WATCH Camas Forum Rules
1. No Spam / Advertising / Self-promotion in the forums
That means unsolicited advertisement for goods, services and/or other web sites, or posts with little, or completely unrelated content. Do not spam the forums with links to your site or product, or try to self-promote your website, business or forums etc.
2. Do not post “offensive” posts, links or images
We can have a discussion, but let's be good neighbors. No blatent defamation, harassment, or abuse. Nothing deemed generally obscene, racist or otherwise overly discriminatory is permitted on the forums. Use common sense while posting.
3. Do not cross post questions
Please refrain from posting the same question in several forums.
4. Remain respectful of other members at all times
All posts should be neighborly and courteous. You have every right to disagree with your fellow community members and explain your perspective. But please do not blatently attack, degrade, insult, or otherwise belittle your neighbors.
5. No abusively "bumping" posts
A new post flows to the top of a feed, if you consistently post comments clearly intended to get your posts to the top of the page you will be contacted and can be banned if you refuse to stop.
6. Do not knowingly post copyright-infringing material
Providing or asking for information on how to illegally obtain copyrighted materials is forbidden.
7. No logical fallacies please
A logical fallacy is a flaw in reasoning. Logical fallacies are like tricks or illusions of thought, and they're often very sneakily used by dishonest folks to fool people and make them feel crazy. Common examples are: Straw Man, bandwagon, appeal to authority and gaslighting. See examples here: yourlogicalfallacyis.com
8. Please use your real name for your account.
We are real life neighbors in a real life town. This is the internet, but it's not THAT internet. We ask that you use your real name here (first and last). We feel that real names help improve the discourse and keeps posters accountable. If you have trouble changing that, please contact us for guidance.
------------------------
Enforcement
You will never be banned without discussion. If you violate the rules stated above you will be warned if appropriate or immediately banned and contacted for a discussion. If we can clarify a misunderstanding, you will be reinstated.
@Deep P. It's a shame that a volunteer and citizen driven social media forum must exist to supplement a community that has so many "trusted news sources". Last November showed many of us how imbalanced and agenda driven the "professional journalists" you trust actually are. It's not so much what they report, but what they DON'T report that makes whatever you want to call this place a necessary supplement. It would be great if The Columbian would do a story on how the Legacy Lands Project went $17M over budget in less than 2 years. Or why the Mayors of Camas and Washougal both sat on the CWEDA Board of Directors from Day 1, but never asked to see a single financial statement of the organization which they direct? For 8 years? Or why the City of Camas is refusing to allow the repair of the broken Lacamas Shores bio-filter that continues to toxify Lacamas Lake?
I got a bunch more, so let me know when your pro journalists show up. I'd love to read all about it there.
Thank you. I was referring to the local context of the national news - not just re-reporting the national news for the sake of it. For example, there have been multiple protests in downtown Camas just in the last few weeks over a variety of issues, all of which have been covered by other local media sources. If this site is going to be offered up as an alternative to those other media sources (which it has), it needs to be on top of those important local developments.
I understand that this is a site run by volunteers who pen their own observations of local events, but that essentially makes this a social media forum - not a trusted news source. It's fine if that's what this site is, and I would even be happy to contribute as a volunteer. However, I also appreciate what the Columbian, Post-Record, and Lacamas Magazine offer, and I am troubled by any assertion that a volunteer-run social media forum can replace professional journalism. Journalism - particularly print news - is already in dire straits in our country. Knowing how important it is to have independent and professional media in a well-functioning democracy, I bristle at the notion that a group of well-intentioned amateurs can adequately replace it.
One of the best parts of WATCH Camas is that if you have an issue that you feel is under represented here or anywhere else, you are free to provide it through multiple avenues. We encourage you to submit a news tip if you have anything specific to add to the existing coverage of these many important national events or start a forum post to discuss them on your own with your neighbors.
Speaking specifically to the protests throughout this country - This is clearly a time for reflection for many. The issues that you mention dominate the national news cycle and there is no shortage of perspective shared on them. WATCH Camas doesn't print news for the sake of it. We don't have advertisers, we don't have a profit motivation at all actually. This is a place for a clear, sourced record of what we observe in Camas and what's brought to our attention by citizens. It was created because it was needed. The staff of volunteers at WATCH Camas are just that, volunteers. Naturally, in an unprecedented moment like this with our democracy being tested while enduring a global pandemic, many have more pressing matters to attend to or again, want to just sit quietly, listen and reflect more than they speak/type. We hope that all remain peaceful and safe throughout this extraordinary course of events.
If you're inspired to share your perspective with your neighbors on these important issues, we are glad to have provided a platform for you to do so.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Deep.
City of Camas homepage content posted here is clearly labeled as archived. It's done to maintain a lasting, unchanged backup. Luckily, that work has helped to inspire some needed changes on the city's website - like an expanded "more news" page with needed information restored in the feed. You can read more about that here if you'd like. That work will continue.
I had high hopes for this website. It was billed as an alternative to other local media, and has spared no efforts to point out the flaws in those other media sources at every turn. However, after more than a week of no new information, we get a bunch of copied material from the City of Camas website. I can go to the city's website on my own, thank you. Also, there are other websites that archive old web content.
Meanwhile, Watch Camas has been silent during some of the most important news of the past several weeks. We have had protests about re-opening downtown businesses, a "sanctuary city" petition, Black Lives Matters marches, and pro-police rallies. Sadly, Camas also lost a 5-year-old boy to cancer this week, which saw a significant outpouring of support from the community.
Instead of any information or editorials on any of these critically important issues of the day, we got a copy and paste from the city's website and some weird conspiracy about Facebook. It begs the question: what exactly, is Watch Camas watching?