Quick notes about reporting things

Postby **Shadow Yoshi** » Sun Oct 16, 2016 2:42 pm

Hi everyone. Thank you for continuing to report things you have problems with around the SMBX site. Here are a couple things about reporting that need to be addressed:

- Please don't use the report button as a joke. I get that sometimes there are joke topics and that it can seem funny to report the topic facetiously, but please do not do this as it just makes things harder for us since the reports have to be closed. So, again, please only use the report button for actual issues.
- Please don't backseat moderate in your reports. A good report is "this post breaks the rules because it _____", or just using the premade reasons if you don't need to say anything further. A bad report is "please ban this user" or "please lock this thread" or anything that otherwise suggests action. You don't need to worry about the action that's taken - all we need from you is what went wrong.
- Please don't hesitate to report things to us via direct messaging on the SMBX Chat. This may end up being a faster way to reach us.

If you have any questions, let us know. Thanks!

aero · Postby **aero** » Sun Oct 16, 2016 3:01 pm

Thank you for this thread, glad you're addressing frivolous reports!

Cedur · Postby **Cedur** » Sun Oct 16, 2016 4:21 pm

I don't think it should be said "suggestion for actions is always bad". Usually it's just genuiely stating an own opinion on how a case should be handled, and in certain controversial cases there is some own interest for the reporter about how the report will be taken care of.

Requesting a ban is a different thing of course, I get why that's usually dumb, however, in some extremely wild cases like #backtobasics one would sometimes at least wish to say "I would take serious action on this".

aero · Postby **aero** » Sun Oct 16, 2016 4:44 pm

That's backseat moderating.

PixelPest · Postby **PixelPest** » Sun Oct 16, 2016 4:49 pm

Supershroom wrote:I don't think it should be said "suggestion for actions is always bad". Usually it's just genuiely stating an own opinion on how a case should be handled, and in certain controversial cases there is some own interest for the reporter about how the report will be taken care of.

Requesting a ban is a different thing of course, I get why that's usually dumb, however, in some extremely wild cases like #backtobasics one would sometimes at least wish to say "I would take serious action on this".

But Joey's opinion contradicts this and it's his forums

MECHDRAGON777 · Postby **MECHDRAGON777** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 5:03 am

Does reporting my own posts that get rapid posted (posting the same message more than one back to back by accidentally tripple clicking "submit") asking the repeats to be delegated count as backseat moderating?

Emral · Postby **Emral** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 5:30 am

MECHDRAGON777 wrote:Does reporting my own posts that get rapid posted (posting the same message more than one back to back by accidentally tripple clicking "submit") asking the repeats to be delegated count as backseat moderating?

Delete them yourself?

Also I think the amount of joke reports can be easily cut down if the number of rule-breaking posts by moderators goes down, too.
(2. FOLLOW COMMON POSTING HABITS. Don't make meaningless posts. The topic should've just been locked.)

MECHDRAGON777 · Postby **MECHDRAGON777** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 5:40 am

Enjl wrote:
MECHDRAGON777 wrote:Does reporting my own posts that get rapid posted (posting the same message more than one back to back by accidentally tripple clicking "submit") asking the repeats to be delegated count as backseat moderating?
Delete them yourself?

Also I think the amount of joke reports can be easily cut down if the number of rule-breaking posts by moderators goes down, too.
(2. FOLLOW COMMON POSTING HABITS. Don't make meaningless posts. The topic should've just been locked.)

I never found the delete button. On my posts. I thought it was because I was not a moderator.

Emral · Postby **Emral** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 5:41 am

MECHDRAGON777 wrote: I never found the delete button. On my posts. I thought it was because I was not a moderator.

You can delete your own post if nobody has replied to it. Delete them from newest to oldest and keep the first one.

MECHDRAGON777 · Postby **MECHDRAGON777** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 6:07 am

Enjl wrote:
MECHDRAGON777 wrote: I never found the delete button. On my posts. I thought it was because I was not a moderator.
You can delete your own post if nobody has replied to it. Delete them from newest to oldest and keep the first one.

Then I must always notice to late since I always reported them after I got a reply. Sorry.

Cedur · Postby **Cedur** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 8:00 am

By the way, it sometimes sucks that you can't edit or retract a report when it's sent already. Is there a way to code this?

PixelPest · Postby **PixelPest** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 9:49 am

Supershroom wrote:By the way, it sometimes sucks that you can't edit or retract a report when it's sent already. Is there a way to code this?

You could just PM a staff member about it

Postby **Shadow Yoshi** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 10:03 am

Enjl wrote:Also I think the amount of joke reports can be easily cut down if the number of rule-breaking posts by moderators goes down, too.

This was a joke thread (I think it's okay to assume that the OP wasn't exactly being serious) and...yeah, joke threads happen sometimes and it's not "moderators breaking rules". I don't know who it was that started to perpetuate that idea but it's really taking the forums too seriously at that point. The point of this thread was not to directly address joke topics, but to just say to not do joke reports. I get that joke reports can be seen as funny in the context of a joke thread, and what I'm doing is saying that joke reports are not okay.

Enjl wrote:The topic should've just been locked.)

This is exactly what you're not supposed to do.

Emral · Postby **Emral** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 1:29 pm

Joey wrote:This is exactly what you're not supposed to do.

Paying attention to the rules?

Joey wrote:I get that joke reports can be seen as funny in the context of a joke thread, and what I'm doing is saying that joke reports are not okay.

In my eyes, joke reports are as okay as joke threads: neither are. However, joke threads are extremely powerful in creating bandwagoning, and when "taking the forums too seriously" is a concern to you, I suggest other scenarios should be taken more lightheartedly in the future, too.

underFlo · Postby **underFlo** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 2:28 pm

Joke topics at least have the benefit of sometimes getting a light chuckle out of users who read them and don't really do much bad if they're not overdone (if someone's deliberately making a lot of them you can bet they'll be deleted immediately).
On the contrary, joke reports can only be seen by the moderators and as such don't really work that way.

You also have to consider the difference between reports and posts: while reports are meant to aid the mods and be serious, topics and replies can technically take all kinds of forms, so joke topics/joke replies are way more tolerable.

Cedur · Postby **Cedur** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 2:35 pm

Enjl wrote:Paying attention to the rules?

Lolnope, just saying that a thread should be locked.

On the other hand, I don't get why just giving some advice in a report already makes you "smart-alecky". Is it at least okay to express it as someone's own opinion (aka with a me-message)?

underFlo · Postby **underFlo** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 2:41 pm

Supershroom wrote:On the other hand, I don't get why just giving some advice in a report already makes you "smart-alecky". Is it at least okay to express it as someone's own opinion (aka with a me-message)?

That's exactly what backseat moderating is tho. The staff is very much capable of making such decisions on their own.

aero · Postby **aero** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 4:10 pm

Allow me to passenger seat moderate, perhaps put my hands out the window here, and suggest that maybe if you feel the need to give an opinion on a report you should handle it with the person you're talking to instead of taking everything up with the staff.

Danny · Postby **Danny** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 4:23 pm

Aero wrote:Allow me to passenger seat moderate, perhaps put my hands out the window here, and suggest that maybe if you feel the need to give an opinion on a report you should handle it with the person you're talking to instead of taking everything up with the staff.

That's when you get a slap on the wrist for backseat moderating, or you start a fight. Bringing in a middle ground, such as a staff member, likely won't cause either of those problems.

I think what needs to come of reports is to have the person that is getting reported also notified of the report via PM alongside the staff, that way all 3 parties can work things out on their own terms. I feel that can loosen up tension that I noticed a lot of people have between each other, and it will promote a better behavior among users. I'm not sure if such a system is possible to be placed in phpbb, but it would make for a better report system. The only problems I can see come with it is that it would put some weight on the staff's shoulders, but I would imagine that most situations can be dealt with in a single PM.

aero · Postby **aero** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 4:37 pm

I'm not sure if staff are exactly a middle ground. Sometimes the way it works is they make backseat mod posts themselves in the same way you or I would but it's by proxy of the report system. For loosening tensions that requires talking it out, hence handling it on your own and bringing staff when an actual direct fight happens (not assuming that will happen every time and running right to the staff that have other things to do).