Comments on: Reporting Posts

As we get nearer to the release date one of our most critical tools is going to be the Report Post function. This is the best, quickest and easiest way to communicate with the staff in instances when instant action is required.

What SHOULD be reported: Spamming, rude posts, spoilers, anything that should be immediately removed.

What should NOT be reported: Duplicate threads, theories you don't agree with (as long as they're expressed politely), anything that does not require instant action.

How to report a post:

http://www.cosforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=31488&stc=1&d=1181153174

Click on the http://www.cosforums.com/images/oof/buttons/report.gif in the upper right hand corner of each post as circled above. (In some styles the report post button looks the same, but is on the left side under the user's name) This will take you to the screen below.

http://www.cosforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=31489&stc=1&d=1181153174

Fill out the reason for reporting. If this is obvious not much description is necessary. If this is one sentence in a long post then quoting that sentence can be very helpful. Hit submit.

The staff will immediately see and evaluate the reported post. In most cases, action is basically instantaneous.

Please ask any questions on reporting posts in this thread.

If there is a thread that is getting innapropriate, or argumentative, but the problem is not one or two specific posts, what is the best way to bring it to the attention of a staff member?

If there is a thread that is getting innapropriate, or argumentative, but the problem is not one or two specific posts, what is the best way to bring it to the attention of a staff member?
If you see this happening, please owl any staff member you see online immediately. It will be addressed in short order.

You can also report a representative post and just make it clear in your report that the problem is the whole thread and not just one or two posts :)

Ok thank you :)

What if we're not sure about something being a spoiler or not?
Should we just look for language that is saying something is certain and assume it?

What if we're not sure about something being a spoiler or not?
Should we just look for language that is saying something is certain and assume it?Report it and let the staff decide.

But if it's in Divination Studies and clearly presented as speculation, then it's OK.

So if something is very speculative and not in Divination studies, report?

I think I'm confusing myself. :lol:

So if something is very speculative and not in Divination studies, report?

I think I'm confusing myself. :lol:You might perhaps trust your own judgement. :) If it really looks like pure speculation, then leave it, when in doubt, report.

:lol: Okay, let's hope my brain does not fail me.

Okay, let's hope my brain does not fail me.

*bites tongue*

Must. Not. Make. Snape. Joke.

I mean. . .I trust your judgement completely :)

This is a very good idea because if staff misses the post and someone else sees it, they will let the staff know! Good idea :tu:

Is it absolutely essential to fill out the description box?

Is it absolutely essential to fill out the description box?

No, only if it's not immediately obvious why you're reporting it.

A general question, what if we see a duplicate threat or a thread that is at the wrong place? Is it encouraged to owl a staff member (if they are not being removed after a time) or just let it pass?

What should NOT be reported: Duplicate threads, theories you don't agree with (as long as they're expressed politely), anything that does not require instant action.No, please don't report duplicated threads or threads, wich are posted in wrong forums, if there's nothing else to them. Neither by report button nor by owl. Most the time staff gets them very fast. If we can let one stay, we're actually happy. :)

Can you all see who is reporting the post or just that a post is being reported? Just curious.

Can you all see who is reporting the post or just that a post is being reported? Just curious.

We can see the person reporting the post as well. :)

Having received an OWL in response to a post I reported once, I can assure you they do know who reports it.

Any easy way to tell what crosses the line? And, I don't know if this is feasible or not, but is there any way to give examples of "yes, report this" or "no, no need to report this"? I'm naturally not asking for actual "reported posts" to be put on here, but maybe just an "example" or two? If it isn't feasible, no worries :).

Just to clarify, ONLY staff knows who reported the post. We will not share that information with anyone else under any circumstances.

As for examples: anything with foul language, anything that is directly insulting to another member, anything that purports to be a spoiler, anything that is exceptionally rude, etc. I'll refrain from doing more than generalities for obvious reasons. :lol:

What should NOT be reported: Duplicate threads, theories you don't agree with (as long as they're expressed politely), anything that does not require instant action.

What if you feel/think something may have been overlooked on accident? Should you report it, send someone an Owl, or just let it go and see what happens?

If you think it needs to be reported please use the report button. If in doubt you may always owl a staff member who is on.

Important: If you think it is a spoiler use the report button immediately, do not owl.

Reporting a post is basically the equivalent of pulling a fire alarm. Every staff member will check it out the moment they see it.

In the case of spoilers, this is exactly how things are supposed to work but it's definitely overkill for duplicate threads or minor things. If you think something minor is being overlooked, owl any* staff member and we'll check into it.

*any staff member besides the Admins

Glad I found this thread. I'd always thought it was the other way around - that reporting a post would just put it in a queue of things to be handled whereas OWLing a staff member would be for more urgent issues :blush: Thankfully I haven't had much experience with finding dodgey posts!

Exactly. The report button is our best weapon against spoilers and questionable content. So please use this http://www.cosforums.com/images/gryff/buttons/report.gif (http://www.cosforums.com/report.php?p=4585204) whenever you spot a questionable post.

Reporting a post is basically the equivalent of pulling a fire alarm. Every staff member will check it out the moment they see it.

In the case of spoilers, this is exactly how things are supposed to work but it's definitely overkill for duplicate threads or minor things. If you think something minor is being overlooked, owl any* staff member and we'll check into it.

*any staff member besides the Admins

This is probably a silly question how can you tell if a staff member is admin or not?

Their name appears in Red :D

Our Admins
Ali (http://www.cosforums.com/member.php?u=14)
Kizz (http://www.cosforums.com/member.php?u=77163)
lanifiel (http://www.cosforums.com/member.php?u=851)
Morgoth (http://www.cosforums.com/member.php?u=3)
rotsiepots (http://www.cosforums.com/member.php?u=788)

I thought as much, just thought I had better check. Better to be safe than sorry :)

It is always best to be safe ;)

i like the idea that there is a repot abuse/report post so that if a post is inappropriate or unsuitable for our forums members they report it to the Administrators nice job and nice forum.



Happy Holidays!

Sincerely,
Nick

what's the diference between owling a staff member about reporting a post and using the button?

Also, what happens if someone reports a post that is completely fnie?

When you a report a post all staff can see it. When you owl a staff member, only that staff member can see it. They still might share it with other staff but it only goes to the one you owl. That's why it's good to owl a staff member if you're not sure and it's not something that needs immediate attention.

Also, what happens if someone reports a post that is completely fnie?Nothing happens. The report is just labeled 'No action' and that's it. There is no reason to be afraid of using the report function. If you really think the post is bad, go ahead and report.


But do not use it only to get at a fellow member you don't like. We detect that sort of stuff very fast.:p

What about thread necromancy?

Nah, unless it's offensive it's not worth reporting. You can owl any staff member if you notice someone repeatedly bumping old threads.

What about thread necromancy?

Sorry, what's necromancy?

Sorry, what's necromancy?

Prett much reopening a thread that has been dead for a while

Like if the last post was 2 months ago then somebody posts in it THAT is thread necromancy.

Oh, all right. Thanks! I was confused for a bit.

Oh, all right. Thanks! I was confused for a bit.In fantasy books, necromancy is also the art of reviving the dead.

Can we keep this on reporting posts? If you guys want definitions you can always just google the term :)

What if people are just joking in the posts,i mean not taking them seriously.,answering complete rubbish.,and sometimes the rubish its really what they think,but i guess its easy to see when they mean it seriously..should that be reported,cause sometimes you guys notice it and get on it,but othertimes its overlooked...

It never hurts to report a post. We don't catch everything, so it helps to have others who do see it.

ok,thanks

Sometimes I feel that in certain areas of the forums, people who normally monitor threads fall into the same trap many of us do -- especially in DOIMC -- they get a bit carried away or talk about non-related issues. When this happens, what is the best way to address the issue?

The best thing would be to hit the report button next to the post or owl any (other) staff member, maybe admin, in your trust with the issue.

If you report something, that isn't on the "what should be reported" list will it be deleted if its on the "what not to report list"?

If you report something, that isn't on the "what should be reported" list will it be deleted if its on the "what not to report list"?All reported posts are seen by all members of staff online the moment they refresh the page. If staff decides no action should be taken or no action should be taken yet, it's no problem for you. Better safe than sorry.

Sometimes an staff action taken isn't visible for other members, though.

In any case please just never react to any provoking posts by posting back yourself. It usually doesn't help to ease the situation. :)

I know the answer to this is probably "No, we've got far too much work as it is", but is it possible to have some explanation of why no action has been taken on a post we've reported?

It's just that a couple of times I've reported a post in which someone has made what seemed like a devastatingly humiliating personal attack on me or another poster which really upset me, and I've actually found it even more upsetting when the humiliating comment is left on the thread unedited and I never find out why.

I know that I have a tendency to be a tad paranoid. And I also know that the line between what is considered appropriately robust debate and what is considered unacceptable rudeness falls in a different place in different cultures, and sometimes even for different individuals, so I do accept that not everything I find horrendously rude will be acted on.

In an ideal world, though, it would be nice to get an owl saying "We do see why X's comment upset you, but we felt that s/he didn't mean it offensively and you may have misunderstood it/although a little too aggressive in tone, it wasn't inappropriate enough to breach CoS's rudeness policy etc", just so I feel my feelings have been acknowledged and I understand better how CoS's policy works, for future reference.

Just to iterate, I know this may not be practically possible as you're all overworked already and I think you do a fantastic job of moderating a forum with lots of lively, edgy debates, so this is merely a suggestion, not a criticism.

Thanks.

The best thing to do in that case is to owl an Unspeakable or Admin, preferably one who is frequently involved with the moderating of the forum in question. We will not discuss disciplinary actions regarding another member, but we can address your specific complaint. Just be aware that we may not be able to give you all of the information that you'd like.

Thanks :)