Is Your Online Program Real or a Scam, Simple Ways to Check it Out

So with all the research that I do in order to make sure that what I write about is true, I have learned that I actually know nothing at all.  There are so many conflicting articles on absolutely everything that it is no wonder we are so confused about everything especially our own bodies.

If you want to find information to support your “new diet” you will find it.  Even if your diet was totally wacky, there will be supporting reports online. So, that is the tricky part about trying to figure out what you are doing, what you are doing well and what you need improvement in, what things that you are doing that are actually harmful to yourself and what things that it’s amazing you are still alive from doing ‘that’ all this time.  

Just because it is online doesn’t make it true.  -inject time for thoughtful pause-

Want me to repeat that? Just because it is online doesn’t make it true.

There really are no governing bodies checking out the things that are published online.  Each website is responsible for their own site and if they want to publish misleading information, they can, if they want to flat out lie, they can.  We need to understand that unlike publications that we can choose to purchase or not, we need to be just as discerning with the websites we choose to visit and believe.

The very old saying, buyer beware, should be updated to, reader beware.  

For some strange reason, common sense isn’t quite as common as it should be.  We have become a generation that believes everything they read. We are certainly not the first to do this.  Snake oil salesmen have been around for a very long time. So, take the time to do a little research before you jump into the latest craze.  

Unfortunately, it doesn’t really take a lot of research sometimes to find out that the name on that article you were just reading is fake.  That the doctor quoted on that site, doesn’t really exist. That the picture of that person isn’t really that person at all. That the whole site is set up to get you to believe something that isn’t true and you will send them money or worse, your personal info.

We need to keep in mind that it is easier to hide behind a computer and put fake info out there than it is to talk to people face to face.  

I truly believe being your best advocate for your own health is you!  Having said that, you still need to do your homework when it comes to trying something new you have read online.

Here are some tips to help you be just a little more discerning:

 

Click on all links they share

  • Make sure that all the links they provide actually go where they are supposed to.

Google the names of the people who wrote the article

  • If they are who they say they are, you should be able to verify that easily.

Look for validating information

  • If what you are reading is true, it should not be the only piece of info out there on that subject.

Dig a little deeper

  • Is there a physical address attached to the site you are on?  When you google map it, is it real?

Is anybody else talking about this?

  • If the new ‘thing’ is real, there should be some press out there somewhere.

Does your common sense tell you this is real, or are you suspicious?

  • If it feels wrong, it generally is.

Don’t fall for time-limited actions

  • Although missing out on a good deal sucks, don’t get pressured into buying something that you either can’t return or can’t cancel when you receive it.

Ask around

  • Don’t limit your research to online, ask your friends, colleagues, people.  

In the end, be your own best advocate.  The only one who will benefit from what you have learned is you.  You will also be the one who is responsible if you get taken for a ride.  Be smart, you can do it. Remember; if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

 

We live in such a gullible world. Anything that's written, anything that's posted, anything picture that is interpreted one way is taken as truth. Keri Hilson

 

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