Snow in October? Check the Publication Dates!!

British Facebook users may have been unnecessarily preparing for a snowy October as an old news article circulates virally across the social networking site.

The picture used in the 2011 Daily Mail article.

Hoaxes circulate the Internet for many different reasons. Jokes that have gotten out of hand, scammers looking to make a quick buck or even the result of misinterpreting content found elsewhere on the Internet.

The latest rumour to circulate Facebook – that warns of premature snow to blanket Britain during October – turns out to be the result of Facebook users not checking the publication dates of articles before sharing.

A Daily Mail article, clearly dated September 2011, has been circulating Facebook by users excited about – or dreading – the prospect of a white October. However the users didn’t read the article closely enough, assuming that the Daily Mail piece was referring to 2013, not 2011 when it was written. Oops.

Many such Facebook users ended up rather red faced when their more observant friends pointed out the error of their ways.

So let that be a lesson learned – always check the publication dates of articles to make sure they are not out-of-date, before sharing them with your friends!

As for the weather this year (2013), no unusually large amount of early snow is expected. Were you disappointed or relieved when you found out the article was years old? Let us know.

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