Remembering W.N., who is NOT dead.

[Joko]

I've spent the last few hours bummed out because as I THOUGHT Willie Nelson died.

But I can't find confirmation of that. All I saw was someone's facebook story with a RIP: Willie Nelson.

I didn't click on it. I just assumed it was his time. Why would anyone false report something like that?

Anyways... Week 338 was Willie Week

 

[LorenFL]

It's usually click-bait. A lot of times these days, it's even AI-generated.

The first thing I do if I see a hint of something like that is to Google it. If it's true, you'll very quickly find a reputable source to confirm it.

Willie's not gonna die until Trigger is unplayable.

 

[ukukeguy]

It's usually click-bait. A lot of times these days, it's even AI-generated.

The first thing I do if I see a hint of something like that is to Google it. If it's true, you'll very quickly find a reputable source to confirm it.

Willie's not gonna die until Trigger is unplayable.

Google is one of the first sources to propagate this kind of clickbait, usually via YouTube. I think one of the first videos I reported for misinformation was reporting Willie Nelson's demise. It's still up, or at least it was last time I checked. I use DuckDuckGo as much as possible now as Google results are usually advertiser-sponsored. That's just crazy.

 

[MrKlippies]

 

[Wiggy]

I loved that 'thumb and little finger thing' at the end!

 

[LorenFL]

When I say "reputable source", I don't mean "any random Google result", or "any YouTube video". I mean an actual news source, or if it's an entertainer, their own website. Fans usually update Wikipedia as soon as a famous person dies, as well. (though I'd consider Wikipedia as a "secondary source" rather than a "primary source")

 

[dr_mitch]

Can we do another Willie Nelson season? I’m glad he’s still with us.

 

[merlin666]

Yes I facilitate a FB group and for a while there were multiple spam posts each day announcing deaths of celebrities. It is tedious to clean up this junk. It still gets a lot of shoe sales spam and the occasional nudity.