A look at the claims, predictions and behavior of a media "psychic".
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A look at the claims, predictions and behavior of a media "psychic".
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GoSylviaBrowne.com - A "fan site?"A fan site supporting Sylvia Browne appears. But is it run by a fan? 
Go Sylvia Browne splash page. "An online community devoted to sharing stories, validations and faith." BackgroundWhen starting StopSylviaBrowne.com, I was surprised to find almost no Sylvia Browne "fan sites" out there. She is obviously a very popular psychic - I wondered why so few sites supporting her? I soon found oblique references, and later, received specific emails, stating that Browne had a reputation for shutting fan sites down with threats of litigation. If true, this is certainly odd. She portrays herself as a "spiritual leader," but when her followers put up sites which discuss and promote her philosophy, she has them shut down? I have since heard some opinions on the reasons behind this, and will soon be writing an article on the subject. So, given all of this, it was with some surprise that I read the following announcement on the home page of Browne's official web site, in the "Message From Sylvia's Staff" box:
I wondered: why would Browne change her mind and allow a fan to create such a site? A First LookThe "Go Sylvia" site is definitely a response to the Stop Sylvia Browne site. From the site's name, to the "splash page" (see above), to the "green light" motif (as opposed to the "stop sign" motif here), to the section names of the site, it seems almost a satire of sorts. Well, as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I have no problem with someone poking gentle fun at this site. And I hoped that perhaps, with its "Validations" and "Stories" sections, it would fill the void and show some accounts of "successful" Browne readings. After taking a look around the site, I emailed the "Go Sylvia" webmaster, telling her that the look of the site made me smile, and wishing her luck with it. Although we obviously disagree on Sylvia Browne, I viewed her site as simply another person's take on the subject. I received a friendly reply back from Heather Brown, the webmaster, and later, I added a link to the "Go Sylvia" site from this site's Links page. Censoring of PostsThe site has come under fire from skeptics for "censoring of posts" on its Guest Book and Forum. Reportedly, certain words ("money", "fraud" "charlatan" " liar", "critics", "stopsylviabrowne.com" and "James Randi") are automatically censored (replaced with characters such as %$#@&) as they are entered, and posts which are critical of Browne are deleted. The user accounts of those who post such comments are deleted and their posts removed, and their IP address put on a "ban list" in an effort to prevent them from creating another user account. While the deleting of opinions which conflict with your own is not admirable, I have no problem with the administrator of a fan site doing so. A fan site is not intended to promote debate, or to encourage people to truly examine their support of the celebrity which is the site's focus. It is a place for people who are fans of a given celebrity to support each other in their admiration for that celebrity. So, just like it would be understandable for someone running, say, a Harrison Ford fan site to disallow posting saying that Mr. Ford is an awful person, a fan running a Sylvia Browne fan site has every right to do the same with negative comments about Browne. On a related note, I would like to discourage those skeptical of Browne from harassing the administrators or users of the "Go Sylvia" site with such posts. I don't think it is the appropriate place for debate, and besides: I don't think anyone is ever convinced of a position by someone else coming into their living room and shouting that position at them. Is it a "Fan Site?"But a question arises: Is this truly a "fan site" (and by "fan site," I mean a site set up by and for fans)? Or is it setup and maintained by someone within Browne's organization? The GoSylviaBrowne site's FAQ Page has the following two questions/answers which partially address this:
While both of these answers strongly imply that the site is indeed set up by a fan, further investigation indicates that this might not be the case. The web site is registered to a Heather Brown, which is also the name the webmaster used in our email correspondence. I have been informed, by three independent sources, that Heather Brown is the woman who lives with Paul Dufresne, one of Sylvia Browne's sons, and that Heather has traveled with Sylvia Browne on her speaking tours, where she is often involved in the sale of some of the Sylvia Browne and Novus Spiritus merchandise which is available in the lobby during Browne's speaking engagements. I do not know whether or not she is employed by Browne. But I do know that by living with Paul Dufresne - who I have been told is definitely on Sylvia Browne's payroll - Heather Brown benefits both directly and financially from Sylvia Browne's continued success. AnalysisSo, is GoSylviaBrowne a "fan site," or is it simply an offshoot of Browne's official sites, crafted in hopes of counteracting the bad press she has received of late (largely due to the StopSylviaBrowne web site)? The fact that its webmaster has such a financial connection to Sylvia Browne does not prove that she is not a fan. But it definitely is a fact to consider when trying to determine just what the motivations are behind the creation of the site, and when deciding why Sylvia Browne would so heartily endorse it, when she is known for shutting fan sites down. If the site is indeed run by someone within Sylvia Browne's organization, then the site should say so, and drop the pretense of it being run by a mere "fan." ConclusionI emailed Heather Brown, telling her that I was writing this article, and received a reply in which she pointed out that she had never posted anything personal about me on her site, nor had she singled me out in any way. Here is a portion of my reply to that email:
I will post her response to that question here, if and when I receive one. Update Mar 25 2007It has been pointed out to me that on March 23, 2007, Heather Brown wrote an entry in her site's blog, in which she discusses the fact that she is indeed Paul Dufresne's girlfriend (see Related Links below). I do not know if it was in response to my March 20th email to her, in which I told her that I was writing this article, but it seems likely. Regardless, her blog entry was evidently posted two days before this article was added to this web site. In that blog entry, she specifically states that she is "not paid for this" (apparently meaning that she is not paid for maintaining the web site), but she does not state whether or not she is employed by, or receives income from Novus Spiritus, Sylvia Browne Enterprises, Sylvia Browne Corp., or any other company or enterprise related to Sylvia Browne. Related LinksClicking on any of these links will load a separate browser window for viewing the linked page. StopSylviaBrowne.com is not responsible for the content of any of these linked pages.
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