Whistle Blower Protocol for ATS

reply to post by redmage


Yes, basically what I was after, though you explained it much clearer. The thread is locked, but viewable to all, with only the OP/Mr.X mods and admin allowed to post. The other thread would have all the discussion, frequently checked by mods to allow important questions to be reposted to Mr. X.

At some point admin, Sr. staff could unlock the thread or ban as a hoaxer, the original whistleblower thread.

reply to post by Skyfloating

I like this idea, Skyfloating! A forum for Whistleblowers, with some of the checks and balances suggested by other members here. The danger of hoaxsters is that by crying "Wolf" when the real wolf shows up no one will take notice.

reply to post by NGC2736


I asked a question a bit earlier, you may have missed, or thought I was joking.

Is this only going to apply to certain forums? I would think if you set up a rule like this (which I am not opposed to) That it would have to apply to all of them. How will you make this work for forums like Conspiracies in Religion, and some of the others?

Originally posted by Solarskye
reply to post by more_serotonin_pls

 

The amigo's have checked crediblity before haven't they. I like it when they do that.

Sometimes you don't know it's a hoax and I've seen threads with twenty pages before it was found to be a hoax. That's why I believe in letting the person spill his or her guts and we'll found out the truth sooner or later. I think it's good for ATS when members catch a hoaxter in the process.

It might be good,but its getting out of hand,it was good for awhile,but now it is just old.I personaly dont want to waste my time or have other ATSters waste their time when we could be putting it to real use,not debunking hoaxes.

NGC-You stated in your "thread lock"idea that eventually a mod. would u2u a member and have him/her post that a decsion will be made soon.Would that member be random or how would that work?J/W

Originally posted by NGC2736
Yes, basically what I was after, though you explained it much clearer. The thread is locked, but viewable to all, with only the OP/Mr.X mods and admin allowed to post.

Close, but the system I envision would allow any member to post (first-come-first-serve), and place responsibility on the membership to "not waste space" in the origional thread.

Then the question becomes... Are we, as a community, responsible enough?

While I trust the staff here, I think that any system which filters questions through staff is just begging for unneeded headaches. I can see far too many people screaming "CENSORSHIP!" if they don't feel that the staff is representing their concerns "correctly".

[edit on 3/30/08 by redmage]

reply to post by Enthralled Fan


Well, I'm not the deciding authority here, we're pretty democratic when it comes to ideas like this, so that would be up to admin in the end. I would think it would apply to someone who said he had evidence of the Pope being Jewish and and running a South American death squad camp the same as a UFO story.

It's people that come onto the site claiming inside evidence that they were a party to and have the evidence to back it up, ergo a whistleblower, that is the point, not what the exact subject is.

But again, this is just how I see it.

All in all a pretty good plan (the parallel threads). Of course the OP might view the public thread and get upset. Hopefully if the crap posting are not in his primary thread it would be of less concern.

Seems like a tool to repost a post in the public thread to the private one wouldn't bet that difficult to create. This could be used to move the questions from the public if they are deemed acceptable. Any left behind are open for discussion in the public thread as to why. This allows public monitoring and no feel for major censorship.

I'm up for anything as long as members have a choice. What's the use of being a member if you can't engage in a debate or discuss a topic, experience, whistle blowers. I'd hate to see front page news that a whistle blower was for real but ATS members missed out on the discussion. Alot of members are tired of the same old blah!, blah! stories of someone seeing documents but have none to show, or they know the secrets to everything. But I still feel that one of these people may someday be for real and we're gonna miss it because we cried hoax.

reply to post by redmage


But don't we defeat the purpose of sequestering if we do that? What if the first 11 posters happen to be the eye rolling "It's all crap because I know better" type, they hack off the OP, and he checks out to never return?

While I trust the members as a whole not to gum up things too bad, you have no idea how many posts are deleted per hour that are pure drivel and/or nasty. Since the members could see what was posted by the staff, there shouldn't be any censorship. Besides, basically it would be a matter of mostly routine questions.

In your own words, tell us everything you want to put out to the world.
Where does this information come from?
Can you explain how you got this information?
Exactly what proof do you have that you are who you say you are?
What documents can you provide to back this story up with?
Do you have witnesses? Will they also speak with us?

We could even hammer out the best general questions to ask in such situations ahead of time, agreed to by general consensus. Special questions might arise from some statements made by Mr.X, but these could be lifted from the other thread as the need arose.

And it's a fact that no course of action is going to be perfect. But would you not feel somehow cheated if the first page of posters failed to ask the most logical questions because someone went ballistic over the writing style of Mr.X and failed to ask him if he had any witnesses? Especially if Mr.X said he had to leave to go get documents, which was the only logical question out of the first page. Now you have to wait till he gets back to ask that question.

I'm just grasping for a calm logical way to acquire information without undue drama.

***********************************************************************

As a side note here. This is new ground, and I welcome all the ideas and questioning of concepts that are coming out. I'm proud to be involved in trying to find answers to what is a bothersome problem for our community.

And please don't feel like I've got better ideas just because I'm a mod. I'm first and foremost a member, striving with my fellow members to try and find a workable solution. It may take us days, but I think with the brainpower represented here on ATS, we can do this.

reply to post by NGC2736


I like that idea,it seems to have most if not all the bases covered.Maybe some preliminary runs of whatever idea we go with should be held.

Originally posted by jkrog08
reply to post by NGC2736

 

I like that idea,it seems to have most if not all the bases covered.Maybe some preliminary runs of whatever idea we go with should be held.

I can see the trial run now. A supermod comes in and says he has inside information that Springer is an alien reptile working with the NWO to locate and silence all the people that post here knowing the REAL TRUTH.

[edit on 30-3-2008 by NGC2736]

This might not be popular but I have an opinion on this. The system isn't broken, just needs a tweak. We've gotten to where we are because we promote user activity. Maybe that is where the tweak needs to come in. Yeah, I've seen someone come in with a wild story and immediately get attacked, the topic is barely open and it's deemed a hoax by some. Maybe a little, or a lot, less negativity will promote the topic. Decorum is not a lot to ask for is it?

Also, when a topic 80% looks like a hoax, there are those that need to go in for the kill. Why do people post this type of material? For attention. STOP POSTING to what you believe to be a hoax and the food is cut off. I've seen complaints here that these threads go on for 6+ pages. Why? Because they are being posted to.

The star function of the system might serve as a vote for a question in the public forum that should be asked of the OP. I feel that either as little secrecy as possible is built into the system or just take the whole thing to another platform. Most people don't trust information with limited access.

Remember the Issac stuff. He just put on a website and left it. People could do that today. They could even do it at ATS I would bet.

If they are not open to discussion then this will not be the method to use. All we are doing is making it more civil. May be we will find if civility does make a difference.

I like Skyfloatings's idea of a forum for whistleblowers. And I agree with Loam that it needs to have either anonymity or no point value or both to discourage the majority of pranksters but - and here is where I'll probably get flamed - I think, much like rats, it needs to require a minimum number of points to participate although everyone could view it. By the time you have a significant number of points at ATS, in most cases, you know how to behave. This would elevate the debate and steer the discussion in a productive fashion.

This is the best discussion I've seen for some time, and thanks to NGC for starting it....(and curses!!! for thinking of it before me!!)

Joking...."One of these days, Alice, one of these days.....!!!" [I'lll thnk of a good thread to start...].

Whistle Blower....been discussed for some years now, not just here, but in general discussions in many corporations. Seems there isn't a very safe haven, even though various 'laws' exist.

If I saw an obvious UFO, when actively flying for a Major Airline, would I want to go public? While I never had the opportunity to see something, I read many reports about those who did come forward and had grief for it.

I had good friends years ago who shared personal experiences from their encounters (abduction experiences) in the Arizona mountains...I listened, told them I understood, and never repeated, nor ridiculed...because ridicule is the major tool used on those who try to come forward. And, I had already a fair understanding, though not personal experience, of the abduction phenomenon.

When I see ridicule occur here on ATS, I cringe. YES, a hoax may pop up, and YES we would feel silly, would feel embarrased to fall for one...that's why NGC has made a good point, and hopefully others will stop in, 'lurk', read these ideas and know that approaching a Mod is the first step, if anonymity and safety is your primary concern, AND if you actually have someting to 'disclose'.

I have no fear here on ATS, but I have no 'whistle' to blow...however, I am confident that the owners of this site are truthful, and respect confidentiallity to the utmost.

Just my ideas, my opinions.

WW

[added text]

[edit on 30-3-2008 by weedwhacker]

reply to post by kosmicjack


And what would the magic point number be?

reply to post by jkrog08


I dunno...7002?

NAOLP!

reply to post by kosmicjack


I don't think points should have anything to do with it. You could have 500,000 points and still screw it up or be ignorant. I like Intepred's idea which is actually what we have now, but for people to be more civil and respectful to others no matter what.

reply to post by Solarskye


...Because that has worked so well up until now?