While some dread the pranks and stories they will experience or read and hear today, April Fool’s day, perhaps we need to appreciate the day for what it is.
Wikipedia reports an extensive history and folklore about April 1st, going back to the Dark Ages, when men wore tight pants and sported beards – a clear reference that fashion comes around, even if it takes several centuries.
So April Fool’s day news is meant to be lighthearted, bordering on the absurd; perhaps a bit overly obvious so that it becomes a point of interest. After all, digesting extraordinary tales is learned with practice, and people telling fibs or fat stories can do so any day of the week, regardless.
The stories we publish on DomainGang, are of two kind: real news and parody news. From the very beginning, in September 2009, we included both real news and ‘incredible stories’ related to the domain industry. We did so knowing that any day has the potential of being April 1st, if only the reader decides so.
In July 2010, driven by an unfortunate event, we introduced the “100%” image at the bottom of every article that is not a parody. Such real stories have covered the entire gamut of the domain industry, from job changes, to conference events, to new products, to stolen domain names in the wild.
With DomainGang, you don’t have to wonder whether articles are gags or not, especially today; every real story will have the graphic image at the bottom, as a reminder that no matter how incredible a domain story might sound, it would be true.
The only exception: this very Editorial, because editorials are opinions by the publication’s editor, and not a report on events. While we strive to remain unbiased, editorials don’t follow the restrictions of news reporting, and are projections of our beliefs about the domain industry, and beyond.
Enjoy the pranks and jokes today and do have fun, no matter what day of the month it is.
