How much can the Report button be used?

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Greycap

Greycap

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This entire thread may look weird in principle but I'll post it anyway as more often than not I'm running so hot that my hair is basically on fire.

Not surprisingly I'm reading the GT5 forum a lot. If I used the report function every time I see

- a personal attack
- txtspk
- people shamelessly bashing others because they think they know better
- outright tactless useless trolling posts

I'd wear down my mouse in a week and clog up the message system that informs the staff of a new report. The amount of AUP violations is just about unbelievable, as is the reasoning behind many of them. My personal "favourite" being that someone (pretty rightfully in my opinion) dislikes cheating and somebody shoots the disliker down with a broadside because that somebody is a cheater themselves.

Should I just take a cold shower 24/7 to prevent boiling over and writing something that gets myself in trouble? Mostly interested in staff opinions.
 
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To my knowledge, there is no limit to how much a particular user can use the Report button. Obviously we would notice if a member is abusing it, for example "crying wolf", but the majority of the time, its a valid report.

Speaking on my own behalf, I know the GT5 board is a bit nuts lately, and AUP violations can fly under the radar just because of the sheer volume of posts it sees on a daily, even hourly, basis. So reported messages from that section are very helpful for staff, since there's a higher chance of us missing foul play there than somewhere like the GT2 board, statistically speaking. This is just me though, and could very well be different for other members of staff.
 
I did ask another Mod and he simply said don't hesitate to use it, it makes the mods job easier.

So yeah, do any Mods/Admins feel that some things shouldn't be reported? I think that's probably a better guideline for reporting.
 
What do the the mods prefer, private messages or use of the report button? From a personal view I've reported posts via the report button and not a lot has happened, but if I send them a pm they act pretty quickly.
 
What I learned from experience is to PM a Mod, and then get the hell out of the thread vicinity, don't post in it, you probably shouldn't even look at it. Hell, get off GTP. :lol: I kid, but just PM and leave. I got infracted for PM'ing a Mod, and then posting in the thread before it closed. Was it an IBTL post? No, but I shouldn't have done it in the first place.
 
sidsid118
What do the the mods prefer, private messages or use of the report button? From a personal view I've reported posts via the report button and not a lot has happened, but if I send them a pm they act pretty quickly.
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Before being made a Moderator, I did both. If I saw that there was only one Moderator online (or at least not in stealth) I'd shoot them a PM. If there are numerous online, I'd just use the report button.

That said, the more (sane) eyes we have looking around the better. If you see something worthy of reporting, never shy away from doing so.
 
It doesn't matter how long it takes for action to happen, it usualy will. I've reported quite a lot and i've made threads get locked and I think I caused one guy to be banned. So everyone should report if it's offensive or trolling.
 
akmuq
It doesn't matter how long it takes for action to happen, it usualy will. I've reported quite a lot and i've made threads get locked and I think I caused one guy to be banned. So everyone should report if it's offensive or trolling.
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Feeling high and mighty, do yas? :sly:

I got my guy banned, and then got myself closer to ban. :indiff:
 
But ..... for what kind of things can we use the report button without being labeled as a nuisance or a there-he-is-again-using-the-report-button by the mods. And how many times can we use this button?
 
Honestly, I can't see that being a problem at all, unless you consistently report posts that have nothing wrong with them.
 
I have been wanting to use the report button many times but was afraid to. :p

Is that sentence correct?


Jordan where is the thank you button? I want a thank you button in case I want to thank someone for a helpfull post.
 
kikie
I have been wanting to use the report button many times but was afraid to. :p

Is that sentence correct?


Jordan where is the thank you button? I want a thank you button in case I want to thank someone for a helpfull post.
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Bit off topic but yes, I would love a rep/ thank you system 👍.
 
Don't be afraid. More than one time a sharp-eyed user has picked up on something the moderators don't always see and we've been able to move fast enough to defuse the situation without any lasting damage. If you're unsure about a post, report it. A moderator will be one it sooner or later. I don't know about the others, but I'd much rather be called out to a false alarm than to have someone not report it and a serious issue develop. We're like the fire brigade.

On the issue of reputation, I've been a member of forums where it has bene used, most notable Commander Bond and Bored of Studies. It wasn't too bad at Commander Bond, but reputation led to the destruction of the Bored of Studies because it manifested itself as a system where the trolls became popular and started dictating who was allowed to use the forums. I doubt GT Planet would get to that point, but it's not something I personally would risk.
 
Off topic again.

I mean a thank you button like the report button. Not a reputation system as we had in the past.

If you click the thank you button your username will appear at the bottom of that post where you clicked the thank you button. Nothing more, nothing less.

No rep system!
 
kikie
Off topic again.

I mean a thank you button like the report button. Not a reputation system as we had in the past.

If you click the thank you button your username will appear at the bottom of that post where you clicked the thank you button. Nothing more, nothing less.

No rep system!
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I find that thank you systems like that are really messy though. If a breakthrough thread appears in the GT5 section, half a page is going to be of users thanking that post.
 
Legendary
I find that thank you systems like that are really messy though. If a breakthrough thread appears in the GT5 section, half a page is going to be of users thanking that post.
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We had a rep system in the past but Jordan removed it. People abused this system. A thank you button is less messy and less prone to be abused.
 
Alrighty, if we are getting too off topic feel free to remove posts from here.

I check this website every now and again kikie, when you mention a thank you system I think of it working like this, this terrible mess:
http://www.nextgenupdate.com/forums...254659-how-get-your-kdr-higher-black-ops.html
I just realised there is some swearing in the posts, you are warned.

I just randomly plucked that thread out of the forum but it is a hot topic, see the thankyous under the first post? That is what I think it messy...is this not the same way you are talking about?

EDIT: Whoops, gotta add a language warning.
 
We used to have a reputation button... but that system is prone to abuse, because a small clique of members can spam the reputation system to gain instant "cred". I've even seen just one guy do it (on another forum) to boost himself using multiple log-ins. Shame. I had just earned enough reputation to merit a badge right before it was removed.

There have been a few instances of "crying wolf" over the past few weeks, but not enough to invalidate the "Report" system. At the very least, some of these were borderline AUP infractions that required deliberation.

We need your help. We mods can't be everywhere at once. Especially at a time like this, when many of us are away from our regular access points.
 
I would go against the grain here and suggest that PM'ing a mod is not the best way to contact us, unless what you are asking directly concerns that mod. What if the mod you pick had just popped on to check something and didn't have time? What if he was just about to log off? What if he had went away out leaving his PC on GTP and so wasn't even there?

In my view, a report is always the best way as an email with the reported post goes to all mods. A mod may even log on specifically to deal with the issue.

kikie
I have been wanting to use the report button many times but was afraid to. :p
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This answer is aimed at everyone - Don't be afraid to use the report button. We can only see so much and do need to rely on members pointing out things they think we should be dealing with. However, don't expect every post you report to have a visible action from us. We may deal with it in thread, or we may deal with it privately, or we may think that no action needs to be taken, but the reports are always noted.
 
I have never used the report button, if it is really serious (severe ranting, attacking everything that moves) and I'm the first to come across it, I don't particulary want to get involved because then they might turn on me, if everyone did this when they was trouble then the person wouldn't get the satisfaction of causing trouble. Thats how I see it.
 
lbsf1
I don't particulary want to get involved because then they might turn on me
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The only ones that see that you have reported anything are the the staff, not the user you've reported so it's incredibly unlikely that anyone would turn on you. ;)

Click the Report icon, give a short description of the offense and move on. No need to post in the thread responding to the questionable post as that typically just causes the staff more work because now we have to clean up your post as well.

DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE REPORT BUTTON, GUYS!
 
TB
The only ones that see that you have reported anything are the the staff, not the user you've reported so it's incredibly unlikely that anyone would turn on you. ;)

Click the Report icon, give a short description of the offense and move on. No need to post in the thread responding to the questionable post as that typically just causes the staff more work because now we have to clean up your post as well.

DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE REPORT BUTTON, GUYS!
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Hmm good point, don't know why I posted that.
I kind of meant abou not posting in that thread so if no one posts in that thread then the person has no reason to do anything because no one has "fed" the troll.

GTP new year resolution to use the report button more if needed.
 
TB
Click the Report icon, give a short description of the offense and move on. No need to post in the thread responding to the questionable post as that typically just causes the staff more work because now we have to clean up your post as well.
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Does this apply to minor grammer and spelling issues as well? Only asking as I feel a friendly pointer in the right direction by a regular poster is less likely to upset a new user than being "jumped on by the mods".
 
Car-less
Does this apply to minor grammer and spelling issues as well? Only asking as I feel a friendly pointer in the right direction by a regular poster is less likely to upset a new user than being "jumped on by the mods".
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You'd think a friendly pointer from another member would be better than an official warning from the staff but after I tried to help someone here and got vindicated by a bunch of people who had nothing to do with it I learnt to just report if required and not "go public". Shame really.
 
The thing is, Neal... that's the GT5 section. Most of the people there are quite new, and I'm quite certain that a lot of them (if not all :lol:) haven't read the AUP. I remember there was an incident in the GT4 Section where someone just couldn't spell really well. We had about 4 people coaxing him to spell a bit better. He agreed - but still had bad spelling & grammar. IIRC it got a bit heated up, but the dude picked up himself and now he's not even active :lol:
 
Car-less
Does this apply to minor grammer and spelling issues as well? Only asking as I feel a friendly pointer in the right direction by a regular poster is less likely to upset a new user than being "jumped on by the mods".
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It's grammar. :p
 
What about reporting members? I've noticed the same few names, violating aup and generally not contributing to the site. Do I just report a post with an example of this and a description of what I've seen or is there a preferred method?
 
The report button should do all that. It will automatically provide us with a link to the offending post; all you have to do is state the reason behind it (ie, explicit comments, advertising, etc.) and the moderators will take care of it. You don't need to write up a detailed report of what happened.

However, if you are reporting chat room abuse, you will have to send a private message, and you should include the name of the user who is causing trouble (as there is no way to report the chat room in the same way as the wider forum). Just remember, we can only moderate what we see - we can't take action against someone in chat unless we can see they are breaking the rules.
 

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