Why I Currently Avoid SEO Forums like the Plague

I currently have a cold!

Not the most exciting way to start a blog post, nor the most interesting… but bear with me please.

I am not an expert when it comes to the common cold, I have had it many, many times, I know I don’t like it, but other than that.. I couldn’t claim to know the inner workings of a cold.

However, I have been fed enough information and advice in my lifetime to know a few facts about colds:

1)  Going out with wet hair is a good way of catching a cold

2) You can get a cold more easily in cold weather

3) When you have a cold, drink lots of fluids, and especially hot drinks

4) Vitamin C can prevent a cold

All great cold based facts I am sure you will agree!

I am sure at some time you have heard all of the above, you probably hear these facts every time you get a cold, or go out into cold weather. “Put your scarf on, you will catch a cold” etc…

Well here is the kicker…. none of the above are true! 

Not one of the above 4 “facts” are accurate, or true. They are myths bases on novels, myths, stories, and confused logic.

Going out with wet hair is not exactly smart, but a cold is an airborne virus, and is spread from person to person, it is not spread through the wind, and soaked into wet hair and then magically goes through your hair into your head.

Cold weather has no effect on getting a cold. It is true that people tend to get more colds in winter, but this is because they stay indoors more, and therefore are in close contact with people for longer periods.

Eating and drinking a lot will have no effect on curing your cold.

Recent studies also show that Vitamin C has little to no effect on curing a cold.

I got all this information from AOL, you can see the full set of cold myths for yourself here: cold myths 

So what has this got to do with SEO forums? Well, SEO in general works in the same way… some information is created, it sounds fairly logical, and with zero concrete evidence, it becomes a fact and is spread by “experts” throughout the industry. If you go to any SEO forum you will see wild theories, crazy theories, and mad theories… but in all cases the author will be 100% certain they are true. It only takes a few other people to believe him/her and before you know it, it has become common practice.

This is why I now avoid SEO forums.

So how do we avoid this mis-information?

On the net, most people simply go by authority… but I have heard numerous doctors, teachers, and high profile magazines tell the above cold based myths, so my point is this: Don’t believe everything you read, especially on the net. If something sounds logical, or comes from an authority source, then it doesn’t mean it is true.

The single best way to overcome this is to try it yourself. If someone tells you that black is white, then test it. It may take an hour to test, but could save you hundreds of hours in the process.

We are in an industry where people have agendas and products they want to push, and they will sometimes say anything to get you to buy it.

Right, I am off to get some vitamin C and dry my wet hair