what is reporting all about?

[In2why]

I am NOT trying to start a conflict, nor am I questioning the moderators and how they handle things.  Because frankly I don't have the first clue how it all works.  If I guessed, I think reporting is for name calling or if someone feels attacked?  Is there a place where it is spelled out?  I have read threads that left me scratching my head because they were closed, and others that leave me scratching my head because they aren't.    I think the rules are no cursing, no political talk, and no name calling but is there more?   I have never used the report button and I don't think I have ever written anything that was reported since I don't have any warnings, but that is because I am lucky, not because I understand. 

[momto10blessings]

Is this considered "discussing the board"???

 

But, yeah, I don't know. I'm on my phone so I don't even see a report button. I think people usually report if they feel they are being attacked or someone else is being attacked

[happi duck]

This is a funny one to me. Can't discuss the board. LOL

 

You can post on the board. You can complain on the board. You can ask for advice on the board. But don't you DARE discuss the board!!!

 

:laugh:

The first rule...

[SKL]

I'd just say, remember that really offensive posts get deleted before most of us ever see them.  So the evidence of what caused a report (or thread closure) may not remain.

 

Anyone can report any post.  I would hope people would only do this for really offensive or personal comments.  (It is also done if we encounter a post that is clearly spam / trolling.)

[Crimson Wife]

Sometimes if a post gets off the original topic and devolves into an unproductive back-and-forth over a "hot button" issue, the mods will lock the thread even if nothing offensive has been posted.

[idnib]

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules  :)

[edelweiss]

I've only ever used the report button to report spam.  I have never reported anyone for anything and can't imagine that I ever would.  I think it is really lame to narc on someone, but like SparklyUnicorn said above, I'm not that thin-skinned when it comes to comments on the internet.  

[unsinkable]

I've only ever used the report button to report spam. I have never reported anyone for anything and can't imagine that I ever would. I think it is really lame to narc on someone, but like SparklyUnicorn said above, I'm not that thin-skinned when it comes to comments on the internet.

I report people who are attacking others and threatening them.

 

It's ugly to watch someone get attacked for her opinion on a message board. It's even uglier when no one does something to try to stop it.

[edelweiss]

I report people who are attacking others and threatening them.

 

It's ugly to watch someone get attacked for her opinion on a message board. It's even uglier when no one does something to try to stop it.

 

 

Eh, to each his own.  I can certainly understand sticking up for someone.  I certainly do that.  I just don't see the need to report it to someone else.  YMMV

[*Lulu*]

Eh, to each his own. I can certainly understand sticking up for someone. I certainly do that. I just don't see the need to report it to someone else. YMMV

Most of the time I would agree with this.

 

I have, however, on a few occasions seen a post that was so over the line that reporting seemed like the least dramatic solution.

 

(Although I think half of those were trolls posting....)

[SKL]

I can certainly understand sticking up for someone.  I certainly do that.  I just don't see the need to report it to someone else.

 

Sometimes if you stick up for someone in the comments you get an unexpected result.  The mods say they'd rather people report offensive posts than take up the issue on the thread.

 

[unsinkable]

Sometimes if you stick up for someone in the comments you get an unexpected result. The mods say they'd rather people report offensive posts than take up the issue on the thread.

 

Exactly.

[Guest]

So far I have only used it to report obvious spam and Mimi Rothschild's not-always-obvious spam. However, if I saw a bunch of ad hominems being slung at another poster, especially over unpopular opinions that I share, I think it would be more productive for me to click on a button and type "ad hominem" in the window than to try to defend the poster or come in all angry with, "Oh YEA?! Well I'm an unpopular opinion too and you're a stupid poopyhead just like all popular opinions!"

 

I have been flamed off other boards in the past and although it is touching to get all the emails from people who thought it was wrong and wanted to make sure I was okay and had found another board to post on, the silence kind of hurts at the point when the bullies are at the height of their feeding frenzy.

 

I'm glad we have good moderation here. I may not always agree with the mods decisions, but I don't want to post on unmoderated boards any more.

 

 

[edelweiss]

Sometimes if you stick up for someone in the comments you get an unexpected result.  The mods say they'd rather people report offensive posts than take up the issue on the thread.

 

 

 

Interesting.  I didn't know that.  Even so, I don't see myself being the one to report a post.  It just isn't me.  I'll leave that to others who feel that it is necessary. 

[Pawz4me]

I report spam.  But I doubt I'd ever report anything else unless it obviously (to me) seemed to be someone trolling just to stir up trouble.

[Guest]

It's hard to know intention and tone on a message board. I can type something with the utmost best intentions, and I usually do, but how someone else takes it, is impossible to say.

This is so true! Today, I was very irritated by an e-mail in our company. The man has been trying to get payment from us for a few bills, but some glitchy things happened and I was trying to straighten it out in e-mail. At one point, he wrote..."seems like there's always a cash flow problem..." I was busy being offended that he said this, felt like sniping back, "more like someone doesn't know how to send a digital bill!" When my BIL said, "I think he means HIS cash flow. He's concerned about getting paid because HE always has a cash flow problem."

 

I was all, "No, he...well, maybe...yeah, actually, that is probably what he meant." *foot sticking out of my mouth* I thought he was sniping us, like we failed to pay the bill because WE must have a cash flow problem!

[Melissa in Australia]

I have only reported spam. If someone says something on the forum that upsets me I have no problem on calling them out publicly. I would not report them.

[Kathryn]

I have only reported spam. If someone says something on the forum that upsets me I have no problem on calling them out publicly. I would not report them.

Yep, me too. I find it odd to report offenses to the moderators. I know that's what they want, but it feels so elementary school playground to me.

[unsinkable]

Yep, me too. I find it odd to report offenses to the moderators. I know that's what they want, but it feels so elementary school playground to me.

So you think personal attacks and threats should be allowed to stand on the board?

 

Because if someone doesn't act "elementary school playground" and report the personal attacks, they just stay on the board.

[I talk to the trees]

Does anyone else find it amusing that we can "report" SWB's posts, but cannot "like" them? :laugh:

[Farrar]

I for one, am glad that people report and that the mods take stuff down.  It keeps this a safe and kind place, which is a rarity on the internet.

 

In fact, go ahead, report me discussing the boards!

[Scarlett]

I don't report.  Except for spam.  It would have to be really over the top for me to report.  I will defend myself or others.

 

FTR the moderating on this board is incredible.  I am on several other boards where people are banned for having an opinion.  SWB lets us discuss nearly everything and I am grateful to her for these boards.

[Guest inoubliable]

Sometimes I think it's schoolyard behavior. Like the "likes" and the ratings on people's profiles. Just another way to fling the middle finger at someone you don't like, whereas the "likes" and ratings are a way to give backrubs and cupcakes. I rarely report anyone unless someone is being over-the-top racist, homophobic, or generally hateful.

[Guest]

So you think personal attacks and threats should be allowed to stand on the board?

 

Because if someone doesn't act "elementary school playground" and report the personal attacks, they just stay on the board.

I have seldom seen anything I thought was way over the top, like, this HAS TO be reported because this person is so crass and awful, they must be banned. The rare times I've seen it, the person was fleeting anyway, most likely a troll, not a known member of this community. The known members of the community usually conduct themselves reasonably, presumably because this is a social construct and they care about their reputation.

 

Spam is all I have reported. I can't imagine reporting someone because I thought they were rude to me. There's always the possibility of refusing to volley back.

[Kathryn]

So you think personal attacks and threats should be allowed to stand on the board?

 

Because if someone doesn't act "elementary school playground" and report the personal attacks, they just stay on the board.

I guess, yeah, kinda. I'd rather be able to look back and see a record of someone's rude behavior than pretend it didn't exist. It's not up to me though, so my opinion really doesn't matter. What I have seen here is pretty darn mild compared to what I've seen elsewhere. For the most part, people seem to conduct themselves pretty well.

[Guest inoubliable]

I guess, yeah, kinda. I'd rather be able to look back and see a record of someone's rude behavior than pretend it didn't exist. It's not up to me though, so my opinion really doesn't matter. What I have seen here is pretty darn mild compared to what I've seen elsewhere. For the most part, people seem to conduct themselves pretty well.

 

I'll go one further and say that I wish threads weren't deleted. If they're locked because they become too heated, I get it. But a complete deletion can add on to the drama in certain corners of this forums. People will miss what was said and it'll go on longer than just locking it and giving a legit reason why. "Too heated for polite conversation to continue - locking" works just fine. We are all supposed to be adults in here, kwim?

[*Lulu*]

I'll go one further and say that I wish threads weren't deleted. If they're locked because they become too heated, I get it. But a complete deletion can add on to the drama in certain corners of this forums. People will miss what was said and it'll go on longer than just locking it and giving a legit reason why. "Too heated for polite conversation to continue - locking" works just fine. We are all supposed to be adults in here, kwim?

I used to post on another board that only deleted the truly foul and profane, but routinely locked and left threads. There is something to be said on a board this size for having the ability to go back and figure out if someone is having a bad day or is always offering Balaam a ride.

[zoobie]

This is a funny one to me. Can't discuss the board. LOL

 

You can post on the board. You can complain on the board. You can ask for advice on the board. But don't you DARE discuss the board!!!

 

:laugh:

It's like Fight Club! ;)

[SKL]

I would just note that reporting a post does not equal getting somebody banned.

 

Just FTR I might have ever reported 1 spam and 1 non-spam post.  It's not something I do lightly.  I assume the same is true of most people here.

[PeacefulChaos]

So you think personal attacks and threats should be allowed to stand on the board?

 

I can't say I've ever seen this.

:confused:

Maybe I'm just lucky. Idk.

[Catwoman]

I'm surprised at how many people have never seen any personal attacks or incredibly nasty posts here.

 

Maybe the moderators deleted them before you saw them, and they are definitely not an everyday occurrence, but I know that I have seen plenty of them, as well as instances where it seems like people are ganging up on someone -- and not in a civil way -- so I'm glad there are people who take the time to report them.

 

That said, I hope people aren't reporting posts left and right just because they don't like someone or they don't agree with their point of view. That would add a tremendous amount of unnecessary work for the moderators.

 

The moderators have posted in the past that we should report offensive posts rather than argue with the person on the thread, and I think that makes sense, although it makes me secretly wonder how many times I have been reported for some of the stupid stuff I've said. I guess there's no way to know for sure... and it's probably better that way. ;)

[eternalsummer]

I've seen personal attacks here, but it all seems so mild compared to most of the rest of the internet that I don't understand what the big deal is.  Maybe because it is a community of women?  (That is to say, women are generally more community-minded and conflict-averse, so there's a lower tolerance for aggression).

 

I don't report people, not even spam.  I think the spam here is probably pretty easy to see and delete (although if I saw a sneaky spam I might report that).

 

The only things I can think of that should absolutely be deleted would be identifying personal information released without the permission of the identified, or truly libelous (is that the right word)? speech (for example, "[so and so] is a terrible mother who beats her children and is addicted to meth," or something, which is a different things from "[so and so] is a bad person" or "[so and so] is wrong about [x].")

[PhotoGal]

nm

[Melissa in Australia]

I'm surprised at how many people have never seen any personal attacks or incredibly nasty posts here.

 

Maybe the moderators deleted them before you saw them, and they are definitely not an everyday occurrence, but I know that I have seen plenty of them, ;)

I am thinking that the marvelous mods have deleted them before I  see them.. I am in a different timezone, and l often look at a thread when it just starts, then later in the day look again and see that there have been some posts deleted by the mods and wonder how the thread spiraled down so quickly. :coolgleamA:

[In2why]

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules  :)

 

 

This is really helpful.  I looked under pinned posts but I wasn't sure where it was and if there even was a list somewhere.  

[Lady Florida.]

This is a funny one to me.  Can't discuss the board.  LOL

 

You can post on the board.  You can complain on the board.  You can ask for advice on the board.  But don't you DARE discuss the board!!!

 

:laugh:

 

The first rule of The Hive is You Do Not Talk About The Hive.  :D

 

I've only ever reported spam or someone clearly breaking board rules such as blatantly bringing up divisive politics, full on husband bashing (not just genuinely asking for help with a difficult dh situation), etc.

[DawnM]

Sometimes when threads are locked a bunch of offensive posts have already been removed and the mods know it is just spiraling down a path that will lead to more conflict if left up.

 

People whose posts were removed have been known to re-post because they can't let it go.

 

Shoot......am I discussion the boards too much?

 

 

I am NOT trying to start a conflict, nor am I questioning the moderators and how they handle things.  Because frankly I don't have the first clue how it all works.  If I guessed, I think reporting is for name calling or if someone feels attacked?  Is there a place where it is spelled out?  I have read threads that left me scratching my head because they were closed, and others that leave me scratching my head because they aren't.    I think the rules are no cursing, no political talk, and no name calling but is there more?   I have never used the report button and I don't think I have ever written anything that was reported since I don't have any warnings, but that is because I am lucky, not because I understand. 

 

[AmandaVT]

I've reported a few of the spam threads, but never a real poster. I read a lot of football sites and I think that's toughened my skin, so nothing here seems to bother me. :-)

[kiana]

I used to post on another board that only deleted the truly foul and profane, but routinely locked and left threads. There is something to be said on a board this size for having the ability to go back and figure out if someone is having a bad day or is always offering Balaam a ride.

 

I love this.

 

[Spryte]

Threats?  I have never seen threats here.  Does that mean I've missed actual threats because the mods have deleted them first?  ...Are we talking physical threats?  I find that hard to believe, considering the somewhat anonymous nature of a message board.  What type of threats are we talking about here?

 

(BTW, yes, I've seen personal attacks, etc.  Just not threats, and that word has come up in this thread a few times.  Just wondering if I'm blind, or ... ?)

[BigMamaBird]

Besides reporting spam I've only ever reported someone once.  The person was being exceptionally cruel to someone who was grieving and it was completely out of line.  That person disappeared and I've never seen them since.  Vulgarity is one thing, kicking someone while they're down is another.

[SKL]

I haven't seen threats either, here.

 

Another place, someone posted another person's personal info for the world to see AND threatened to complain to that person's employer etc. etc.  That poster is still happily blogging for cash.

[idnib]

This is really helpful.  I looked under pinned posts but I wasn't sure where it was and if there even was a list somewhere.  

 

I found it one day by scrolling to the bottom and clicking "Community Guidelines". I'm not sure if it's pinned anywhere.

[Leav97]

So you think personal attacks and threats should be allowed to stand on the board?

 

Because if someone doesn't act "elementary school playground" and report the personal attacks, they just stay on the board.

 

Yes, because then that persons crass behavior stands as a record.  When it is always deleted, there is no record and no trail.  At least when threads are locked, instead of deleted, we can all learn who doesn't act in a decent manor and make our own decisions who is worth respect.

[Guest]

I think that makes sense, although it makes me secretly wonder how many times I have been reported for some of the stupid stuff I've said. I guess there's no way to know for sure.

 

Well, Cat, It isn't myself, Scarlett, Pawz4me, Melissa in Australia, Kathryn, AmandaVT, or BigMamaBird. You have our word in this thread. So, there's only 49,889 other posters who might report you just because you're being a termite. ;)

[edelweiss]

Well, Cat, It isn't myself, Scarlett, Pawz4me, Melissa in Australia, Kathryn, AmandaVT, or BigMamaBird. You have our word in this thread. So, there's only 49,889 other posters who might report you just because you're being a termite. ;)

 

 

You can take me off of your list of suspects too.  I already mentioned that I don't report anyone for anything.   ;)

 

See, your list of suspects is rapidly dwindling.   :001_tt2:

[Joanne]

Besides reporting spam I've only ever reported someone once. The person was being exceptionally cruel to someone who was grieving and it was completely out of line. That person disappeared and I've never seen them since. Vulgarity is one thing, kicking someone while they're down is another.

 

One of my top 5 absolute regrets that I can never "do over" involves being unkind and even cruel to a poster here. Once, in one thread. I had an agenda and absolutely no heart or kindness.

 

The poster did not "leave". I hope I was reported; I did offer an apology but nothing was sufficient to make up for my behavior.

 

In general, though, for as many posters, posts and topics we have, I think we have few problems. But I tend to have a very relaxed response to forums and high comfort level with discussion and conflict.

 

I don't always agree with the Mod's "take" or perspective but I respect this is not my home.

[Farrar]

I've only ever reported someone once.  She misunderstood something I posted and then went to my blog, came back and insulted my kids.  It was really weird.  But I sort of regret bothering.  I was just so shocked.  In retrospect it was ridiculous I shouldn't have bothered.  But like I said, I'm glad that other people report.  I think the mods do a pretty amazing job, even when I sort of disagree.

[Catwoman]

Well, Cat, It isn't myself, Scarlett, Pawz4me, Melissa in Australia, Kathryn, AmandaVT, or BigMamaBird. You have our word in this thread. So, there's only 49,889 other posters who might report you just because you're being a termite. ;)

I'm feeling better already. :D

[Catwoman]

I've only ever reported someone once. She misunderstood something I posted and then went to my blog, came back and insulted my kids. It was really weird. But I sort of regret bothering. I was just so shocked. In retrospect it was ridiculous I shouldn't have bothered. But like I said, I'm glad that other people report. I think the mods do a pretty amazing job, even when I sort of disagree.

I can understand reporting someone for something like that. It's creepy that someone intentionally went off the forum to post nasty comments on your blog. :eek: