Process for status of reported posts?
 

A little over a week ago, I reported this post for violating this rule of the political forum:
While the poster did not write "fixed", they altered the quoted post with bolding and underlining that misrepresented the original poster and made it appear as if they emphasized gender much more than they did. This seems a clear violation of at least the spirit of the rule, but I reported it so the mods could decide.

As far as I can tell, no mod action was taken and the altered quote still remains. I have no problem with the mods interpreting the situation differently and deciding it wasn't an offense. That said, is there any process for the mods to follow up with someone who reports a post to let them know the reported post was assessed? At this point, I have no clue if the report I submitted went into a black hole or was considered and determined to be innocuous. That makes me less likely to use the "report this post" feature in the future.

Re: Process for status of reported posts?
 

That's a great question. I too was in that similar situation.

I reported this one last week. No action was taken by a mod.

This is clearly a spammer, here to introduce a buying product. The thread does not belong on a dvd forum.

I think only 2 or 3 mods are active and carrying all the weight on their shoulders.

Re: Process for status of reported posts?
 

Hi kefrank, while I'm usually hands-off for moderation (besides the Tech/Feedback forum), I do get the reported post email notifications. Could you please report that post again? That way I can see if there was simply a technical issue, preventing it from reaching the mod team.

Re: Process for status of reported posts?
 

Just reported it again. Thanks for looking into it from the technical side.

As far as process goes, I'm not sure what the forum software supports, but it would be nice for both the mods and users if there was something the mods could click to indicate they reviewed the reported post that then would automatically send a notification (private message?) to the user who reported it, so at least they can know it was looked at.

Re: Process for status of reported posts?
 

Hi kefrank, I believe that reported post was handled and while it wasn't perhaps done in the most obviously public way, there was consequence.

Sonic, it looks like that thread is locked but I don't know when it got locked. Maybe after this thread started, I don't know. I do know there have been lots of closed and archived spam threads. LOTS. Like, more than I ever imagined. You'd think we can catch them all especially with people like you being diligent with reporting posts, which is exactly what we ask, but I was surprised at how many come through and it can happen they slip through the cracks. Thanks for your patience.

There's a part of me who understands what I'm about to write and a part of me that really is frustrated by it: We are unable to respond personally to all emails. This is not something I understood until I became a mod five months ago but I see it now a little better.

Here's 3 reasons I get it better:
1. There are many, many reported posts and for a volunteer position it's more important to prioritize weighing whether to take action and then to take said action than respond to every report.
2. If action is warranted, it's usually pretty obvious that action has been taken, by and large.
3. If action isn't warranted, I think it would be pretty easy to get sucked down the rabbit hole in an email exchange about it. Maybe that's being pessimistic and I should be more open to response, I don't know.

Here's 3 reasons while it's frustrating to me:
1. I really want to respond to everyone, I just don't have the bandwidth.
2. If action is warranted, we shouldn't just rely on the hope you'll notice. Again, it's bandwidth.
3. If action isn't warranted, I can see how someone would benefit from explanation. Again, bandwidth.

I can't speak for all the mods and admins and I'm certainly still the new kid on the block. I just have to say, I truly do read and weigh every reported post that comes across my inbox and then do my best. And really, while I won't speak for the others I truly get the impression that they do, too. Ultimately, I think it comes down to bandwidth, at least for me. If I'm also taking the time to respond to everyone, perhaps even to a point that it spirals into lots of conversation, that's a level of volunteering time and energy that I just don't have right now in my life. DVDTalk has been and continues to be important to me, and in the work/life balance, it's a side gig (or like a side gig, as there isn't pay like a side gig!). For example, there were 5 reported posts that came across my inbox during my time away with family for Labor Day weekend, and that's just for the forums I mod. Every minute I'm responding to posts is a minute I'm not with my kids lying in hammocks and watching the sunset over the lake. I'm not trying to sob story, friends, and I'm not Jimmy and you're not Jules, but if I'm in the middle of life I'm going to do my best with the report, weigh action warranted, and take it if necessary as top priority. I'm hoping people can understand that.

I'll add that yeah, I've been there. I get the frustration. I've even looped back with another message to say hey, mods, what's up? All I can say is I'm amazed by how hard this team works for love of the community, it's really impressive. We'll keep doing our best and do please keep reporting posts, because it means you care. It's good to care about this community. That's what's going to keep it going and, dare I say, grow.

Re: Process for status of reported posts?
 

Thanks story. Just to clarify, I wasn't asking for or expecting an explanation of the action taken, if any. What I'm really asking about is if there's a simple (preferably automated to keep it easy for the mods) way to receive basic confirmation that a mod received and processed the report, independent of whatever action the mods decide to take. Otherwise, for users, reporting posts can feel like an exercise in futility with no way of knowing if it was even seen by anyone.

Re: Process for status of reported posts?
 

Oh, I see. Not that I know of. Reported posts go to our email. I don't know any way to fully automate a "We got it, we'll check it out!" or a "We checked it out, thanks a lot!" process, sorry. Maybe someone smarter than me does, though. I'll ask him. Ted? What do you think?

https://media.giphy.com/media/ToMjGp...kxhu/giphy.gif

Yeah, Ted doesn't know either, sorry.

Re: Process for status of reported posts?
 

https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=h...mr4JUU.gif&f=1

btw story it's all good and I value your explanation. :thumbsup:

Re: Process for status of reported posts?
 

Well, now I really want a Columbo & Ted movie!

Re: Process for status of reported posts?
 

There is not a way to let users know when their Reports have been processed, unfortunately, other than manually PMing them or the like.