Terms of Service / The Rules

Status
Not open for further replies.

christine2448

Retired WS Staff
Joined
Mar 30, 2005
Messages
10,390
Reaction score
281
Websleuths Terms of Service (TOS aka The Rules) can be found here.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Is it okay to post LE related info in the PL if it has not been verified by the media, or if there is not a link to a media outlet online?
Thanks.
JustToSeeYouSmile
 
Is it okay to post LE related info in the PL if it has not been verified by the media, or if there is not a link to a media outlet online?
Thanks.
JustToSeeYouSmile

Posts in the Parking Lot are approved by the Mod Squad up front. If you have some information that you believe could qualify for private forum discussion, please contact a moderator. :)
 
P. S. It is best to contact the mod that is familiar with the case and is the moderator for that specific forum already. Thanks!
 
P. S. It is best to contact the mod that is familiar with the case and is the moderator for that specific forum already. Thanks!

Thanks Kimster. Is there a way to know which mod is in that specific forum? Is there a list somewhere?
 

Kimster, thanks and forgive me for being an idiot- I see the section marked 'view forum leaders' or whatever, but is that what you are talking about? Thanks.
Sorry- I mean, how would I know which was the appropriate one to contact?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
What causes one to be placed on "time out," and is there a standard amount of time to be on "time out," or is it determined on a case by case basis?
 
Is it allowed for minors who have been identified as suspects or POI by the police or is discussing them off limits too?
 
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.

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. 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 if 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 the 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.
 
How do you know which sites are banned for linking purposes? What are the rules about posting information from other crime forums?
 
How do you know which sites are banned for linking purposes? What are the rules about posting information from other crime forums?
If your link comes out like this:
www.**********.com then you can be sure it is not allowed here.
Generally speaking,blogs are ok for discussion points , but not for fact reference.

as always only copy and paster 10% of anything you bring from another site and provide a link.
hope that helps.
 
Is there a way to get a sticky on the missing/located discussion forum about WS being a victim friendly forum. You know, I've seen a post before explaining that but I can never find it when I want to remind people of it.
It would be nice if it were clearly titled something like "WS is a victim Friendly Forum" so it can be linked to remind people who insist on sleuthing/blaming a victim or family members of victims even tho they have not been named POI or Suspect in a crime.

Thanks y'all.
 
(Let me preface this by saying I'm posting primarily regarding the Missing/Located Forum Discussion, as this doesn't really pertain to threads in many forums, such as with games; nor am I posting in reference to the post above!)

I'm wondering if there have been any mod posts on the etiquette of bumping. I understand why people like to post (often content-free) bumps -- they want to ensure that their thread is high up on the list and gets as much attention as possible. I appreciate that loyalty, and the understanding that publicity can help a missing person's case or a criminal investigation. Sometimes, people may just want to touch base or say 'good morning' to a thread's community of posters, too.

I wonder, though, if there can be some negative consequences to welcoming content-free bumps. Some threads seem to welcome and encourage such bumps. The threads maintain a prominent spot on the board, but they also become much less informative, for the amount of reading one must do. I believe that threads with chronic bumping likely turn off some readers as well, and may end up discouraging participation. Many may not want to open a thread when they strongly suspect that their time will be spent just reading another bump. In some cases, content-free bumps come hours or minutes after other content-free bumps -- these are clearly not the same as a bump that comes days or weeks after a previous bump.

While such bumps help some threads, they also hurt others, as they force them down the queue. Having lots of content-free bumps in one thread may encourage others to do the same in the threads they follow. This can lead to a (more) competitive situation for prominent thread placement.

So, while I'm not saying that there is no place for a content-free bump, I do think that they bring some negative consequences in terms of informational density and quality, and competition between cases. If everyone was a chronic bumper, threads would be mainly like popularity contests, and some threads would struggle to get any exposure whatsoever. While it is possible to put chronic bumpers on one's ignore list, it still doesn't solve the problems bumping can create for the forum as a whole. So, I'm guessing that I'm asking our mods -- am I being oversensitive here, or would some informal guidelines on bumping improve the forum? Or at any rate, can we get some feedback on opinions on chronic bumping?
 
Hi, my name is Kimberly, and I am a chronic bumper.

There are a few cases I follow daily and if I see that they are about to go to the second page, I bump. I also check for news or articles regarding that case before I bump. So, my routine of checking for information and chronic bumping has brought a lot of information to threads.

You make a lot of good points, but I hope we don't get rules on bumping. And, I hope I'm not put on ignore for bumping, because a lot of useful info and news I bring to the threads will be missed that way.

JMO
 
I have a general question and I don't know where to ask it. Does this site only cover the U.S.? I was wondering if there was a place where I can look at Canadian cases. You can PM me the answer because I probably won't be able to find this thread again. :)
 
Can you post information that was sent to you in an email on a specific case by LE? Not copying and pasting but just paraphrasing what was said?
 
Can you post information that was sent to you in an email on a specific case by LE? Not copying and pasting but just paraphrasing what was said?

Generally, it is okay to post the information. BUT we ask that you tell LE that you want to post the information, and ask if that is okay. E-mail communication is usually considered private, so it's always good to ask first. Even if it's just paraphrasing. (In some instances an administrator may ask for a copy of the message, too.)
 
I have a general question and I don't know where to ask it. Does this site only cover the U.S.? I was wondering if there was a place where I can look at Canadian cases. You can PM me the answer because I probably won't be able to find this thread again. :)

We have cases from all over, including Canada, Australia and England. They are NOT located in separate forums. All the cases are under the regular headings, i.e., Crimes in the News, Missing, Unidentified, Cold Case, etc. Some cases are separated out if they are making headlines in the news.

The best way to locate a case is to search on the victim or perp's name. If you can't find it, ask a mod for some help. If the case is not found, we will be happy to start a thread for you.

Salem
Mod
 
Is there a way to get a sticky on the missing/located discussion forum about WS being a victim friendly forum. You know, I've seen a post before explaining that but I can never find it when I want to remind people of it.
It would be nice if it were clearly titled something like "WS is a victim Friendly Forum" so it can be linked to remind people who insist on sleuthing/blaming a victim or family members of victims even tho they have not been named POI or Suspect in a crime.

Thanks y'all.

Check out the TOS regarding this question:

Rules - Etiquette & Information

Thanks Kimberly for bringing the question up.

Salem
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
199
Guests online
2,520
Total visitors
2,719

Forum statistics

Threads
589,955
Messages
17,928,293
Members
228,017
Latest member
SashaRhea82
Back
Top