WebSleuths

I joined the site recently, and after two days, I asked to have my account deleted.

1. They go overboard on censorship.

2. It can be difficult to read posts. You can't use anyone's name in a case, including the victim. It all has to be done with initials.

3. They have some really ridiculous rules. A statement was posted on Facebook by a witness (very few people were aware of it) and I wasn't allowed to post it verbatim but was allowed to paraphrase it. I'm still trying to make sense of that. Crime site... full witness statement... seems to me it'd be more appropriate to post in its entirety.

4. You can't discuss possible suspects, a person of interest, or make any accusations against any person in the case. (Sleuth definition: carry out a search or investigation in the manner of a detective.) Perhaps WebSleuths may want to consider a name change.

5. They have no sense of humor and do not allow their members to have one either. Apparently stating a city is full meth heads is less offensive than my response that the townspeople appeared more addicted to holy water. The clipped my post and told me I was rude. Lesson learned... Meth head, good. Holy water, bad. Got it.

I could go on with other ridiculous rules and responses by moderators, but number 5 did it for me. Censor the crap out of me, that's fine. It's their site and they can do as they please, but I draw the line at name calling. Deleting my post would have sufficed.

Anway, good luck if you join their site. You'll find the conversation gets frequently recycled due to the limitation of speech and the inability to actually be allowed to sleuth.

I joined Websleuths some time ago for the discussions. It looked like a tight ship being run, only verified media links were allowed so I felt this was a good place for accurate information.
Boy oh boy what a shock I got. The first time I posted, several members attacked my post and were seriously rude to me. I posted a possibility in one missing person's case and suddenly several of them were posting nonsense about taxis and how they didn't think my idea was likely. Ganging up on me like a pack of schoolyard bullies. They think they are the only ones who's thoughts on the matter count. Rude personal remarks were frequently made by a few particular members. This behaviour is against the mighty TOS as moderators remind people frequently. However, these people were allowed to carry on and their posts were not deleted.
I am not the only one to be treated in this manner. I have heard there is quite a nasty clique on there who are exempt from the rules as they donate or are friends with the owner/moderators and are therefore exempt from the TOS.
Most of the moderators must not have ever had any site moderation experience. Sillybilly (what an appropriate name) is the worst of them all. I think he is on a serious power trip and likes to throw his weight around. Moderators do not like being called out on their bad behaviour, people have been given bans just for challenging them.
Right now, the owner is begging members to give her money to give to the moderators, instead of giving them a Christmas bonus herself. Her usual excuse when she's begging for money is that Websleuths is about to collapse because she can't pay the bills. Her vulgarity is unbelievable, she has posted her begging in the middle of missing and murdered people threads with no thought for how their families might feel.
Basically, if you like being bullied, having a pack of mean girls gang up on you in a thread and berated for standing up for yourself when you are abused, then by all means join. Otherwise avoid Websleuths like the plague.
Review is based on my experience as a member and all IMO JMO and MOO

FIRST OF ALL, we cant ALL be wrong on here, this site is AWFUL - clearly by the all negative reviews on here alone. The mods are beyond biased, they are all on a power trip, especially SILLY BILLY, but to be honest they are all the same, she/he is just the WORST of a bad bunch. She spends her time (and thats the full 24 hours a day) deleting your posts, closing threads down, banning people left right and centre for just stating their opinion - GET A REAL JOB EH? They will also beg for money for nothing in return, TRICIA will pretend she has no money to keep this site afloat, that shes massively in debt trying to keep this website going for you all, that shes up to her eyeballs in loans just so we can all log on to this amateur dated site... d'aaawwww how nice is she? Hahahahaha, it takes 30 seconds to know this is a fabricated lie (the advertising alone on this site makes sh*t loads of revenue, not to mention the live podcasts and youtube crap she does) she basically just wants some of YOUR money to buy herself a new purse or some more FOOD the fat *****
The favoritism is a joke, they treat you like school kids, you will get put on a time out or even permanently banned for stating an opinion that they disgaree with, THEY ARE A JOKE. How do they get away with it?

I was a member for several years and, while it's a good way to keep informed on cases you see in the news, there are too many members whose sole purpose is to cut other people down. There are threads on the website where decorum is maintained and you feel comforted knowing there are people who truly care about victims, want to see justice through, and want to help unravel clues that will lead to justice. Some members really are able to contribute knowledge and skills to the forums because of their backgrounds. Other members are there not to add anything productive or intelligent--just to have something condescending to say to or about other members. As another reviewer said, some of the threads are about taking sides and certain members are hateful toward other members who state a point-of-view that differs from their own. I tried to make new members feel welcome and delicately defend them (trying not to offend either side), but got cut down as well. While some people on the forums are quick to accuse someone in a case (even family members of a victim) of a crime, others adamantly defend a suspect with overwhelming evidence against him/her who is named as a suspect by law enforcement, even to the point of vilifying the victim, law enforcement and the legal system, and persist in their opinion after the suspect has been found guilty in a court of law. Although such members are usually in the minority, they lash out at everyone else discussing the case. The forums are moderated, but moderators are inconsistent in dealing with bullies--they are sometimes hateful themselves and show favoritism. Some threads become very long not because of a lot of movement or analysis in the case, but because some people do not read the thread before posting, even a page or two back or if it's a short thread, and others post comment after comment without saying anything productive. Sometimes it appears to be a contest to see who can end up with the most posts. I think some members believe they will get to become a moderator and influence the direction of the website if they reach a certain number of posts. I would not recommend the website to people who are sensitive (the people most likely to care about crime victims). If you don't already suffer from depression you probably will after joining WebSleuths, not only from reading about the terrible crimes people commit but also from your treatment by other members.