WATCH Camas was built for our neighbors with the hope that we could enjoy the benefits of a hyper-local online community without the risk associated with site owners operating remotely from California with no understanding, or drive to understand, the realities of Camas, WA herself.
Some aspects of Facebook and Nextdoor are great, but the flaws in those platforms can be extremely discouraging. Facebook allows the entire world into our conversations without any real verification of who you're talking to or their motivations. Nextdoor takes an opposite approach, with a completely private network that can only be accessed through real verification steps including physical mail sent to your home or confirmation of phone records in your name.
Above all, WATCH Camas aims to create an honest environment for all to consume and discuss the truth - we couldn't see ourselves building a community that denied anyone a view into this world. So that's our biggest promise to users of this site,
You will never be denied access to viewing and sharing the content on this site.
The privilege of posting on this site though will be exactly that, a privilege. The ability to post on WATCH Camas is given to all who register on this forum, without any formal challenge.
We only ask that users agree to basic site rules, among them, rule eight, "Please use your real name for your account" which reads:
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.
WATCH Camas always starts with the honor system and feels that it will never be an issue for 90% or more of our users, but for those 10% few that will challenge, there is a process in place. We'd hoped to not need to exercise it for quite some time as our community builds, but unfortunately a user has already challenged your community directly. We figured it was a great learning opportunity to tell that story and highlight this interaction, with names removed.
A user on your forums began posting with a name that was clearly not the name of an individual person. It was brought to the attention of an administrator at WATCH Camas, and a simple message was sent privately to that user stating the following:
That user replied the next day, without changing their profile name, with the following message:
This user now enters a three day grace period. During this time, they may have an "UNVERIFIED USER" badge that follows their name. This badge would be immediately removed should they choose to comply.
Should the user hold their line, which is their right, they will not be denied access to view and share content from watchcamas.com. Their posting privileges though, will be temporarily denied until they can comply. If they do correct their displayed profile name and there's still a reason to suspect that it is also not a true name, the user will then be asked to provide verification through an image of credible identification (driver's license, military ID, etc.) Placed on top of a piece of paper with their WATCH Camas username and the day's date written on it. Luckily this will never be an issue for any user, but it doesn't mean we aren't ready for those unfortunate few.
Another forum in Camas may have trained some to believe they can operate however they see fit - WATCH Camas is not that forum and will never be.
If your user profile does not include your real first and last name, please update that by visiting your profile settings. Please contact us if you need assistance. If you suspect a user is not who they say they are, you can also report their comments and WATCH Camas will follow this same standard procedure of verification. We'll see users like this as we grow, but with a consistent approach, they'll soon realize you can only participate in this conversation if you truly want to hear the people you're speaking with as their neighbor.