AMBER ALERT

[bobbbiez]

Just want to throw this out to everyone and get your thoughts on this idea.

How does everyone feel about setting up an on-going thread for notification of any Amber Alerts?

Don't know about y'all but I get them by email where they ask for everyone to forward to friends and family for immediate attention.
I've never seen a thread on any forum for that purpose and just thought what a great assistance that would be to hopefully find a child that was taken.

Don't know how to do it so I will have to leave that to you to decide if it can be done and if it is wanted by all.

Just an idea on something we can really act on if necessary.

[frankcor]

Would it require a dedicated thread? I mean AMBER ALERT near the top of the list sure got my attention.

[Ralph]

I have no problem with it Bobbbiez, but am skeptical about it for a number of reasons.

I get a bunch of e-mails to that affect every week, and 9 out of 10 times when I run them through Snopes, I find them to be either bogus or too old to post.

I feel that if they were recent and real, they would be either in the paper or on WKTV.

[Swimmy]

You could make a separate forum for it so it doesn't clutter up the other forums.

It's a worthy idea.

[dgriffin]

I agree with Ralph. Someone will have to pass each one through a place like Snopes and verify the alert. If that isn't done, no one will believe them and and won't read them.
Why not simply a Board on Unverified Urban Legends.

[bobbbiez]

Ralph, since it's crucial in the first 24 hours to get the message out in hopes of finding the child and alive, then waiting for the newspaper to come out isn't going to help much during that crucial time. Yes, some TV stations news and certain programs do run the ALERTS but few of them and again you have to wait for the news to see them. Plus, alot of people aren't in front of their TV all the time or on those stations or watch the news.
I felt action by the forum would be an immediate way to get the ALERTS out.

Honestly, the ones I receive and send out to friends and family are sent to me by email from reputable agencies. Not hard to check out the bogus ones especially since I see many of the posters here are very knowledgeable in the use of their computers, (hate to admit, I'm not one of them :. Even with that in thought, there is no harm done by the bogus ones and I feel they're to few and far in between to worry about. Not a legitimate reason not to act on getting the ALERTS out in other ways we have at our disposal.

I think Frank's idea made alot of sense and a way we could do it on the forum. I just ask our administrators consider this idea and not put it on the back burner or allow it to get lost in the shuffle. Your final decision will be respected as always by me.

[Clipper]

I also agree with Frank, Bobbbiez. I don't think a separate grouping or heading is neccessary. I saw the capitalized AMBER ALERT! immediately when I opened the page this morning. Just post them under the general category and capitalize the title of the thread, and it will catch everyone's eye, being near the top of the page!

Thanks for your continued community concern. They will catch the eye and be read, I am sure.

[bobbbiez]

Thanks Clipper .
There really isn't that many that do come across the internet which is very sad in itself but I do appreciate any action we can take.

Now dear friend, you created a problem for yourself . When I do receive them I'll have to email them to you to put them on the forum for me, if you don't mind. As I brought up on my own, I'm very naive to this damn machine and wouldn't know where to begin to do it myself.

[Clipper]

Sorry Bobbbiez, I don't know how to do it either. I think if ya want to put it up, someone will have to teach you how to do it. I imagine it is a copy and paste thing, but I am dumber than you are when it comes to that stuff.

I don't like to pass the buck, but maybe swimmy or ralph can give ya some instructions on how to accomplish it. It most likely isn't difficult.

[bobbbiez]

and here you "were" my hero !

Clipper, if it was, "most likely isn't difficult," then why don't you and I know how to do it???

Plus, if swimmy and Ralph know how to do it and can show me then they better plan on camping out here for awhile cause that isn't going to be an easy task for them ;D.

[Ralph]

I have no problem with it Bobbbiez, just covering the bases.

If you want them up here, just forward your e-mail to me and I can stick it up here. If you intend to stop down here in March I will show you how to do it, seeing is much easier than explaining it on the board or on the phone.

In the meantime, just forward them and I can do it along with any photo corrections are needed.

[kim]

There's probably some sort of email alert we could get from reputable sources, or a scroll that we could cut and paste to put up here. I'll see what I can find.

[kim]

Btw, we have 'silver alerts' here now. It for when old people who are disabled in some way are missing.

[Ralph]

kim said:

Btw, we have 'silver alerts' here now. It for when old people who are disabled in some way are missing.

I am sure when I get to be that age they would ignore mine.

[Clipper]

Does that mean that I can expect them to take my picture down in the post office and put it on a milk carton???