As I write this, we are within three followers of hitting the 15,000 mark which is the first of my "major goals" for this Facebook page that leads to our news website.
Since we are adding about 1000 new followers per month, that means there are constantly new eyes on this page and on Today in Fort Smith. I have covered this information in the past, but it never hurts to do a review of our policies, goals and reporting criteria.
First and foremost, we endeavor to be a constantly updated and evolving source of news, weather, sports, entertainment and features on the history and historical figures in our "coverage area".
The bottom line on our coverage area is simple. We look to provide coverage in a 23-county area that includes thirteen counties in Arkansas and ten in Oklahoma. For the most part, you can get in a car and be at any of the counties we cover in 90-minutes.
We also cover statewide news in both states that we deem important, informational and/or interesting to our readers. So you may see an occasional story out of Little Rock, Tulsa or Oklahoma City that I deem fits the mold. We even do a national news story from time to time.
I decided on the coverage area. We frequently get "If this is 'Today in Fort Smith' why are we getting these stories from other areas?" The answer is simple. I am the editorial board and I earned that right by working sixteen hours per day for about .35 cents an hour for the past sixteen months. I post what I want.
So...if you don't like what we cover or the way we cover it, scroll past it, ignore it or hit the road. We're going to be fine either way.
There has never been a single day when we didn't gain at least a handful of readers. I see how many people leave and I can usually see it coming. I don't lose any sleep over someone opting out of the page.
Let's address a few more topics.
Mugshots: Mugshots are taken from the official governmental sites we access. If you get arrested by any of the agencies from which we can access your mugshot, it will be published. My own children have been alerted that if they are are arrested, they will appear in Mugshots. Probably as the featured photo.
No amount of cajoling, whining, threatening or possibility of you filing a lawsuit will prevent your mugshot from being published. We will presume you are innocent until found guilty in a court of law. But you got arrested. Choices you made got you arrested. If getting arrested and having your mugshot "put on blast" is embarrassing, there is a simple solution.
Don't get arrested.
Most Wanted lists and Warrant Watch: We would carry Most Wanted information and warrants for every law enforcement agency in the area if they would provide us the information.
What we do publish is also gleaned from public websites. Some agencies have ten, some have fifteen and the FBI Crimes Against Children lists twenty-five.
They are constantly recycled, so you may see an individual pop up every ten or fifteen days or even once a month.
We don't like people who break the law. People that break the law need to pay their dues. Once again, their choice to break the law and not appear in court to take care of their problems is not our problem.
Choices you made got you arrested in the first place. If getting arrested, failing to appear in court and having your information"put on blast" is embarrassing, there is a simple solution.
Don't get arrested. In the first place.
Cold Cases: We occasionally cover cold cases. We do this based upon information available on public sites, through relationships with local law enforcement and at the request of family members looking for closure. Same thing with Missing Person Reports.
We will always post information about missing people, even if the local police are saying to wait for twenty-four hours.
Stone Gardens and Our Arklahoma Heritage: We get these stories from numerous sources, and will blend all the information into a cohesive story. I write about what I like and what I find interesting. We may even repeat one of the stories from time to time because features we did in November of 2017 may not have ever been seen by new followers.
Comment policy: We welcome comments. You can even disagree with us, but you do not get to proclaim that we "have no right" to publish anything because...yeah, we do.
You don't get to attack our staff members because you don't agree with what we publish. We have a language filter on the Facebook page, so trying to smut the place up is useless.
That is a caveat to our advertisers and our loyal readers who shouldn't be subjected to your potty mouth. And, yeah...I cuss. I cuss like a sailor but I endeavor not to do it on this page. But if I choose to call someone an "a*****e" on MY page, that's on me.
Banning from page: There is no rhyme or reason to bans. There have been a double handful of bans doled out since we started. Could be something you said. Could be the way you said it. Could be I just don't like you. But this is MY page.
You don't pay to be here and you don't have to be here. Piss in my Cheerios and you're gone. Retreat to your safe place and buddy up with other obtuse, rude and self-absorbed twits and talk bad about me. Create fake Facebook pages. Call the police on me. Tell your momma or your daddy.
I don't care. Everytime I have gone to Walmart and tired to pay for my groceries based on the number of people who "like me" on social media, they have still demanded cash or a debit card. So your opinion of me is a moot point.
Depending on what side of the bed I got up on dictates whether a smart-ass attitude gets you canned.
Mistakes and retractions: We make mistakes. You can't write and publish the equivalent of a short novel every week and not make some mistakes.
If we make a mistake that misrepresents something we cover, please feel free to let us know. We will always endeavor to get it right. Publishing a story about someone that the police arrested for "XYZ" and you attesting that that person would have "never done that" is not a mistake. It's your opinion on a news story.
And we make typos. Sometime we are posting stuff from our phones while we're mobile and I can barely see the damn thing. Other times, the end of that sixteen hour day muddles the issue.
Most the time we see them and correct them ASAP. You disregarding an entire story because of a typo is on you. LOL. I type the word "Mugshots" fifty times a week. I always hit an "i' instead of an "o"...figure it out for yourself....
Don't jam me up on a typo. Tell me about it if you just can't stand it. Publicly or privately. But don't use it as a way to try and embarrass the process. Lot's of people obsessed with typo's no longer have access to the page.
We're not stupid. Don't treat us as such.
Charitable ads: If you are a genuine 501c3, an organized youth or church group, raising money for a good cause or simple wanting to get information about a FREE event out to the public, we will always post your information for free.
Putting a collection jar on your front counter for the Humane Society does not qualify you for free advertising. Holding a fundraiser at your business for the Humane Society when the focus is really getting people into your business will get you 50% off. Legitimate GoFund me accounts will always be shared for free.
Don't try to take advantage of our kindness.
The truth: We will always try to tell the truth. We won't publish anything we can't prove, at least not intentionally. Just because you don't agree with what we post doesn't mean it 's not true.
I am grateful and humbled by the fact that what we do has drawn 15,000 loyal followers. We like to think there is a little bit of something here for everyone.
But if you think -- as one person put it yesterday -- we are a "pathetic, worthless, and disgusting blog", do us both a favor.
Don't come here.
If you want to be here, we want you here. If you are here just to stir the pot, then don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya....
We're going to be who we are.
Regardless.
