do not look down on second opinions. Do not make any rash decisions based on one article, hub, opinion, etc. Research, research, research. Some things are very hard to undo.

I've been on forums where rumors were being spread almost as ludicrous as the one in the title of this hub; yet the participants were spreading it from thread to thread without a pause. Nothing is more frustrating to me then to see something that is obviously a rumor being treated as if it was proven truth.

Most rumors can be investigated effortlessly; again, the readily available internet is always at our finger tips. A popular site that discloses whether some stories are truth or rumors/urban legends is snopes.com. Very handy for those emails conveying gloom and despair to warn you that the world will end by....

This is my first hub and before I wrote anything else, I wanted anyone who might read what I had to write to understand that more than anything, I want people to read, hopefully enjoy, but also to take what I say with a grain of salt. I do not care if you believe me as long as I have made you think.

Oh, and if you are interested, I also have some swamp...um.... I mean some gorgeous water front property to sell.