Flagstone, the Clueless Version

These flagstones are slate, not sandstone

For some reason that no one here at the Antisocial network understands, a surprising number of self-appointed freelancers seem to be confused by the difference between the specific and the general. It happens a lot when people start writing about topics they aren't familiar with, especially if the topic is even the least bit "technical." Take today's DotD nominee, for example: Sharon Bellissimo of EzineArticles.com decided to share her own "Facts about Flagstone" with her readers. Too bad she didn't know anything before she started...

Around our shop, we prefer that our facts be, well, factual. That's not what Bellissimo provided her readers, however. Sharon started off on the wrong foot almost immediately, telling her readers in her first paragraph of "facts" that

"Flagstone is a beautiful flat stone made from sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rock is made up of 'sediment' which is small bits of other rocks, sand, mud, pepples [sic] etc."

Not only were we nonplussed by the notion that anyone thinks "pebbles" is spelled with three "ps," we were also confused that Sharon somehow differentiates "pepples" from sand and "small bits of other rocks" – what's up with that? That confusion, however, is only Bellissimo's opening salvo in freelance dumbassery. She also came up with

1. "Flagstone is made like this; basically it is a sandstone formed mainly from sand particles, felspar [sic], quartz and cemented with silica and/or calcium..."
2. "...slate is a metamorphic rock made from clay or volcanic rock..."
3. "Depending on where and how it was formed the colours can widely vary."

Our corrections follow:

1. Flagstone is not necessarily sandstone, any available flat stone can be called "flagstone," including concrete. That's not to mention that we aren't sure how Sharon differentiates "sand particles" (which is redundant) from quartz and "felspar" (which is missing a "d," by the way)
2. Slate is indeed a metamorphic rock, but it's "made" through metamorphosis of shale or mudstone (rarely volcanics...).
3. Not really... the colors are almost always range from shades of gray to shades of tan.

It wasn't until we got to the last paragraph that we figured out Sharon's point. It appears that she just jotted down 275 words of semi-factual drivel in hopes of driving more eyeballs to one of her "lenses" at squidoo.com; now found at HubPages.com. We guess we'll have to have a closer look... but for now, this rubbish more than qualified Bellissimo for the Dumbass of the Day award.

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DD - GEOLOGY