Law Students Say Message Board Postings Are Costing Them Job Offers

from the if-it's-online-it-must-be-true dept

As people increasingly live and document their lives online, stories about potential employers doing web searches on job candidates and turning up information candidates would rather not have them see -- information that often costs them a shot at the job -- are becoming more common. The Washington Post has a front-page story on this topic today, focusing on some law-school students who aren't having a lot of luck finding jobs, and blaming it on message board postings. What makes this story a little bit different is that the students didn't make the postings themselves, they're just the subject of certain threads and messages -- some which could possibly be viewed as defamatory, while others are simply unbecoming (such as a discussion of a female student's breasts). The employers weren't finding the students' MySpace pages or blogs, or other sites documenting their personal lives, but rather their inadvertent digital resumés were being created by other people. The article seems to put the blame on the owner of a particular site that's popular among law students, but that's misplaced -- perhaps the more questionable activity is on the part of employers who are using this information. If they're going to search the web, they need to have the understanding that people can't control what other people say or post about them (similar to the idea of hearsay in a courtroom), and that not every mention that casts a student in a poor light is true, or an indication of their character. It's also not entirely clear why potential employers should consider many of these comments relevant to their hiring decisions, though one person says law firms are afraid of candidates who could attract controversy. Of course, it's also possible that comments a person labels as "defamatory" may be unflattering, but true. While site owners have no legal liability for what third parties post on their sites, thanks to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, at least one company senses an opportunity here, and searches for potentially damaging content online and "destroy it on behalf of clients", which we'll assume to mean they drown site owners with cease and desist orders and threats of lawsuits akin to legal bullying. All in all, this sounds like quite a bit of overreaction -- not just on the students' parts, but from their potential employers, too.
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  • identicon
    thecaptain, 7 Mar 2007 @ 12:11pm

    common sense?

    if they're going to search the web, they need to have the understanding that people can't control what other people say or post about them

    C'mon, you're expecting a lot here. Most HR types are completely clueless. These are the type of people who were posting Job Ads stating a 5 year experience requirement in Java back in 1996 (Java 1.0 came out in 1995).

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    RJD, 7 Mar 2007 @ 12:15pm

    Nope, makes sense

    Checking a person's background on line makes sense. And hopefully a perspective employer takes into account the source. However, where there's smoke, there is often fire. It's much like being judged by the company you keep. You may be a good person but if you're hanging with the boys from the hood, you're often a magnet for trouble.

    Be nice if 'kids' would grow up and realize that what they do in life they will be accountable for. Including talking about teats.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Casper, 7 Mar 2007 @ 12:16pm

    What?

    So they are saying that someone commenting about them causes them to lose a job? I some how doubt this unless what is being discussed is of significance. If a third party makes a comment on a forum about someone, I seriously doubt that it would be taken very seriously by a possible employer. Of course, what I think is probably more likely, is that many of them are finding out that posts they made can come back to haunt them.

    If an employer takes that much solace in what a random 3rd party says then you don't want to work for them anyway. If something you post on a forum comes back to bite you in the ass, it's your own fault. Take responsibility and move on.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Sniperdoc (profile), 7 Mar 2007 @ 12:32pm

      Re: What?

      Actually, it's really quite amazing. My gf used to be a HR recruiter for a large firm, and they dig pretty dang deep sometimes when it comes to some of the larger corporations out there.

      As far as the statement:
      "If an employer takes that much solace in what a random 3rd party says then you don't want to work for them anyway."

      I would say that I would WANT to work for that employer, because they want to make sure that their people are top notch.

      As far as "Take responsibility and move on", yep... that's exactly the attitude they should have. It comes down to integrity in the end, if you've lead a life that wasn't too "quiet", then be prepared for those waves that you've made to come back and resonate off of you.

      Karma is a biotch!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Beefcake, 7 Mar 2007 @ 12:49pm

        Re: Re: What?

        Sure, you should be responsible for the company you keep. Should you also be responsible for the other students admitted to a school or a class? Or if someone sees you on the street? We don't know who posted or what was posted about the boobs. Because boobs are out there for all to see, it could just as easily be some guy in the back of a class whom she's never met and thinks she's hot as someone she keeps company with.

        Additionally, someone being "top notch" has nothing to do with the results of a Google search. An idiot can just as easily have a clean 'net profile as a top notch person. That's why there are things like resumes and interviews.

        Having said all that, yeah-- if these students are that brilliant, I doubt a shady 'net profile with questionable sources is the only reason they were passed over. If it is, I agree-- you're better off without them. Places with top-notch people find them by talking with them.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Vincent Clement (profile), 7 Mar 2007 @ 3:02pm

        Re: Re: What?

        I would say that I would WANT to work for that employer, because they want to make sure that their people are top notch.

        Um, sure. Nudge. Nudge. Wink. Wink. Because you can tell so much about an employee from messages left about them during their college days. Besides, who is to say that the person being discussed is the same person who is applying for the job?

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        BeReal, 18 Jun 2007 @ 2:58pm

        Re: Re: What?

        Back at you for posting "karma is a biotch" under a pseudonym. You seem to have a convenient view of "integrity".... or are you going to put "sniperdoc" on your resume.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      SuperDuper, 25 Nov 2008 @ 6:03pm

      Re: What?

      Huh? This kid says "you don't wanna work for them anyway?" No, the job search is very tough. It uses a fantastic amount of resources, and someone might be relying on that job.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    TheDock22, 7 Mar 2007 @ 12:34pm

    Funny

    This is actually really funny IMHO. I never really thought about job employers turning away candidates for comments they find posted on message boards.

    It is kind of sad really, I mean what you do with the Internet at home should never be considered by employers as anything against your character. That would be like refusing to give a job to a candidate who sings show tunes in the shower, simply because you don't like show tunes they sing.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Nasty Old Geezer, 7 Mar 2007 @ 12:49pm

      Re: Funny

      Quote: "I mean what you do with the Internet at home should never be considered by employers " End Quote

      Never is a word I seldom use.

      Perhaps you mean to restrict this to LEGAL activities. As far as the employers go, if the comments are in any way relevant to the job or the persons's character, it would be appropriate to include them in the total view of a candidate. Got to weight them according to the veracity of the source though.

      If somebody made fun of anyone based on the size or shape of a body part -- that is not relevant (for lawyers, anyway) and should never be included in an HR record.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        TheDock22, 7 Mar 2007 @ 1:11pm

        Re: Re: Funny

        That's true, i guess I should have said legal activities. Obviously if someone if involved in illegal activities, there is no way I would hire them.

        Now, I don't particularly agree with judging someone based on their online posts. Well all know that the life span of a website could be a few days or until the end of time. If you posted something about your political views 5-10 years ago, should you really be judged for that today?

        Hopefully employers take these things into consideration.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Casper, 7 Mar 2007 @ 1:03pm

      Re: Funny

      Not really. Singing in the shower is very different then how your represent yourself and communicate with others. Peoples posts online give a glimpse into their personality, life style, and political standing. Companies want someone that will be a good fit, they don't want to waist money hiring and training someone only to have them leave for personal reasons or to have to fire them due to misconduct. They judge you, as well they should. They are making a big investment in hiring someone, and if they don’t like the presence you have or how you might represent them in your time off, they do not have to hire you.

      Everything you do in life reflects on every part of your life. Parents may tell their children that it’s ok to make mistakes, which is true, but they don’t tell them that they will have to live with them for the rest of their lives. We have a serious problem with taking responsibility in society today.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        MikeT, 7 Mar 2007 @ 1:49pm

        Re: Re: Funny

        What does your political stance have to do with most employers? The only question they should have is whether or not you are the type of person to not get along with others. A recruiter that allows their politics, barring them being politics explicitly based on conflict like Communism or National Socialism, to be a determining factor in the decision to employ a candidate should be fired. And fired with extreme prejudice. An employer that allows its recruiters to create arbitrary hiring criteria, based inherently on personal preferences, is run by fools.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          TheDock22, 7 Mar 2007 @ 2:14pm

          Re: Re: Re: Funny

          I agree to an extent (large coorperations), but for smaller companies, having everyone on the same page can really help things run smootly.

          The politics was an example, but there is nothing in the law preventing companies from choosing another candidate due to your political views. Only gender, race and religion can not count against you.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Casper, 7 Mar 2007 @ 2:20pm

          Re: Re: Re: Funny

          It shouldn't, but it does. A great example would be media positions. Most of the major players in the media are largely liberal... do you think wearing an NRA shirt around as a reporter would be a good idea? How about being a tree hugger and working for a lumber company? You won't get fired for it, but you won't make friends either.

          In the end nothing about life is fair. People need to figure this out. It may not be fair that your political views impact your career, after all, they don't change how you perform in your job (usually), but they do effect the way you are viewed. After all, what you know doesn't matter nearly as much as who you know.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    PhysicsGuy, 7 Mar 2007 @ 1:25pm

    such is the beauty of a moniker. while i find it rather absurd that employees are hiring people based off of someone else's comments, i take great solace in the fact that when my real name is googled it returns results from a couple 5k races i've ran in and lists me as a student at the martial arts dojo i attended. anyone backing up what the prospective employers are doing: give me your name and where you work. when your boss receives a call that their employee was accused of skimping out on paying their prostitute, as was posted to a message board, you'll be rethinking your position on employers basing their decisions on forum posts.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    comboman, 7 Mar 2007 @ 1:28pm

    Another good reason...

    Another good reason to post to forums with an pseudonym. Also a good reason for websites that post user comments to not allow Google to index them.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Edward, 7 Mar 2007 @ 1:46pm

    Yeah, it's long.

    This is just one of hundreds of issues today that make me fucking sick. I hate the world we live in for stupidity like this. People are fucking idiots. Do you have any idea how qualified some of the people getting turned down because of this bullshit are? People today say 'law students' like they're apprentice construction workers. Do you have any idea what kind of horror a law student has to go through? I am currently a business student at the Smith school of Business at the University of Maryland, not a law student (law is so much more in depth and mentally trying), and after all the shit I have to deal with, when the time comes for me to get my first job, to start making the money I deserve to be making after all the unfathomable amounts of insanely hard work I put in over years and years of school, if I was rejected based on some internet search, I would lose my fucking mind. I would beat the living shit out of that (spell with me, now, RJD) PROspective employer, and if I as a human being could do no more, I'd probably want to kill myself knowing that my job opportunities for life were partially destroyed because some asshole wrote "I loved that fat blunt we smoked last weekend" on some message board. And that's illegal! These law students are getting turned down because of things like "man, I thought you were gonna puke for sure after that 10th shot" being posted under pictures of them out with their friends, legally drinking, at a legal venue. What, now that there exists physical evidence of specific good times, those involved are blacklisted like fucking felons?? Before this intense background checking bullshit was ever implemented, I guarantee there were many, many high-ranking executives who were the absolute best at what they did, who, on their free time, did things so remarkably deviant, or even criminal, had it been known, they would be arrested. Did they bring said activities to the workplace? No! Nobody knows if the generation hired before this mockery of a background checking method was first used smokes weed, hires hookers, is a contract killer on the weekends...because it's fucking irrelevant. I understand wanting the best possible employees in all areas for a job opening in your company, but mark my words, the next time some overqualified law student gets turned away from a job because his asshole potential employer saw the word "boobs" in his Facebook profile, I hope to God that law student was the prophetic key to saving the company he was rejected by from bankruptcy, that the potential employer loses everything he owns as a result, the student gets employed by a lesser firm where the douche bag who rejected him then tries to get a job, enabling that law student, now an employed lawyer, to do his own "background check" on the asshole, and not give the sniveling little prick a chance in hell to get a job. Fuck this, man. Fuck everything and everybody that is ruining the fucking world. People are fucking idiots.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Casper, 7 Mar 2007 @ 2:42pm

      Re: Yeah, it's long.

      It's not intended to be easy. You talk about this as if it is in some way unfair that school is difficult and jobs should be handed to them. Do you really think that it is that much more difficult to study law then say chemical or electrical engineering? Your coming from the point of view of a business student, which isn't exactly on the same page as a lawyer, surgeon, or biochemist. I bet you have never worked a real job, have you?

      An immature tirade such as your post is the exact reason employers want to look into their candidates. Your posting included unnecessary profanity, poor structure, and no valid point. When in that long mess of a paragraph did you explain why companies shouldn't look at forum posts? You offered up the fact that a person who is a student of law, is in some way better then a construction worker. So, because someone chose to go to work rather then school, the person who chose school is better? I hate to tell you but a lot of contractors and machine operators make six figures and many are way far more intelligent then you my friend. I am a software developer, does that mean I should look down on someone who chose to go to work in another field that pays less? Does less pay mean they have not or do not work as hard?

      Please think before you speak, even rants should have a point.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Edward, 7 Mar 2007 @ 5:19pm

        Re: Re: Yeah, it's long.

        You gotta be kidding me, man. First of all don't try to establish credibility by pointing out what you call flaws in my post. Obviously I took into account the fact that I was cursing up a storm and did so purposefully. Secondly, who the (watch out, I'm going to use profanity) fuck are you to call me out on something as meaningless in a web post as structure? But then again, you did insert that line-skip between your paragraphs, so maybe I'll take something positive away from this after all. Thirdly stop posting just to discredit people who have already posted. You took from my post that I think "a person who is a student of law, is in some way better than a construction worker". Well, if you weren't already trying to be so condescending, you might have interpreted that I merely believe that law students have to commit much more time and effort to a job they want but do not yet have, than do aspiring construction workers. However, in light of your intent to defame my post, I can see you had no intention on discerning any meaning other than me thinking highly of myself and lawyers, and lowly of people who go straight into the workforce. If I were to take your unnecessary, overcritical approach to responding to a post, I'd explain that by the methods of Standard United States English, the comma you placed after the word law in the sentence I quoted you in is incorrect. Oh, right, you were also so busy taking note of how badly I fucked up my post that you seemed to have missed my point. Listen up, now: my point, Sir Genius, is that it sickens me that the world has become a place such that a hardworking, qualified law student is denied a job he would have undoubtedly if we (A) had some privacy or (B) went through this whole ordeal 10 years ago. So there ya go, skippy. I hope this wasn't too offensive for your virgin ears.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Casper, 8 Mar 2007 @ 8:05am

          Re: Re: Re: Yeah, it's long.

          So the content of a public web space is now private? Since when did posting on a public forum constitute private conversation? At what point was it decided that past public conduct was not admissible in the decisions of a prospective employer? If you can not answer the basic questions with your argument, then perhaps you are wrong.

          How does attending college constitute a larger investment of time or energy then someone working 60 hour weeks at a construction site? Is reading a book harder then manual labor for the equal amount of time? I'm sorry, but your point really is not valid. I work with computers, but I can still appreciate the hard work that people in other professions do. To say that a student deserves anything is absurd. You are going to school to benefit yourself.

          As for the condescending tone of my post, how is my condescending tone directed at you any different then the condescending nature of your post directed at everyone who does not go to college? You act as though you are above reproach, however, what experience do you bring to the table in this discussion that would indicate an equal level of competency or knowledge? You do not approve of my condescending tone, yet your response is profanity? I have no problem with swearing, but unlike you, I have other tools at my disposal and I understand the implications of such actions. Currently I am gainfully employed, but if I were not and an employer were reading these posts, who do you think he would be more likely to contact for potential employment? Does your conduct reflect an intelligent and articulate individual or a temperamental child?

          What all this boils down to is that you believe you (or law students) are working harder then everyone else and deserve to be treated better. The reality is that I do in fact believe I have a better grasp of reality and the business world then yourself, and that I do doubt your credibility to comment on the inequalities of life. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but that does not make them right. You may not agree with me, but you also have not even slightly provided a case for your arguments.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 7 Mar 2007 @ 3:31pm

      Re: Yeah, it's long.

      Hey edward have some faith. Things are changing, and mores are in flux. For every asshat that wont hire you, theres a social peer of yours that will. And if its not that way, it will be eventually. I thrill when I hear about this being a big problem--it means that eventually there will be whole generations of people in charge who understand that since backstage conduct is now publically visible, it needs to be politely ignored by civil society.

      The people who poke around like this are basically voyeurs. Just because they can, doesnt mean they should. Who lays out the rules on what should and shouldnt be done? I have no idea, but you and I know where that line is. We were raised in the time that built that line, and we feel it in our bones just as surely as the asshats dont.

      Work hard, do your part, and have faith. Itll work out.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 7 Mar 2007 @ 5:28pm

        Re: Re: Yeah, it's long.

        hey, man that's good stuff...you bring up a valid, optimistic point

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Not and idiot and wouldn't hire you, 8 Mar 2007 @ 8:28pm

      Re: Yeah, it's long.

      It's a good thing a prospective employer isn't doing a Google search on you! If I were checking references on you and saw this flaming post, I would be sure to take you off of my list of potential hires. You see, the way you present yourself on the web just might be the way you present yourself at work, and frankly, I wouldn't want to hire someone with your attitude...Be careful what YOU post, it might come back to haunt you some day!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Iron Chef, 7 Mar 2007 @ 1:52pm

    Social Network Paradigm

    This is just another case of how business doesn't understand how to harness the power of the internet.

    The paradigm of power within the corporate world is changing rapidly. And Social Networking is contributing to lower costs.

    Smart businesses are going to find ways to increase productivity and quality of work using these new collaboration tools available now.

    Take Goldcorp for example. A $500,000 iinvestment in Social Networking grossed grew his company from $100M to $10 Billion

    http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/59/mcewen.html

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    PhysicsGuy, 7 Mar 2007 @ 1:58pm

    Re: Yeah, it's long.

    you make me glad that i study physics. at least i enjoy the work that i put in at school.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Dewey, 7 Mar 2007 @ 2:02pm

    privacy tool for social networks

    We've built Minggl to allow users of popular social networking sites to post private pictures and messages to their profile page, yet control visibility via a robust attribute matching scheme. We're in final beta and welcome all testers!!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jim Jones, 7 Mar 2007 @ 2:29pm

    anonimity

    How frikken stupid are these lawyers to be anyways. the net should be anon.... if it requires a "real name" MAKE IT UP!! duh. I realised this during the age of BBSs and MUDs. you are leaving behind real records of your activities. ( I still have fido-mail archives)
    The only thing that ever gets my real name is a resume or job-search engine and the email account reserved for the responses. everything else gets an alter-ego, complete with an address, and a birthdate.
    As you can see most of us have screen names, we do it for a reason. so our current employers, future employers, friends, enemies, gov spooks and whoever else out there who may be watching/ spidering (google etc) does not easily link it back to us. Think of it as a virtual condom between you and the stupids. screw em all and keep the possibility of burning to a minimum.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Daniel Jimenez, 7 Mar 2007 @ 4:58pm

    Read more before commenting

    Anyone who wants to take a "tsk, tsk, you should know better than to post pics/personal info on the Internet" attitude (including Carlo) should read the first-person account of one of the women targeted by AutoAdmin.

    The site owners are not nearly as innocent in all this as they would have you believe, and the women targeted are not nearly as naive as some of you seem to think, either.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    thecaptain, 8 Mar 2007 @ 4:58am

    I would say that I would WANT to work for that employer, because they want to make sure that their people are top notch.

    I sincerely doubt that this kind of HR cluelessness would get many "top notch" employees for you to work with, if they cannot realize how easy it is to fill a thread with unwarranted flames on the net.

    I can SOMEWHAT see an interviewer or a firm turning down a prospective employee based on their online behavior/opinions, if they can reasonably make the assumption that the behavior/opinions they observe are actually legitimate (whether it is is another argument altogether) but there's really no defense for doing so based on whatever some net troll posts ABOUT an employee for which he/she has absolutely no control.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    whats wrong with boobs?, 8 Mar 2007 @ 8:08am

    I find it hard to believe that a company wouldn't hire a woman because she had nice boobs. Seems to me that is a good thing. Course, maybe the comments were about how they were small or maybe they were sagging or something, then I could see her point.

    Just goes to show, without knowing all the facts, you really can't make a decision.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    evil_fizz, 8 Mar 2007 @ 5:41pm

    reading comprehension!

    All in all, this sounds like quite a bit of overreaction -- not just on the students' parts, but from their potential employers, too. You missed the part about people being threatened with gang rape, didn't you?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Chiro, 20 Mar 2007 @ 12:07pm

    Chiropractor

    Need a great Chiropractor? The best Chiropractic in Bloomington, MN. He practices Gonstead Chiropractic.

    http://www.innatechiro.net/

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    jjz, 10 Mar 2008 @ 7:43pm

    considering...

    considering that we are about to nominate the wife of a man who commited perjury while in the office of the President of the United States, I tend to think these various statements flying around the intertube carry much less weight than is being considered here. were in a cycle of extreme centralization right now- there will be a backlash.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

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    happy to pay big bucks for quality lists. However, the money made
    from the mailing lists is secondary to the income which is made from
    people like you and me asking to be included in that list.




    Here are the 4 easy steps to success:




    STEP 1: Get 6 separate pieces of paper and write the following on
    each piece of paper "PLEASE PUT ME ON YOUR MAILING LIST." Now
    get 6 US $1.00 bills and place ONE inside EACH of the 6 pieces of
    paper so the bill will not be seen through the envelope (to prevent
    thievery). Next, place one paper in each of the 6 envelopes and seal
    them. You should now have 6 sealed envelopes, each with a piece of
    paper stating the above phrase, your name and address, and a $1.00
    bill. What you are doing is creating a service. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY
    LEGAL! You are requesting a legitimate service and you are paying for
    it! Like most of us I was a little skeptical and a little worried
    about the legal aspects of it all. So I checked it out with the U.S.
    Post Office (1-800-725-2161) and they confirmed that it is indeed
    legal. Mail the 6 envelopes to the following addresses:



    #1)Laura Owen
    4210 Steep Rock
    Pasadena, TX 77504


    #2)Sigma Bailey
    2100 South Gessner # 1304
    Houston, TX 77063



    #3)J. R. Sac
    5018 Calhoun # 6
    Houston, TX 77004

    #4)Anthony Koller
    13 Holly street
    Gloucester, Ma 01930



    #5)Erfan Haroon
    24335 Fairmount
    Dearborn, Mi 48124


    #6)Ashton Matchett
    4454 Pine Creek dr.
    Burton, MI 48519



    STEP 2: Now take the #1 name off the list that you see above, move
    the other names up 1 place (#2 becomes #1, #3 becomes #2, etc...) and
    add YOUR name and address as number 6 on the list.




    STEP 3: Change anything you need to, but try to keep this article as
    close to original as possible. Now, post your amended article to at
    least 200 newsgroups. (I think there are close to 24,000 groups) All
    you need is 200, but remember, the more you post, the more money you
    make! You won't get very much unless you post like crazy. :)




    This is perfectly legal! If you have any doubts, refer to Title 18
    Sec. 1302 & 1341 of the Postal lottery laws.
    Keep a copy of these steps for yourself and, whenever you need money,
    you can use it again, and again.




    PLEASE REMEMBER that this program remains successful because of the
    honesty and integrity of the participants and by their carefully
    adhering to the directions. Look at it this way. If you are of
    integrity, the program will continue and the money that so many
    others have received will come your way.




    NOTE: You may want to retain every name and address sent to you,
    either on a computer or hard copy and keep the notes people send you.
    This VERIFIES that you are truly providing a service. (Also, it might
    be a good idea to wrap the $1 bill in dark paper to reduce the risk
    of mail theft.)



    so, as each post is downloaded and the directions carefully followed,
    six members will be reimbursed for their participation as a List
    Developer with one dollar each. Your name will move up the list
    geometrically so that when your name reaches the #1 position you will
    be receiving thousands of dollars in CASH!!! What an opportunity for
    only $6.00 ($1.00 for each of the first six people listed above) Send
    it now, add your own name to the list and you're in business!




    -----DIRECTIONS ----- FOR HOW TO POST TO NEWSGROUPS--------------




    Step 1) You do not need to re-type this entire letter to do your own
    posting. Simply put your cursor at the beginning of this letter and
    drag your cursor to the bottom of this document, and select 'copy'
    from the edit menu. This will copy the entire letter into the
    computer's memory.
    Step 2) Open a blank 'notepad' file and place your cursor at the top
    of the blank page. From the 'edit' menu select 'paste'. This will
    paste a copy of the letter into notepad so that you can add your name
    to the list.
    Step 3) Save your new notepad file as a .txt file. If
    you want to do your postings in different settings, you'll always
    have this file to go back to.
    Step 4) Use Netscape or Internet explorer and try searching for
    various newsgroups (on-line forums, message boards, chat sites,
    discussions.)
    Step 5) Visit these message boards and post this article as a new
    message by highlighting the text of this letter and selecting paste
    from the edit menu. Fill in the Subject, this will be the header that
    everyone sees as they scroll through the list of postings in a
    particular group, click the post message button. You're done with
    your first one! Congratulations...THAT'S IT! All you have to do is
    jump to different newsgroups and post away, after you get the hang of
    it, it will take about 30 seconds for each newsgroup! **REMEMBER, THE
    MORE NEWSGROUPS YOU POST IN, THE MORE MONEY YOU WILL MAKE! BUT YOU
    HAVE TO POST A MINIMUM OF 200** That's it! You will begin receiving
    money from around the world within days! You may eventually want to
    rent a P.O.Box due to the large amount of mail you will receive. If
    you wish to stay anonymous, you can invent a name to use, as long as
    the postman will deliver it. **JUST MAKE SURE ALL THE ADDRESSES ARE
    CORRECT.**




    Now,
    each of the 5 persons who just sent me $1.00 make the MINIMUM 200
    postings, each with my name at #5 and only 5 persons respond to each
    of the original 5, that is another $25.00 for me, now those 25 each
    make 200 MINIMUM posts with my name at #4 and only 5 replies each, I
    will bring in an additional $125.00! Now, those 125 persons turn
    around and post the MINIMUM 200 with my name at #3 and only receive 5
    replies each, I will make an additional $625.00! OK, now here is the
    fun part, each of those 625 persons post a MINIMUM 200 letters with
    my name at #2 and they each only receive 5 replies, that just made me
    $3,125.00!!! Those 3,125 persons will all deliver this message to 200
    newsgroups with my name at #1 and if still 5 persons per 200
    newsgroups react I will receive $15,625,00! With an original
    investment of only $6.00! AMAZING! When your name is no longer on the
    list, you just take the latest posting in the newsgroups, and send
    out another $6.00 to names on the list, putting your name at number 6
    again. And start posting again. The thing to remember is: do you
    realize that thousands of people all over the world are joining the
    internet and reading these articles everyday?, JUST LIKE YOU are
    now!! So, can you afford $6.00 and see if it really works?? I think
    so... People have said, "what if the plan is played out and no
    one sends you the money? So what! What are the chances of that
    happening when there are tons of new honest users and new honest
    people who are joining the internet and newsgroups everyday and are
    willing to give it a try? Estimates are at 20,000 to 50,000 new
    users, every day, with thousands of those joining the actual
    internet. Remember, play FAIRLY and HONESTLY and this will really work

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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