Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

[Whiskers16]

How do I track updates on threads that interest me?

• Open the thread and select "Watch Thread"

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• It is optional to enable email alerts (not recommended for threads with active discussion)
• Click on "Watched Threads" and click the thread name to review new posts

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• The thread will "jump" to the first post you haven't seen

 

[Whiskers16]

How do I get back to a thread I recently viewed?

• Click "History" to see the last 50 threads you visited.

 

[Whiskers16]

What is the Quick Navigation menu?

• Click the button shown below to open the Quick Navigation menu. This allows you to quickly move between forums,

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[Whiskers16]

What does it mean to watch a forum?

• This makes it easy to access the forum quickly from "Watched Forums" in the menu
• You can also choose to be notified of new messages or new threads via Alert, email, or both.

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[Whiskers16]

How do I "jump" back to the top of the webpage or to my watched threads quickly?

• At the bottom of the webpage there are buttons for "Top" and "Watched Threads"
• On a PC you can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Home to jump to the top of the page

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[Whiskers16]

How do I view all my watched threads (not just the 20 most recently updated)?

• Click "Watched Threads". Scroll to the bottom of the list and click "Show all watched threads" immediately below the last thread in the list.

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[Whiskers16]

How do I "mark my spot" or keep track of where I left off on a thread?

• Using "watch thread" works very intuitively. Once you are watching a thread, you can monitor for new posts by clicking "Watched Threads" in the menu. When you click on the thread name it will automatically take you to your first unread post.
• There are exceptions to this when you "skip ahead" in a thread. For instance if you haven't read page 16 or page 17 but on page 18 someone replied to your post, you received an alert about the reply, and clicked the alert to view the reply on page 18. You would then be considered "caught up" to page 18.

 

[Whiskers16]

Why do successive threads get opened for one case (#2, #3, #4…)?

• When threads reach approximately 1000 posts usually we start a new thread. This prevents any one thread from getting unmanageable to load or read through.
• The first page of the thread generally contains links to any prior threads, and important posts with key details, timelines, moderator guidance on topics that are off-limits, etc.

 

[Whiskers16]

What is a modsnip?

• If a post is not compliant with Terms of Service (TOS), at a minimum it will be snipped or deleted by Mods.
• Related responses may also be snipped or deleted as needed.
• It is sometimes a tough call - we try to avoid deleting a post in full, but it can be the best option in some cases, for example:
  • Majority of the post is violating the rules; it will require much more time to make multiple snips, and/or the post may lose its original meaning or readability after snips.
  • The post is one of many in a discussion which has spiraled off topic or into topics which are not allowed.
• Although we are not required to do so, we do our best to provide a meaningful reason for the edit/deletion which will be visible in an "Alert":

Example Alert - Deleted Post:

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Example Alert - Edited Post:

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[Whiskers16]

Is there a moderator assigned to review every thread?

• No; with the variety of cases and details being discussed at WS, it would be impossible for moderators to review everything. Moderators largely rely on alerts from users who are following the thread and can recognize when a post crosses the line.
• Posting "Mods please delete if not allowed" will not be seen by Mods. If you suspect it may not be allowed, please either take a moment to confirm the rules or do not post it.

 

[Whiskers16]

Why did it take a while to remove the post I reported?

• Moderators may be able to address an alert right away, or it may take some time. Please resist the temptation to respond to the post when a moderator has not yet addressed it. If just a couple people respond, and more people respond to them, it becomes a more time-consuming "cleanup" which will delay our response to other alerts.

 

[Whiskers16]

What are warnings, time-outs, and thread bans?

• Any content on Websleuths which is not in compliance with our rules may result in a warning, time-out, or thread ban being issued to the user at the Mods' discretion.
• A warning means you received some "naughty points" but can still post freely.
• A time-out (TO) means you received too many "naughty points" and are unable to post on any thread for a period of time.
• A thread ban means your violations were specific to a certain thread, so you are unable to post in that thread for a period of time.

 

[Whiskers16]

How do warnings, time-outs, and thread bans get issued?

• Receiving an alert that your post was snipped or deleted is NOT the same as receiving warning points.
• At a minimum, Mods would snip or delete a post which violates TOS or is part of a conversation which is not allowed, off topic, etc.
• Mods may take further action if a post is a severe violation, or there are multiple inappropriate posts, or based on prior warnings/experience.
• "Warning Points" are issued by Mods with a quantity and duration, for example 2 points which apply to your account for 1 week.
• "Time-out" (TO) happens when you have 5 or more warnings points on your account. TO means you are unable to post anywhere on Websleuths. Once your account drops back below 5 points (once the points expire), you can resume posting. While on TO, your custom title under your username will say "On Time Out".

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[Whiskers16]

How do I see my warning points or time-outs?

• This information is only visible to WS staff.
• We will notify you via Conversation of the number of warning points and duration (ex. 3 points for 1 week).
• If we are issuing 5 or more warning points we will notify you that you are on TO and for what duration.
• If you already had some warning points it may not be immediately apparent to the Mod that the points being issued will result in a TO.
• Thread bans will be communicated to you via an Alert at a minimum:

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[Whiskers16]

Why does a thread get closed temporarily? Permanently?

• Temporarily
  • "Cleanup": there have been numerous TOS violations which need to be reviewed and posts snipped/deleted before reopening. This is typically done when a post has spawned multiple lines of discussion which are not allowed, and we need to halt any further discussion (prevent anyone further from replying and prolonging the topic).
  • For very active threads, we may choose to close the threads when moderators are not available to monitor alerts. One rumor can "grow legs" in a matter of a couple hours and result in hours of cleanup for a Mod, so instead we close the discussion.
  • Mods may deem a "break" is necessary if tensions are high, for example if there are a lot of posts which are personalizing, politicizing, not victim friendly, etc.
• Permanently:
  • Some threads are pulled from public view once resolved due to legal reasons, such as a minor child's involvement, or at the request of the victim or their family, due to a legal request.
  • Some threads are pulled from public view and closed for discussion when the discussion cannot stay on-topic, cannot stay victim friendly, etc.
  • It is against WS TOS to open a new discussion for a topic which has been closed by WS staff!

 

[Whiskers16]

How do I quote multiple posts?

• Navigate to each post you want to quote
• Click "+Quote" on each one
• Navigate to the thread where you want to post your response
• Click "Insert Quotes…" (to the bottom left of the reply box)
• Note: button is only visible after you've selected at least one post to quote. If you already had the webpage open you can refresh it to see the button.
• In the pop-up window that opens, you can arrange the order of the quotes, remove any which are no longer needed, and confirm "Quote these messages"

 

[Whiskers16]

How do I quote a post from a closed thread?

• See "How do I quote multiple posts" - you can use the same process to quote a single post from a closed thread.

 

[Whiskers16]

Why do broken quotes happen / how do I fix them?

• There is a "tag" at the start and end of each quote so the website knows where the quoted portion starts/stops and so the quote box links back to the original post.
• Note: for the following example I am adding a character ($) so you can see what the text looks like without it posting as a quote box.

Start of quote: [QUOTE$="username, post: ########, member: #####"]

End of quote: [/QUOTE$]

Full quote:

[QUOTE$="username, post: ########, member: #####"]Stuff the person said in the quoted post.[/QUOTE$]​

• If any text in the start/end tags are changed, the quote may not work
• Sometimes a broken quote can be fixed quite easily, for example if the end says "[/QUOTE$" you can add the bracket to the end so it says "[/QUOTE$]".

 

[Whiskers16]

How do I create a hyperlink to a specific post?

• Right-click the post number and select "copy link address"
• You now have the hyperlink address copied to your clipboard
• Note, on phone or tablet post numbers may only visible in landscape mode

 

[Whiskers16]

How do I add a photo to a post?

• First, cite your source, and make sure it is an allowed source!
• If you have a web address (URL) for the image, you can click the "Image" button in the reply box and paste the URL in.
• If you have an image on your computer:
  • Drag and drop a photo from your desktop OR
  • Under the reply box, click the button "Upload a file"
  • Navigate to the file and click "Open"
  • Wait for file to upload
  • The file will display as an attachment at the bottom of your post. If you would prefer to embed a thumbnail of the image into your post, click the button "Thumbnail" under the uploaded file.