Forum Rules and Updates~Ask your questions here

JBean

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The threads should be topic specific and we should all try and stay on topic as much as possible.
Because there were general discussion threads open, there is confusion where to post things.
If we keep the threads more focused that confusion will disappear.
If you have a thread called The Smiths it doesn't tell anyone what belongs on it.

if you have a thought about something, look and see if it is being discussed. if it is ,bump that thread and continue discussion there. Don't start a thread just to ask a single yes or no question. Look and see if your question fits into a topic. if you have a new topic idea and it is not being discussed go ahead and start a new thread. be sure to search first.

Please don't post the same thing on 2 threads. I know it may have overlap and can go on two threads, but please pick the best one or we have parallel discussions going on.

Think about being able to retirve information at trial or as new developments come up. It is hard to isolate discussion in a general discussion or broad topic thread, but it is easy to find a specific topic and update it with information.

You will get into a groove before you know it and follow the lead of posters that have been here a but longer.They can be very helpful and provide guidance if you are unsure.

Thank you! the goal is to be able to discuss every aspect of the case and devote threads to those apsects.
 
Regarding facebook,twitter, and myspace you can link but do not cut and paste. But the goal is to really only link to those that are directly linked to a case.


exception***IF IT IS A NEWS STATION TWEET YOU MAY COPY THE TWEET BUT BE SURE TO PROVIDE A LINK.***exception
Please do not copy any other tweets, just link.


IOW, we don't want to post to someone's mother, brother, employer, milkman , or postal carrier just because they know the main player. It just gets too invasive and half the time we are not even sure it is the right person. When a post starts out, I found 5 people with this name do you you think any of these are [insert person here]? that is not a good thing.
It will often be up to mod discretion as to who can and cannot be linked, but the general rule of thumb is if they are named in the media specifically as having some role or are being questioned or have information then you are probably safe to link. No screen caps and no cutting and pasting of comments or posts from any site. If a social media is set to private and you get in the back way and post what you see, that is not a good thing!Private means private.
Just imagine it is you if you cannot decide and you shoulod be able to figure out if it is ok.
You are free to discuss what you may come upon,but if it is just a lot of gossip and rumor it won't fly. People open facebook accounts and post whatever they want and to carry that as some sort of inside info is careless. but, sometimes there is really valuable information that may even come into evidence as in the Caylee Anthony case.So, if you know for a fact it is the right person and they are named outright in the msm as someone linked to the case it should be fine. IF IT IS A MINOR DON"T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!!
If something was posted as public and then removed you might be able to post it, it is up to te mod of the forum and it depends on who, what, when and where.
The mods are listed at the bottom right of the forum under the index, they can generally help. If not, they will ask admin for guidance and we will all decide what is best.

Generally we try not to invade everyone's privacy and if the linked information has no bearing on anything, then leave it out.

We moderate here. Some people love it and some people hate it. Up to you to stay or go, choice is yours. Complaining about our rules doesn't help. if you have a suggestion or think of a better way, bring it on! We are far from perfect and welcome your input as long as it is civil and basically polite.
More later.

As always these rules change periodically so please check back often.
 
For those of you not used to a forum format, please ask your questions here. Other members will be happy to answer.

Basically we divide up the information and do away with a single general discussion thread.
Not a thread on a single person, but rather several threads discussing specific aspects of that person.

For example The Stolen Cookie case-suspect Kimster
Not a single thread called- Kimster

But rather we might have :

Kimsters Home life
Kimster's job at Websleuths
Kimster's criminal history
Kimster's alibi for the stolen cookie
Do you think Kimster stole the cookie?
Kimster's press Conference-discuss
Did Kimster work alone?
What evidence does LE have?
What about the chocolate smears on Kimsters face?

break the topics up, but not a thread for every thought you have. If you think of a topic, look and see if it fits into an existing topic and post there.

It is a balance of separate topics but not duplicating threads or making random threads that don't promote discussion.

If your thread is merged or removed, don't take it pesonal! It is part of forum life.
 
Virtual world discussion can be found here ------->[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118817"]Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame]

ETA: Virtual World Discussion stays in the member's only forum and is not to be brought out here, please.
 
OMG JBean, I get what you and the others are giving in terms of time and comittment. Thank you. All of you.
 
Please be sure to include the dates in your thread titles when discussing specific events, as this makes for better archiving as the case progresses.

I.e., "2010.11.03 Bone Recovered"
 
Um, granted, I am new here, but do you think you should really let 'Kimster' (if that's even her REAL name) be on here?!

j/k, of course--thanks so much for your time, the dedicated forum for Zahra, and the guidance!
 
Well, Can you direct me to instructions please Sir? I have never started a thread.

That is an excellent question, and a good thing to clear up right from the get go.

1) Go to the main forum page:
[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=420"]Zahra Clare Baker - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame]


2) Check to make sure your topic is not already obviously covered.

3) Find the little "start new thread" icon, like so:
newthread.gif


4) Hit that button, and very clearly title the thread (including date, if an event, and main issues).

5) Check the threads that come up after you enter the title for duplication.

6) If no duplication, write your post, and then hit publish.

7) Please tag your thread after you make it.

That should do it!
 
Well,I am just soo confused.. I had learned how/what to do and now y'all have changed everything!! And now I don't know how to find anything..
Well,I'll muddle through,'cause I want Zahra found,I want those responsable dead,I want those who watched and did nothing jailed..
 
Hi folks - Just a reminder that this thread might speed up today, so be prepared for warp speed as news comes in. If/when the bone is confirmed, it might be a good idea to start a new thread that her death has been confirmed.

In the meantime, it would be a good idea to comb through the last general discussion thread and transplant all the useful MSM article links from there to here so we have them in a single resource.

And of course, bring any new ones coming out.

But I will also warn that in cases like this you will see a ton of people claiming to confirm things on social media sites - but if you don't know to whom they belong, they aren't worth the electrons they are written on, and we don't want to contribute to rumour waves online.

So, please provide a link (to MSM), and remember - no cutting and pasting from social media, please, though links and summaries are okay - if you use your best judgement about the source. If you are not sure, please ask a mod.

There are no prizes for "scooping" on here, but we want to keep things sane, b/c online can get a bit wild when news stars flying.

And, lastly, I can only say that I hope today will be the day!
 
Well,I am just soo confused.. I had learned how/what to do and now y'all have changed everything!! And now I don't know how to find anything..
Well,I'll muddle through,'cause I want Zahra found,I want those responsable dead,I want those who watched and did nothing jailed..

The rules are still the same, we just have topics now. If you go to our "Featured Cases" area, you'll see forums for other cases and can look through and see how they look once they are established. ------->[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=5"]Featured Case Discussion - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame]

And don't feel alone, our new members often feel a bit disoriented at first. :hug: Find a topic that interests you the most and dive in!
 
Quick question: Is there a thread where we can discuss (or at least find) the latest developments in the case? I'm finding it very diffult to find out what is going on this morning, because I don't know which thread in the forum I would go to in order to find that info.

Also, would it be possible to perhaps start a thread for verified locals, so that they might have a place to keep us up to date on what's going on in Hickory?
 
Quick question: Is there a thread where we can discuss (or at least find) the latest developments in the case? I'm finding it very diffult to find out what is going on this morning, because I don't know which thread in the forum I would go to in order to find that info.

Also, would it be possible to perhaps start a thread for verified locals, so that they might have a place to keep us up to date on what's going on in Hickory?

Hi Kat!

Once a case goes to a forum, we no longer keep "general threads," so posters simply have to find the most current thread on a topic that interests them. Today, I would suggest the bone thread or the letters thread, as those seem to be popular, and the bone thread might really light up as we wait for news on the discovery.

As to a locals thread, those take a lot of mod power to maintain, so I am not sure one will be opened, but I will leave that decision to the admins, I think.

There are a number of interesting threads, though, so find one and settle in - today might be a very big one for this case, as we wait for news about the bone!


ETA: You can also find all the most up-to-date developments in the Media sticky thread at the top of the forum, which will contain all MSM articles as they come in, which should direct you to which thread is the "place to be" at the moment.
 
Hi Kat!

Once a case goes to a forum, we no longer keep "general threads," so posters simply have to find the most current thread on a topic that interests them. Today, I would suggest the bone thread or the letters thread, as those seem to be popular, and the bone thread might really light up as we wait for news on the discovery.

As to a locals thread, those take a lot of mod power to maintain, so I am not sure one will be opened, but I will leave that decision to the admins, I think.

There are a number of interesting threads, though, so find one and settle in - today might be a very big one for this case, as we wait for news about the bone!


ETA: You can also find all the most up-to-date developments in the Media sticky thread at the top of the forum, which will contain all MSM articles as they come in, which should direct you to which thread is the "place to be" at the moment.
additionally, I would recommend starting at the latest news reports and then that would be a good guide as to what thread is the most timely.
 
In regards to "show threads," i.e., a thread about, say, an episode of Nancy Grace or Oprah, etc., this is the common procedure.

It is common for threads about shows to close soon after the end of the episode. Then, if you need us to add transcripts or videos let us know, and we will be happy to do so.

However, please feel absolutely free to start a new topic thread if there was something discussed during the show that interests you and needs more discussion. This can be done even before the show thread is closed to make sure conversations are not disrupted.

This is to keep show threads from unraveling into a lot of OT stuff or into general discussion threads, which are generally not allowed once a case becomes a forum.

Just to let you guys know how things run around here!
 

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