Terms of Service / The Rules

[Salem]

(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 mountjoy and thanks for the question. Bumping is allowed. There are many reasons to bump a post and there are many cases close to a poster's heart.

However, if you notice many threads being bumped all at once as a distraction, please alert on the thread and let the mods know. Unfortunately, sometimes bumping posts is used as a distraction to keep posters busy and away from other important information. This is not allowed. It rarely happens but it has been noticed in the past. Alerting on one of the bumped threads and asking the mods to take a look is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Salem

 

[imamaze]

Please only copy no more than 10% of an article and do not forget the link!
Posts that copy more than that will be edited and posts with no link will be removed entirely.
Please, please follow this rule.
If you copy an image or picture from another site, please provide a link to the original source or the picture will be removed.
Be courteous to the work of others.
Please do not cut and paste information from pay sites or password protected sites.
Thank you.

 

[plaidmom]

Is it allowed for minors who have been identified as suspects or POI by the police or is discussing them off limits too?

I see this thread is old, but I am curious about this also. Found this post via a search. Hope to reopen the discussion and get some answers.

If a minor is a)named by LE as a suspect or even b) charged with a crime in relation to a case that is being discussed on Websleuths...what happens???

Are all threads immediately shut down? Deleted?

Sad, but true, fact, sometimes minors DO commit crime.

TIA

 

[Melanie]

It's my understanding if a minor is named in the MSM, then we can discuss as to the MSM article (and nothing more). Some minors are charged as adults, and we can discuss (as described in the MSM). But otherwise NO.

I'm sure a mod will correct me HTH.

Mel

 

[Kimster]

If a minor is named as a suspect in a case or is arrested in a case, we can sleuth them.

The Elizabeth Olten case comes to mind. What a sad sad case that was. :tears: It still gives me nightmares!!!

Other than an arrest or POI named by LE, we don't name them. Even if they are named in the MSM.

In Kyron's case, when a child was interviewed, we referred to that minor by initials only.

 

[plaidmom]

It's my understanding if a minor is named in the MSM, then we can discuss as to the MSM article (and nothing more). Some minors are charged as adults, and we can discuss (as described in the MSM). But otherwise NO.

I'm sure a mod will correct me HTH.

Mel

Wow. That was fast. And helpful!

I'm newish to WS and wondered if that had happened in the past, and if so, what the protocol was. Thanks!

 

[plaidmom]

If a minor is named as a suspect in a case or is arrested in a case, we can sleuth them.

The Elizabeth Olten case comes to mind. What a sad sad case that was. :tears: It still gives me nightmares!!!

Other than an arrest or POI named by LE, we don't name them. Even if they are named in the MSM.

In Kyron's case, when a child was interviewed, we referred to that minor by initials only.

Double thanks!

This came up today because a question of the gender of a minor came up in a thread. Nothing more. The gender and the fact that the minor had given DNA to LE was mentioned in MSM. Nothing else. No names, ages, or addresses.

Hope that didn't cross any WS boundaries. If it did, I'll make sure not to make that mistake again. TIA.

 

[audie]

How, "exactly" do I title a thread for a missing person?

 

[Kimster]

State (2 initials) - Name, Age, Area, Date missing

 

[audie]

State (2 initials) - Name, Age, Area, Date missing

How is the date typed? 1/30/12? Jan 30, 2012? Does it matter? TIA

 

[imamaze]

How is the date typed? 1/30/12? Jan 30, 2012? Does it matter? TIA

We try to put the date in like 30 January 2012.

 

[imamaze]

TOS Short Version

 

[Cate49]

I am wondering why the thread: jodi Arias armchair psych. Was removed. I am so shocked that a complete thread disappeared. There were links I wished to reference. The thread afforded many of us insight and support around mental illness as it applies to Jodi Arias. If we can have thread restored just to say good bye would be so helpful.
Vert sad cate

 

[imamaze]

I am wondering why the thread: jodi Arias armchair psych. Was removed. I am so shocked that a complete thread disappeared. There were links I wished to reference. The thread afforded many of us insight and support around mental illness as it applies to Jodi Arias. If we can have thread restored just to say good bye would be so helpful.
Vert sad cate

Hi Cate49

I'm not real familiar with the Jodie Arias trial but if you pm one of the Mods in that forum they can help you out with this.

Ima

 

[zombiepie]

Hi I would like to post about a missing person not listed here they have been missing since December 2012 in Australia not sure how to go about it.

 

[imamaze]

Hi I would like to post about a missing person not listed here they have been missing since December 2012 in Australia not sure how to go about it.

Hi zombiepie,

If you can pm me the info you want posted I am happy to help you with it.

Ima

 

[Maze]

Can anyone create a missing person poster, and if yes, is there a place online that I can do it? Also, I tried to put a picture in the missing persons thead but could not get it to work. Is there someone that can help me?

 

[Kimster]

Can anyone create a missing person poster, and if yes, is there a place online that I can do it? Also, I tried to put a picture in the missing persons thead but could not get it to work. Is there someone that can help me?

I have software that I purchased on my personal computer that can make posters. I haven't heard of something online. If you go to "new" in Word, you can sometimes find templates that might help?

Does anyone else have ideas on making posters?

 

[bluenoser]

Hi, this isn't really to do with threadiquette, but I'm wondering if there is a way that I can mark, or tag a the last post of a thread in which I'm reading, so that I can pick up where I left off, the next time I log in? I end up spending a lot of time trying to determine where I left off and sometimes its in a previous thread. I follow too many cases to actually remember.

Also, sometimes I find that I have a hard time remembering all of the cases that I'm following and don't end up noticing them until weeks, months later. Is there a way that I can keep track of all of the cases I'm following?

Thanks

 

[Kimster]

Hi, this isn't really to do with threadiquette, but I'm wondering if there is a way that I can mark, or tag a the last post of a thread in which I'm reading, so that I can pick up where I left off, the next time I log in? I end up spending a lot of time trying to determine where I left off and sometimes its in a previous thread. I follow too many cases to actually remember.

Also, sometimes I find that I have a hard time remembering all of the cases that I'm following and don't end up noticing them until weeks, months later. Is there a way that I can keep track of all of the cases I'm following?

Thanks

Go up to the drop down above that says "Thread tools" and you can subscribe to a thread. You can even opt to have an alert sent to your email when someone posts on it. In the User CP area on the left, you'll see "Subscribed Threads" and you can look for more functions there. I don't know if you can pick up where you left off once you have logged out, but it will take you back to your last post as long as you're logged on, which is handy. I have seen some posters "thank" the last post they read before they log off to use as a marker too.