Misinformation in the Internet Age

“The problem with internet quotes is that you can’t always depend on their accuracy” -Abraham Lincoln, 1864

Almost everybody has seen some variation of the Abraham Lincoln “quote” at one time or another as they surf the web. Of course the “quote” is a fabrication, but it drives home a very important point: You can’t believe everything that you read on the internet. Anybody can post anything on any subject at any time. From a 14 year old kid posting lies about another kid, who likes the same girl as he does, to political opponents seeking election to the same position. It’s easy to do and completely anonymous.

Unfortunately, it is also a wide spread practice in business. It’s easy to write a false review about a local business competitor on Angie’s List, or write a false product review about your competitor’s product on some industry or business website, especially about a product that is not well known to the general public. Want to make it look “official”? Just call yourself the Association for XYZ or the Coalition for a Better 123. You get the idea.

Sitting behind a keyboard and googling a topic or product is a good way to do some basic research. Just about every piece of information on any subject is available on the internet. That’s a great starting point. But, somewhere along the line, you have to actually talk to someone about it.

Buying a piece of soda blasting equipment is no different. You have to talk to someone about it eventually. What happens when you do talk to someone? Do they try to fully understand your project, or are they just trying to sell you a “unit”. Do they seem to answer your questions honestly, or do they sound like a used car salesman? Do they talk about their soda blaster, or do they bad mouth their competitor’s equipment?

Is the equipment right for your job? You don’t need something capable of stripping a bridge if you just want to strip a car or boat bottom, for example.

If you have read some of my other blog postings, hopefully you can see that I have been trying to educate people about soda blasting. It is a wonderful, eco-friendly blasting process that needs to become better known to the general population. This blog is trying to spread the word. Use the information as a part of your education on soda blasting.

Thanks for reading my blog! – The Sodablasting Guy