All About ATS.

The ATS Community
Abovetopsecret.com isn't just limited to one message board with conspiracy and alternative topic discussion. It has grown to include many subsections and features which allow a member to participate in everything from creating a personal on-line diary to original fiction to a discussion on the latest movies.

The ATS community is made up of over 35,000 members from all over the world. We have users from North and South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries. We range in age from 11 through 70+. Some are still in school, some are college graduates, some are just average men & women interested in alternative & conspiracy discussion! You'll find scientists, students, professional athletes, computer programmers, artists, full-time moms, janitors, musicians, engineers, office workers, and every profession in between.
We welcome everyone regardless of who you are, where you live, or whether you're a believer or a skeptic.



ATS: AboveTopSecret.com is the website that started it all. Started in 1998 by site owner Simon Gray, it began as a collection of conspiracy-related pages. A small discussion forum was added, and over the years grew to encompass all the subsections listed below. Here you'll find conspiracy discussion on every topic you can imagine, from UFOs to Political Scandals to Paranormal phenomenon. On the main forum page, you will find a listing of all forums and a description of the topics within. Please read the forum descriptions carefully and be sure your topic is going in the right forum.

BTS: BelowTopSecret.com was the first spinoff of ATS. It emerged as our membership grew as a place for non-conspiracy discussion on topics ranging from the culinary arts to movies & TV to computers & internet & every subject in between! On the main forum page, you will find a listing of all forums and a description of the topics within. Please read the forum descriptions carefully and be sure your topic is going in the right forum.

ATSNN: The AboveTopSecret News Network, or ATSNN, is a member-driven news service covering current news and events. Any member can submit a story following submission guidelines in the MemberCenter, and all members are encouraged to both submit stories and add their own comments to the discussion. For more information, click here.

TA: TerrorAnalysis.com is a spinoff of our popular ATSNN news service. It covers current and breaking events regarding the War on Terrorism, the war in Iraq, and analysis of terror groups, attacks, and individuals worldwide. As with ATSNN, members are encouraged to submit stories and add to the discussion on these stories. For more information, click here.

Member Blogs: A blog (or "weblog") is an online diary. At ATS, we provide the opportunity to have your own blog where you can discuss life, topics you're interested in, or just post a joke of the day; it's your own personal space to share your thoughts. Once members reach 400 posts with ATS, they are eligible for a blog. If you are interested in your own, please U2U Zion Mainframe or post a reply in this thread for consideration. Please note that all rules in the ATS Terms & Conditions apply to your blog.

MyATS: This handy feature on ATS allows you to create a custom page with your favorite forums and the threads you've posted to. With over 2000 posts per day, sometimes it can be difficult to keep track of where your favorite threads are. With MyATS, you are automatically subscribed to every discussion you participate in! For more information, please click here.

Member Fiction: Our Fiction forum is divided into two sections: Collaborative Fiction, which finds members working together to create detailed and often incredible works of fiction; and Short Stories, which allow a member to post their short stories and other writings for the enjoyment of ATS' members. If you are interested in posting your own writings or are interested in joining a collaborative fiction thread, please send a U2U to John Bull 1. Please note that you must be assigned the status of "Writer" by John Bull 1 before you can post in this forum.

Debates: In the Debates forum, members can participate in structured debates with other ATS posters. If you are interested in joining a debate, please send a U2U to Kano. Please note that you must be assigned the status of "Fighter" by Kano before you can post in this forum.

Research Projects: In the Research Projects forum, members can participate in a collaborative research project on a number of popular conspiracy topics. If you have a topic you would like to produce a research project on, you must first contact the forum moderator. Send a U2U to ADVISOR to inquire about joining an existing topic or for more information on how to start your own. Please note that you need to be assigned a "Scholar" status by ADVISOR before you can post in this forum. For more information, Click here

ATS Webmail: The newest service introduced to ATS; a web-based email account with [email protected] or [email protected]! It features advanced spam-blocking, 5mb of storage space, an integrated calendar, and much more. For a full list of features, please click here. An account costs 15,000 ATS points and they're available for purchase in the ATS Store in your MemberCenter.

Find the Rings: What is Find the Rings? No one's entirely sure ... site owner Simon Gray received a mysterious message from his long-deceased (or so he thought) Uncle Jeff. The message urged him to find "four rings," and he turned to the members of ATS for help. For discussion on this mystery, please click here.

Conspiracy Links: ConspiracyLinks.com is an ATS-operated portal listing important and/or notable conspiracy websites, current discussion on the ATS forums, and members' own websites! For more information, click here.

ATS FastChat: ATS provides a chat room for all members with more than 20 posts. You can access it via the "chat" link at the top of your screen. Please note that all rules in the ATS Terms & Conditions apply in Chat, and repeated violations will result in a permanant ban from the chat room.



Important Rules & Guidelines
Before posting, you need to be aware of the rules and guidelines in place to encourage a free-flowing discussion.
ATS Terms & Conditions of Use

Discussion Etiquitte: When joining a discussion on ATS, there are several important things to keep in mind to keep conversation flowly smoothly. Try to pay attention to spelling and grammar; if members cannot understand what you're saying, you aren't getting your point across effectively. Do not type in all caps; this is considered "shouting" in an online environment and makes the post difficult to read. Don't call people names or otherwise insult them. Treat a discussion on ATS as though it were a face-to-face discussion with a group of people in person! For more information, click here.

Avatars and Signatures: There are some important guidelines to remember when selecting your personal avatar (the picture under your name) and the signature that appears in your post. Avatars must be in jpg or gif format, no larger than 160px wide by 320px tall, and a file size not exceeding 75k. Signatures may be no longer than 5 lines. No inappropriate content is permitted. A detailed tutorial is provided with detailed directions on putting up your own avatar. For more information, click here.

Quoting When You Post: When replying to a thread, you will notice a handy "quote" button in each post. This allows you to easily place the content of another's post in your reply to help illustrate your point. When using the quote feature, please trim the quoted material to ONLY the specific comment you are replying to. In an effort to maintain a flow of conversation and to reduce the strain on members on dialup or slow connections, ATS does not permit large amounts of text to be quoted, nor do we permit "compound quoting." If a moderator notices members quoting inappropriately, a 20 point penalty will be deducted from your account. For more information, click here.

1-Line Posts: When replying to a thread, ATS discourages posts consisting of nothing but emoticons, "I agree," or other short comments that do not further the flow of discussion. If a moderator notices members posting in such a fashion, a 20 point penalty will be deducted from your account. For more information, click here.

Warnings: In the event that a member does not follow ATS Terms & Conditions, staff will issue a formal warning. A warning remains on a member's account for 72 hours, and is coupled with a 250 point deduction. If a user compiles 5 or more active warnings, they will not be able to post until the warnings expire after 72 hours. For more information, click here.

Other Important Information

ATS Boolean/Google Search: At the top of the screen, you will see a button labeled "search." By clicking on this, you will be taken to our boolean search function, as well as an integrated ATS Google search. If you're looking for specific information on ATS, the search functions will help you find it. Before you start a new topic, be sure to use the search to see if there's already a thread on the same subject. For information and instructions, please click here.

Complaints/Suggestions: At the top left corner of your screen, you will see a link marked "Suggestions." This is a way for you to communicate anonymously with ATS Staff regarding any complaints or suggestions you have regarding any area of the ATS community. Your message is 100% anonymous. All messages are reviewed by staff and an appropriate decision is made. Please note: if you'd like a response to your message, please include your ATS user name. For more information, Click here.

Way Above Top Secret Award: In each member's mini-profile, you will see a button labeled "vote." Every month, a member is awarded the "Way Above Top Secret" Award based on the number of votes they receive from their peers. You have three votes each month, and we encourage all ATS users to support their fellow members by voting for those they feel contribute the most to our community. For more information, click here.

Ignoring: All members have the option to ignore the posts made by other members. You will see a button labeled "ignore" under a member's avatar in their mini-profile to the left of their posts. If you choose to ignore someone, you will no longer be able to see their posts. You can un-ignore someone by going to your Control Panel; at the left of the screen towards the bottom, you will see a list of those you've ignored, and a "delete" option. Please note: you cannot ignore ATS Moderators, Super Moderators, or Administrators. For more information, click here.

Member Upload Center: Each member is provided with their own upload space for posting images on ATS domains. Your upload center is located in the MemberCenter on the left of the screen. A detailed turorial is provided with step-by-step instructions on how to upload and post images. Please note that you can only post images from your upload space to ATS domains (abovetopsecret.com, belowtopsecret.com, atsnn.com, terroranalysis.com). For more information, click here.


For information on topics not discussed here: Please see our Website & Message Board Updates forum.

[edit on 4-4-2005 by SimonGray]