BECAUSE SEVERAL BACKLINKS to my Irish Eyes blog reveal a high level of Christmas exam tension, a short e-mail from Ruth suggested that I resurrect the story of Jeff Green and offer an image the dead wife under the coffee table. This is a long-running urban legend that grows longer legs every time it's refreshed by blogs.
The study of the dead wife under the coffee table is an important one because it suggests ways to start a buzz about a topic. Some useful observations:
- Cite a statement from an "authority" as part of the storyline. People believe your content when it sounds authentic and "authorities" make for authenticity.
- Place a sentimental object in the frame of the picture. Jeff's beer cans may seem sentimental to a viewer. A solitary candle would have been more persuasive.
- Borrow from a similar storyline. Preserving a dead person's body in a glass case won a patent in 1903. The British tabloids have plenty of interesting content that lend themselves to this tactic.
Once again, the secret is out but this urban legend will live on for a long time.
Mike Boyle -- "Wierd but true"
Snopes -- "He loved Lucy"
x_ref125mw snopes
