What Is This About?
Shout Street is here to provide a way for you to safely meet your neighbors online and discuss issues that affect your lives on the ground. Then you can organize meetups and cause change starting at the community level. All politics are local, so don't just get angry, get organized for action.
The Basics
Shout Street is a collection of forums that are sorted by ZIP / Mail Code. At the 'Home' page you enter a forum by typing the ZIP / Mail Code into the selection box. For example, 78759 is both a ZIP Code and the name of the forum. A 'Thread' is the name of a topic within a forum and it contains all the 'Posts' (your messages) to that topic.
Once registered, you can start a new thread at any time by clicking on the 'Post New Thread' button in the navigation bar (navbar) above. You can place a thread in as many as eight forums at once. We suggest that you check out the 'Maps' link in the navbar, and then place your thread in your own ZIP / Mail Code area plus the surrounding ones. More is not necessarily better if you want to keep the discussion focused in one area.
The 5-digit ZIP Code is the standard Mail Code used in the US. Since this forum is intended to be global, that is why there are references throughout to a Mail Code. They are both the same thing.
If you post a thread and can't see it in the forum(s) you expected, go to your 'My Profile' panel (link at top of page) and get the list of your threads from the 'Find all posts' link in the left column of your profile page. Then make sure the thread in question is in the right forum(s) by opening it and scrolling to the bottom and checking/editing the 'This Thread is in These Forums:' listing.
Social Networking
Put links to your Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, YouTube and other accounts in your signature and/or profile by going to your 'Settings' in the link at the top of the page. No need to duplicate all that content here, and then it's just a click away. Or don't, if you want to keep some privacy and anonymity here.
Local Businesses
Local business owners are encouraged to participate in the forums, you are everyone's neighbor too. Please participate responsibly and don't just spam the forums. You are welcome to place a link to your website in your signature and/or profile. There is an ad placement system that allows you to advertise in specific ZIP / Mail Code forums so you can show your stuff to your neighbors. Click on the 'Advertising' tab in the navigation bar to learn more. There is also a direct link to the Shout Street ad store at Trafficspaces.com located just under the banner ad at the top of the forum list page.
Local Government and Law Enforcement
Local government officials are encouraged to participate in the forums. If you aren't part of the conversation, you may find yourself being identified as part of the problem. Local law enforcement officials are encouraged to use the forums for the posting of local issues notices such as Amber Alerts. The idea here is to empower everyone in the process of improving our lives, and to knit together the different stakeholders that make up a community.Privacy Policy
We require a working email to verify your account. The program may place cookies on your computer to maintain your settings. We do not share any of that information with anybody.
Your Responsibilities
The people in your forums are your real neighbors. The intent here is that you will organize online so that you can meet and organize in real life. So don't say things online that you wouldn't say to someone face to face when you do actually meet them.
It is understood that you probably live in the ZIP / Mail Code area where you participate the most. The intent here is for groups of people to arrange meetups in order to affect a local issue. Act very wisely before arranging a one-on-one meeting.