In our modern day society, using our phones and the internet is a quick and easy way to stay up to date on all the latest news stories. There are some people who may take advantage of this ease of access to write their own, made up news stories. Although many stories can be hilatious and interesting read, it can also be a dangerous way for false information to spread. Many of the authors write their stories just as satire, and that's not a bad thing, but it is up to us to discern fake news from the truth. Here is some criteria to keep in mind when trying to determine if a site is a hoax or not.

• Does the story sound fake - if the headline of a story on the website is something along the lines of "Zombie Attack in Downtown New York", it's a hoax site; this is something you have to use common sense to determine whether the site is a hoax or not
• Links leading out of the site - many hoax sites will have article links leading to a different site, whereas a real site will have links leading to articles within the same site
• Professional appearance - if the site appears to look professional, without a bunch of flashy colors or pictures, and without any crazy font, the site is more likely to be a real news source
• Nothing broken or unfinished - hoax sites may have broken links or pages that look unfinished
• Authors are clearly identified - the names of the authors will be attached to the article on the site

Here are some samples of hoax sites for your enjoyment: