Welcome to the 17th Street Message Board

This message board was set up in order to facilitate discussion of the Alienist books and/or Caleb Carr's other works. The following is information on basic behaviour expectations here at the board. In addition, avatar settings, signature guidelines, and board ranking information can also be found here. If you have any questions about the guidelines put forward here you are welcome to contact Kim, the site owner and message board administrator.

Behaviour Expectations

1. Respect for each other: Although this board is intended to facilitate discussion on a variety of topics, some of which may be controversial, it is expected that members will be polite and respectful of one another at all times. Please avoid starting or perpetuating arguments with other board members. Such behaviour will not be tolerated and you may receive a warning. In very serious cases, a temporary or permanent ban may also be applied.
2. Respect for the author: Please keep any criticism of Caleb Carr's work respectful.
3. Spelling, grammar, and language: It is expected that members will attempt proper spelling and grammar when posting here. Please do not use 'netspeak' or text message lingo (e.g., "how r u 2day?"). Excessive bad language and swearing is also considered inappropriate for this message board.
4. Assignment help: Many people come to 17th Street after having read The Alienist for a school or University project. If this is what has brought you to this message board, you are welcome to participate here but please refrain from directly asking for help on your particular assignment topic. Reading the book and critically thinking about its content will benefit you in the long run.

Other Information & Guidelines

• Joining the message board: When you first register to join the forum, your account will need to be activated. You will recieve a validation email from the board which you will have to respond to. This ensures that the email account you have used is correct and it protects the forum against unwanted spam and malicious abuse. Please keep in mind that until your account is activated, you will not be able to post at the message board.
• Avatars: You may use a default board avatar, upload your own avatar to the board, or host one externally. If you are using your own avatar, keep in mind that it may not be larger than 100x100 pixels and its file size cannot exceed 40KB. The image used on the avatar should also be suitable for people of all age groups. If an inappropriate avatar is used, it will be removed by the board administrator.
• Signatures: Signatures should be no more than five lines deep (including blank lines) and the font size used should not be larger than 12pt. You may use an image in your signature but it should not be larger than 100x500 pixels and its file size should not exceed 100KB. Like avatars, the image used should be suitable for all age groups. If a signature is deemed inappropriate for any reason, it will be edited or removed by the board administrator.
• Board Ranking: Your board ranking reflects the number of posts you have made at the message board. It can be seen directly underneath your avatar. The associated number of posts needed to reach the possible rankings can be seen below.
  • Playing a duet with Cyrus (1 dot) - 0 posts
  • Smoking with Stevie (2 dots) - 25 posts
  • Gambling with John (3 dots) - 50 posts
  • Shooting with Sara (4 dots) - 100 posts
  • Bickering with the Isaacsons (5 dots) - 250 posts
  • Debating with Dr Kreizler (6 dots) - 500 posts