For the benefit of our newer members who might be having a hard time understanding the rules, I'm going to bump these questions posted by a member in the previous thread along with my responses.
Thanks for clearing that up Bessie. Now that it has been completely explained--- what is the point of this site, and other public sites with public info, if it can't be discussed, or compiled in one place?
I can't speak for other sites, only Websleuths. This is a moderated discussion board with carefully thought out rules designed to serve interesting and lively discussion while providing a safe environment for members to post. Every effort is made to ensure that only factual information is provided. Consideration is also given to protecting the privacy of innocent individuals who end up on the fringes of a crime simply by association and through no fault of their own. Translated, that means there are limits on what we are allowed to post.
I have been under the wrong assumption about why we have all gathered here, and have to be verified before we are approved to even post if we can't accurately repost public info.
I don't know what you've assumed, so I can't address that comment. On WS, public information is generally defined as anything that has been reported by the mainstream media. If you can link it to MSM, you can post it, with very few exceptions.
Blogs and social networking sites hold more restrictions because the integrity of the content is questionable. In most cases, anonymity allows people to post anything they desire, and there is no way to confirm the veracity of their statements. Yet, the level of credibility is spread across the scales, leaving mods to excercise discretion over what information is acceptable to share. This presents gray areas, and the rules can vary somewhat from case to case depending on the circumstances. To prevent misunderstandings, the guidelines for each case are usually spelled out pretty clearly in the threads, often in the opening post which is copied over to each subsequent thread. One rule stays consistent: we do not copy and paste from social networking sites. The only exceptions that come to mind are statements posted by LE and news reporters.
I can assure you that admin and mods do their best to serve the wishes of the posters. Keep in mind, we are members, too, with the same interest in true crime as the rest of the membership. By the same token, it can be quite a challenge to maintain a proper balance.
I am also under the impression there are priveate or sub forums here you must be invite too--Can anyone validate that rumor?
Threads in the "Private Forums", e.g., Parking Lot, Jury Room, etc., are open to all members. There are no "by invitation only" threads at WS. The PL and JR are private only in the respect that one must be a member to read them.
I am sorry if this post came off direct or sharp...
When in doubt, you should always ask questions, but moderation is not discussed in the open forums. Questions should be addressed in a pm to a moderator.
If you haven't done so already, I think you will find it helpful to review "the rules". Here are a few links to help you out.
[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65798"]Rules: Etiquette and Information[/ame]
[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65794"]Terms of Service: Long, Detailed Verson[/ame]
[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91915"]Best Practices: Dealing with Fellow Posters[/ame]
[ame="http://websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106653"]Professional Posters and Verified Insiders[/ame]
Also, in the open forum, it is a violation of the rules to request others to communicate with you by pm, or to discuss pm's exchanged with other members.
And, if you see rules being violated in the thread, notify a mod by clicking the Alert (red triangle) button in the offending post.