Our reviews of Websites are based on a number of factors:

• Believability - If it is a site based on reality, is it believable?  If it is a show based on pure fiction or speculation, does it say so and could it happen?
• Originality - Is this an original concept, or does it seem like I've seen it before?
• Entertainment - Is the website entertaining enough to keep my attention or did I lose interest before clicking through to the next page?
• Content - Is the content of the site pertinent or do they just advertise it to be paranormal based to catch our attention?
• Production - Is the site well put together in a way to allow the viewer to easily navigate and absorb all of the intended information?
• Follow up/Preview - Did I find the site easily in a simple search or click through from another related site?  Does the content change enough for me to want to return to this site?
• Viewer opinion - Cast your votes, they do have an impact on our ratings.

1 BONE

Have you ever met somebody who isn’t very attractive physically, but has a personality that makes you like them and, against everything you’ve always thought attractive, makes you attracted to them?  How about a physically attractive person who completely turns you off because of his or her personality?  Well, websites have that effect on me.  A site might look just okay, but when you really get to know it you really like it, and the opposite is true – looks good but when you dive in you see the true personality behind the site and it completely turns you off.  Where does a website personality come from?  The owner, of course.  Every website reflects the owner’s personality.

Let me tell you a story.  I received an e-mail from the owner of theghosttracker.org asking if I would be interested in a banner exchange.  I had to decline simply because the premise of Watchdog doesn’t allow me to do such things.  I explained to him in reply that if we were to exchange banners then I would seem bias if I were to later review his site and therefore must decline a banner exchange.  But, I told him, I would be happy to review the site if he wished.  In his reply he stated that he would like a review, but that he had a computer crash and was still in the process of putting it back together.  I told him that I would give him some time to do so before reviewing the site.

Since then, not much has changed.  Maybe a few orb photos added and a couple of pages updated, which is progress.  But due to recent events I am inclined to review the site today regardless of how much is left to be done.  Just this morning I received an e-mail from the owner of The Ghost Tracker and I would like to share it with you all.  I do this because he obviously sent the e-mail to everyone on his mailing list (including businesses who likely could care less about somebody’s paranormal website) so he wants a lot of people to read it – and, once the mail is sent to me it becomes my property and I can post it here if I want to, which I do want to in order to make my point.  Here is the body of the e-mail…

<<I need everyone daily to visit my site Http://www.theghosttracker.org  click on the paranormal storm banner and vote for me..ghostamungus has got to be cheating..(they are in the #1 spot)....:) 270 votes last night!!!

Thanks so much for your support!!

Your friend!

Name removed>>

Maybe you’ve been around Watchdog long enough to know that www.ghostsamongus.net is my personal favorite paranormal website and I visit it frequently, as do many, many other people.  I can tell you, too, that the owner of ghostsamongus has posted on her site NOT TO vote for the site at Paranormal Storm because this particular list is ranked by site visits, not votes.  But even if it was, it is perfectly believable that ghostsamongus would get many votes in a day.  They are not cheating, I can assure you.  However, sending out a mass e-mail begging for votes could be construed as vote harvesting, i.e. cheating. 

Another problem I have with The Ghost Tracker’s statements is simply the fact that somebody in the number one spot on a list must be cheating.  I have this problem because in order to get a large number of loyal visitors to your paranormal site, you almost have to make it a community, someplace where people want to come back to your site every day, not only to see what’s new but to socialize with like minded people.  Ghostsamongus has such a community in the form of a forum where members can discuss all sorts of paranormal topics.  The Ghost Tracker does not have such a community, and according to the owner, they have no plans for one.  How does he expect to have as many votes at any ranking list as somebody who has hundreds or thousands of members in their community? 

Back to the review.  The site is pretty physically, but the personality sucks, therefore, unattractive.  I give them 1 Bone because I cannot go lower.

  Para-Tube, however, takes the guesswork out of it for you.  This is a fairly new site (about 2 months new), out of Switzerland and run by screen name EMPEROR-SO.  Para-Tube consists of only paranormal subjects, and those subjects are categorized so that you can find what you're looking for very easily.  There's not much there yet that I haven't already seen on YouTube, but SO informs me that the idea behind ParaTube is to weed out the fakes and frauds that you find so readily at the other.  You have to be a registered member of Para-Tube in order to upload video, therefore are accountable for the videos you put on the site.  If they find that you are uploading fakes and hoaxes, they'll simply delete them and get rid of you.  I think in time the YouTube videos will be weeded out and this will be the place to go to find your paranormal video entertainment.

  SO also tells me that very soon there will be a forum.  I think this is essential for a site like this and am excited to join and see what others have to say.  My hope is that there will be honest, serious people in this forum who aren't interested on watching bugs and dust fly around the screen or floating pixel monsters, or who are at least willing to say that's what they think it is, if that is the case.  Another exciting addition in the works is Para-Tube WebTV.  This is where paranormal investigation teams can produce their own "TV" shows and broadcast them on Para-Tube.  I'll be watching!  There may even be an annual award given to the best show.  The Paranormal Oscars - I love this idea!

  As new as this site is, I may be a little presumptuous in my prediction that this will be one of the most viewed paranormal websites on the internet in a short time.  I'm giving Para-Tube 5 Bones based on this prediction - don't let me down guys!  Keep up the outstanding work!

  This is one of those websites that you don't want to visit unless you have plenty of time to become absorbed in everything they have to offer.  The stories are fascinating and for the most part believable.  The articles and explanations are intelligent and very well written, as is the blog.  There is also a newsletter you can sign up to receive, and I've been told that you get your first copy just as soon as you sign up.  That's a nice surprise! 

  The forum is sparse so far, but still with a lot of interesting topics.  At one point while reading the forum I thought that that this site would lose a point as the word "stupid" was used three times over four posts in the same thread.  I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I take offense at someone calling my inner thoughts and beliefs "stupid".  However, after seeing how it played out, I ended up quite impressed.  A new member made a comment about things said being stupid.  The next post was someone, I'm assuming forum admin or moderator, telling this new person in the kindest of manner, that he is welcome to read and learn here at the site and maybe he wouldn't feel things were so stupid.  I can't remember where the third "stupid" came in, but I was rather impressed that this person was not allowed to get a group of people riled up and was instead dealt with as a person who likely just doesn't understand.  There's a lot to be said for compassion!

  I've so far spent two days in and out of this site and will certainly be going back to read the latest entries.  I give this site 5 Bones and recommend that everyone go check it out soon, before it becomes too big and you can't catch up - because you will want to read it all!