Some Things about Forums and Comments

We’ve had a lot more information the last couple of days out of Algiers. Thanks so much to everyone who is trying to give feedback to their neighbors and community.
This has, indeed, formed into a virtual community. What an amazing thing to watch! But remember, please, that everything you say in the comments and the forums is publically available. This is still the world wide web – an internet full of strangers.
Personal information and details should not be made available where “just anyone” can find them. There are any number of reasons for this, including security of your homes and identity theft.
Also – People are extremely stressed, particularly those who have not had direct feedback about their particular homes and loved ones. Unless you have specifics to provide for somebody, try to avoid generalities that might panic someone unnecessarily.
As an example – residential looting or destroyed house reports should not be reported as a generality. If you have specific addresses but are not sure how to contact an individual, please send an email to polimom. I’ll try to track down the affected party.
This is a very difficult time for everyone.
More later…