BreakTheChain.org

About BreakTheChain.org

Hi, I'm John R. Ratliff, founder and editor of BreakTheChain.org. Created in 1999, BreakTheChain.org is my attempt to reduce the amount of junk e-mail and misinformation on the Internet by discouraging individuals from sending or forwarding e-mail chain letters. My main mission is to educate people about the shortcomings of e-mail chain letters as a means to distribute information to the masses, as well as to empower all users of the Internet to make informed, logical decisions about the information they distribute via these means. I encourage folks to look beyond the simple truth or falsehood of a message, and focus instead on how that message is presented and how the limitations e-mail as an information tool can distort even the most innocuous of messages.

Why should you trust me? Well, that's really up to you, but here are what I consider to be my credentials in this field: I am a researcher, writer, editor and web designer with nearly 20 years experience in computers and the Internet. I have a degree in industrial/organizational psychology and more than 10 years of practical experience in communications and public relations. I have provided "expert" opinions and advice in print media and on radio and television programs in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Finland, Sweden, South Africa, Australia and other locations. I have been the sole contributor to BreakTheChain.org since its inception and have researched thousands of chain letters.

Like what I'm doing here and would like to help out? I welcome cash donations. Please keep in mind, however, that BreakTheChain.org is not a non-profit organization and your contribution is not tax-deductible. Use the link below to donate with your credit or debit card. Thanks.

Break the Chain

To 'break the chain' means to consider above all else the limitations and implications of using e-mail to broadcast it. It does not necessarily mean to delete the message or otherwise stop its spread. But, it does mean that you ask yourself if there is a better way to distribute this information, or better yet, a better source forit. E-mail is neither reliable (it rarely remains true and faithful to its original as it circulates) nor valid (given the relative anonymity of e-mail, the source is often lost) and there are far better methods for broadcasting information to a large audience.

I founded this site on four basic principles:

1. E-mail was designed primarily for person-to-person communication and was never intended to be used as a broadcast medium to spread information to many people at once. As a result, it has many serious shortcomings when used in this fashion.
2. People act differently online than they would in real life because the Internet's relative speed, ease and anonymity allow us to suspend or ignore traditionally accepted social protocols and expectations.
3. E-mail chain letters pose significant privacy and security risks to the people who send and receive them; their friends, families and employers; and the organizations and individuals frequently named in them.
4. It is the responsibility of both the sender and the recipient to check facts before passing information on. Given proper insights and resources, every e-mail users can and should make logical and informed decisions about what to forward and what to delete.

What do I mean by "chain letter?" For the purposes of this web site, a chain letter is any message sent by e-mail or posted on public bulletin boards and chat rooms that encourages the recipient to forward it to others either explicity (through overt instructions to do so) or implicity (through compelling content). Given this broad definition, many different types of messages fall under the umbrella of chain letters. They include, but are not limited to: virus warnings, missing or sick child chain letters, jokes, good/bad luck wishes, get-rich quick schemes, editorials, health advisories and more. The term chain letter is not synonymous with "hoax." While many chain letters are, indeed, complete fabrications designed to fool or ridicule others, the majority are real and sincere communications that, unfortunately, can significantly misinform.

While I try to examine and comment on every chain letter my readers send me, I can't possibly cover them all. As a general rule, I do not deal with the following types of chain letters:

• SPAM - This includes direct bulk mailed advertisements and solcitations, person-to-person offers or requests for money and pyramid and multi-level marketing schemes. Easy rule of thumb, if it wasn't forwarded to you by someone you know, I probably don't handle it.
• Inspirationals - Poems, ascii art or stories that are intended to warm the heart, foster good will or express friendship, but that don't claim to be true events and are not attributed to famous or recognizable individuals. As annoying as some of these can be, they are relatively harmless (beyond the inherent privacy threat posed by forwarding any e-mail).
• Good Luck Chains - These are recycled poems, jokes and other junk that make no factual assertions and are circulated solely to foster friendship and goodwill. Let's fact it, if you truly believe that forwarding or not forwarding an e-mail will have a profound impact on your fortune, there's probably not much I have to say that won't offend you.