Quote: BrisbaneRhino "The problem with this stuff is the certainty with which some people post what are clearly rumours/general chatter. Others then go too far in questioning whether they actually know the real goings on behind the scenes, which leads to a defensive response from the original poster. And on and on it then rolls.
The rumours are part of the fun. If people would say things with less certainty there wouldn't be a problem.'"
Bingo!!!
Nobody really gets ridiculed for sharing rumours they've heard, unless they're claiming them as 'fact' or 'from the horses mouth' or any other term to make it sound 'in the know' - like you say, it's the degree of certainly that some individuals try and portray.
They'd have more credibility if they shared the info and gave the reasons why they thought its credible. Then, if and when it either does or doesn't come off, they can comment on how it all eventually played out.
The problem is, some people desperately want to look 'in the know', so throw out the rumours as certainties, with caveats like 'but I can't say where it's come from or who it involves' and 'it might never come out in public', and then when nothing appears, they give no further comment...
It's all good fun though!
