Oooh, Munchausen by Internet. Allyson, there should be an article out there somewhere about the syndrome by a woman named Jean Helms (I think). Maybe in the Atlanta Constitution?

She was/is a regular on the X-Files board "Haven For the FBI's Most Unwanted", where a really elaborate death-hoax was performed a few years back. "Evie Whiting" was the pseud of the woman who was said to have died, and a few months later Jean Helms got an article out of the whole thing.

The "death" and revelation of the fraud was a really fascinating community meltdown there for a while.

We had "Penlind" whose infant son was dying. But had no children, actually.

The hoax itself wasnt as interesting as the group of woman who were quietly investigating her claims at a private board, under lock and key, and uncovered her real name, similiar scams, and the reaction of the community who had rallied around her upon the discovery that none of it was true.

Fascinating! Just sayin'

I thought the OB was dysfunctional.

Every board is disfunctional, if there are people posting on it.

My love for Clay Shirky grows. He's supposed to be in LA, soon. I'm hoping to meet him.

Coool, Allyson. I like his stuff.

Village Voice had an article on it, Consuela. I'm trying to balance axe-murderer pieces with the better things. Have Buffistas had a Munchausen by Internet? I feel like I was only at TableTalk a year before we moved to WorldCrossing, and I didn't really latch onto this community until the Bronze was really most sincerely dead.

The "death" and revelation of the fraud was a really fascinating community meltdown there for a while.

btw, I am dead.

Have Buffistas had a Munchausen by Internet?

I also have terminal cancer. Or else my cat does.

And the Penlind timeline has melted from my brain, so it's all jumbled. Was that four years ago?

it was right around the time i showed up and was starting my site for DeKnight. sometime around April/May of 2001, i think. it's too bad people didn't keep her posts. though now that i think about it, maybe some of the people on the investigation team did. if you want, i can ask janni. i still keep in contact with her.

There was a story on This American Life a while back about this group of kids who got to know the cast of Rent. One of them made up cancer for herself and a few other things. Most of the communication was via Internet.

tiggy's right, Allyson. It was Spring, 2001. I was brand new, and inclined not to believe it, until so many old timers seemingly did. I knew nothing about PCs or the internet, but copied and pasted "Cairo's" post on "Djoser" and saved it as a draft in my email, because it hit every single one of my alarm buttons. I wonder if I still have it...

Oh! I do. That's rare, that I save something that long. It made a horribly big impression on me--one I've never quite gotten past.

Here:

Cairo says:
(Fri Apr 27 07:34:05 2001 208.4.95.62)

Uncle Karn says I have to go
and pack. We are leaving this
afternoon. The babies are
going to stay with Aunt
MaryGrace. Mum says the only
thing that lasts forever is
words like the things that we
say and write. Everything else
just goes away. I just want
someone to remember
Djoser. His faverite story is
Winnie the Pooh and his
faverite song is How much is
that doggie n the window. He
sucks his thumb but he's
trying not to and shen he
wakes us in the morning his
hair sticks up in the air. He is
black like me. He likes it when
I take a piece of paper and I
move it over his face really
light. eh smiles when the sun
shines and when I'm being
Buffy and I stake somebody.
He likes it when you rock him
and when he can have
peaches. His faverite toy is
my old grey elephant. He
thinks he looks just like Da
when he walks around with
his hands in his pockets adn
when he doesnt have pockets
he pretends. He hates it when
he is blue and can't breathe
right adn if he could get
enough air he would cry when
it happens. He likes to sleep
next to Poe because she is so
big adn soft. He laughs when
you give him a bath. He'll
always be my brother even if
he can't be a vampire but it
would have nice if he could.
and I lvoe him. There now
Djoser will live forever,

It was a skinny post (like your AOL ones at the Bronze used to be, Allyson). I tried to preserve the formatting above. I think DX said the t pre causes problems, so I've just put in t br instead.