The growth of the internet has really increased the popularity and effectiveness of April Fool’s Day. Now ALL KINDS of pranks can be played online in the guise of “new technologies” or “new services.” :-D Even reputable media companies like CNN or the BBC are getting in on the act.

A big concern for librarians and academics early on was that the internet was going to lead to a loss of credibility. With the possibility of anyone posting anything online and making it sound authoritative, people were afraid that America (and the world) would continue “dumbing down.” Instead, librarians and teachers have stepped up and begun teaching Information Literacy and the need for evaluating information sources.

And creative individuals and companies have become better equipped to play April Fool’s Day jokes on the less-than-critically thinking public. Here are some links to sites that have “celebrated” April Fool’s Day this year. Most of these are pretty clever and funny.

(Okay, that last one was from The Onion, so it’s bound to be funny, even if it’s not April Fool’s Day.)

Feel free to share these with your friends. And even to disguise them like this: Google to Acquire U.S. Government