Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

[Whiskers16]

This post contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Each question below links to a post in the thread containing the answer. Posts may be updated from time to time as the site evolves or as we come across more to share.

Forum - Basics

• Where do I start? Are there any rules I should know?
• What is the difference between a post, thread, forum, etc.?
• How do I delete a post that I drafted but no longer need?
• How do I edit or delete what I posted?
• How and when should I report a post?
• How do I follow a thread discussion back to prior posts?
• Can I browse/post on Websleuths on all my devices?
• How do I log out?

Forum Navigation

• How do I track updates on threads that interest me?
• How do I get back to a thread I recently viewed?
• What is the Quick Navigation menu?
• What does it mean to watch a forum?
• How do I "jump" back to the top of the webpage quickly?
• How do I view all my watched threads (not just the 20 most recently updated)?
• How do I "mark my spot" or keep track of the last post I read on a thread?
• Why do successive threads get opened for one case (#2, #3, #4 etc)?

Moderators ("Mods")

• What is a modsnip?
• Is there a moderator assigned to review every thread?
• Why did it take a while to remove the post I reported?
• What are warnings, time-outs, and thread bans?
• How do warnings, time-outs, and thread bans get issued?
• How do I see my warning points or time-outs?
• Why does a thread get closed temporarily? Permanently?

Conversations and Other User Interactions

• How do Conversations (aka Private Messages or "PMs") work?
• How do I start a Conversation with someone?
• How do I delete a conversation from my inbox?
• Can I "favorite" an important conversation in my inbox?
• How do I add more people to a Conversation?
• What is the purpose of "following" someone?
• How do I see who I'm following and who's following me?
• Can I stop someone from following me?
• How do I control which users I "ignore"?
• How do I view someone's profile page?
• How do I disable email notifications for Conversations?

Forum - Advanced

• How do I quote multiple posts?
• How do I quote a post from a closed thread?
• Why do broken quotes happen / how do I fix them?
• How do I create a hyperlink to a specific post?
• How do I add a photo to a post?
• What is the file size limit for uploaded files?
• How do I put text copied from an MSM article into a quote box?
• How do I quote only part of a post?
• How do I embed a linked video into a post?

Forum - Privacy Options

• Can other users see that I'm "online"?
• Can other users see what I'm reading/posting?
• What if I don't want my birthday to be shared?
  
• Can any user contact me via Conversation?

Account Questions

• How do I change my username?
• How do I change my avatar (icon / picture)?
• How do I change what it says under my username?
• How do I change my email settings? (ex. disable emails for every post on watched threads)

Forum Changes (new forum launched ~May 2018)

• Where are the old smilies/emoticons?
• Where did all my "likes" go?
• Is there an option to change the color scheme?
• Can I still use Tapatalk, or is there another app I can use?
• Can we still customize the number of posts per page?
• How do I get to a specific page number? There used to be a dropdown box to select a page number.
• Is there still an "ignore thread" or "hide thread" option?
• Is there still a way to see which members and guests are viewing a particular thread?

Coming soon...

• What are trophy points?
• Can I filter cases by my State (ex. AZ)?

If you have a suggestion for the FAQ list please report to me via Conversation. This thread is not open for replies.

 

[Whiskers16]

Where do I start?

• Rules for Posting: Rules - Etiquette & Information
• Acronym Guide: Websleuths lingo link
• Introduce Yourself: Meet & Greet for New Members

 

[Whiskers16]

What is the difference between a post, thread, forum, etc?

• Post = Individual reply by user; can be an independent thought or can be in reply to another post.
• Thread = A collection of posts about a defined topic
• Forum = A group of threads relating to the same category or topic

Example:

Forum: Missing Persons Discussion

Thread 1: IL - Bob, 89, Chicago, 30 Dec 1995

Post 1: Bob is missing
Post 2: I hope Bob is found​

Thread 2: TX - Sally, 34, Dallas, 8 Jul 2018

Post 1: Sally was last seen at Target
Post 2: There was a search for Sally last night​

 

[Whiskers16]

How do I delete a post I drafted but no longer need?

• In the reply box, click the disc/save button and select 'delete draft'

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• Reload the webpage

 

[Whiskers16]

How do I edit or delete what I posted?

• There is no option to completely delete
• Within the first 60 minutes of posting, you can click "Edit" to modify the content of your post:

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• As a courtesy, it is best practice to leave your original post and add your changes at the end with the prefix "ETA" (edited to add).

 

[Whiskers16]

How and when should I report a post?

• Any post which violates the rules of the forum should be reported
• Click "report" on the post, type in a descriptive reason, and click Submit

Examples of reports:

"Not victim friendly"
"Rumor from facebook group"
"Rude comment toward another poster"​

 

[Whiskers16]

How do I follow a thread discussion back to prior posts?

• Click the ↑ button on a quoted post to jump to the original post

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[Whiskers16]

Can I browse/post on Websleuths on all my devices?

• Absolutely! We suggest that everyone tries exploring Websleuths on a phone, tablet and a full monitor.
• When using handheld devices you should look at both landscape and portrait mode. You will see some big differences and get a better idea of which way is best to surf Websleuths for your own individual needs.
  
• The display will appear differently on different screen sizes. For example, the "right sidebar" menu on a PC that shows the staff online, birthdays, etc. may display at the bottom of the page on a phone.
  
• Some items visible on a larger screen like a PC or tablet may not be visible at all on a smaller screen.

 

[Whiskers16]

How do I log out?

• Click on your user name in the top right menu
  
• Click "Log out" near the bottom

 

[Whiskers16]

How do conversations/PMs (Private Messages) work?

• You can have 1-to-1 messages with another user
• You can send group messages with up to 20 users
• The conversation is not public, no one in management can see it, and the only people who can read the conversation are those who are actually participating.
• Note: please be aware that conversation messages CAN be reported to moderators but only by participants in the conversation.

 

[Whiskers16]

How do I start a conversation with someone?

• To start a conversation with a specific user from one of their posts, click their username and select "Start a Conversation"
• To start a conversation with multiple users, in the top right of the webpage click "Inbox" then "Start a New Conversation". Type in the names of the users you wish to invite, then compose your message.
• If you want others to be able to invite additional participants, check the box "Allow anyone in the conversation to invite others"

 

[Whiskers16]

How do I delete a conversation from my Inbox?

• Open the conversation and click "Leave Conversation". You will be given two options:
  • Accept future messages
  • Ignore future messages
• To delete several at a time from your Inbox, select multiple conversations and then click "Leave Conversation".

 

[Whiskers16]

Can I "favorite" an important conversation in my Inbox?

• From within a conversation, you can click "Star Conversation" to identify it easily in your inbox:

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[Whiskers16]

How do I add more people to a conversation?

• To the right side of the conversation, you'll see "Conversation Participants" with the usernames of the participants. Underneath is the button to Invite More. You can invite up to 20 people.
• Note: the "Invite More" option only shows up under conversations you started.

 

[Whiskers16]

What is the purpose of "following" someone?

• When you follow someone, you can easily see when they are visible online in the "Members Online Now" sidebar.
• When you follow someone, their activity shows up on your news feed page. This includes their likes, replies, or new threads.
• A couple examples of how this can be useful:
  • You can follow a user who starts a lot of threads that you like to follow
  • You can easily access an online friend's profile or start a conversation with them
• You can also use your Following list as a privacy measure to control who can contact you via Conversation. You can limit Conversations to people you follow.
• To adjust the list of users you are currently following, click your username in the top right menu and select "People You Follow".

 

[Whiskers16]

How do I see who I'm following and who's following me?

• Click your username in the top right menu and select "Your Profile Page". On the left side it will list "Following" (people you follow) and "Followers" (people following you).

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[Whiskers16]

Can I stop someone from following me?

• No, there is no way to stop this. Your activity on the forum is public to a certain extent, meaning your likes and posts are visible to others.

 

[Whiskers16]

How do I control which users I "ignore"?

• To control who you ignore, click your username in the top right menu and select "People You Ignore".
• To add an ignored user, type in the username and select "Save Changes'
• To un-ignore a user, click "stop ignoring" next to their username.
• When you ignore someone, you won't see their posts but if other members are quoting them, the quote will appear above the person replying. Just view the reply and ignore the quote.
• The only exception is that you cannot ignore the mods/admin.

 

[Whiskers16]

How do I view someone's profile page?

• From one of their posts, click their username or avatar and then choose "Profile Page"

 

[Whiskers16]

How do I disable email notifications for Conversations?

• In top right of webpage, click your username
• Select "Contact Details"
• Uncheck "Receive email when a new conversation message is received