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XenFans.com Article: What Happens When a Post is Reported?
Copyright (c) 2010-2011 http://xenfans.com, author: Steven Moore @ Mythotical's Blog
When reporting a thread, post, comment, etc. it goes to a special place where moderators and/or site admins can monitor these reports called a Reported Items Queue. This queue allows for easy moderation of reports and carrying out proper procedure according to the site rules established by the site owner. As this article deals with reported items only, let us take a look at the features behind it before I tell you how items are handled on my site.
First, there is a bar at the top of the page that all moderators and site admins can see. The bar can be customized or altered to reflect more or less links or information. For now the default displays 'Moderation Queue' and 'Reported Items', anytime there is anything waiting for moderator check or approval it will display a number next to 'Moderation Queue'. When an item gets reported it sits in a limbo per se that awaits moderator or site admin to view and handle the issue.
Clicking on 'Reported Items' will bring up a new page. If there have been no reported threads, posts, etc. then the page that loads will have a phrase that says 'There are currently no reported items to moderate' or something similar to that. As I used my own site as an example, I created a false report so there is a report.
Let's break this down so that anyone new or veteran to moderating can understand what they are looking at. On the page you will see the 'Content' title which below that displays the 'Content Creator', 'Post Content', and 'Forum' of the reported item. Right below that information is a button 'Go to Content' which allows a moderator to visit the thread and view the post that has been reported, allowing the moderator to decide whether or not the report is valid.
In this case it is not a valid report. Therefore, I have made a comment on the reported item stating so. This allows other moderators and site admins to discuss the issue further for either validation, procedure, or what to do next, hence the reason for the comment box.
Now, as this is a false report, it will be ignored as there is no reason to think there is an issue. So now let me explain how I handle reported items on my site as with any site I run.
When a report comes in regarding a post, I always check the content to make sure the report is valid. I keep the report open and add a comment to show the actions I took in the thread. If I have to remove the post, I do a soft delete then leave a comment on the reported post as well I 'Claim and Handle' the report. And then I can close the report by marking it resolved or refuse it as a false report by marking it rejected.
I try not to reject any reports as that is like spitting in the face of the person trying to be helpful but there can be times the feature can be abused. I only allow certain user groups the option to report an item in order to avoid abuse.
Once I have handled the report, I send a courtesy PC (Private Conversation) to the reporter with something to the effect of:
Then, if necessary, I send a PC (Private Conversation) to the poster of the item to inform them why I did what I did if any action was needed, if no action was taken I leave it alone and don't even bother the poster.
Some moderators might wonder about reported items on my site, but I tell them if they feel confident that they can handle the report then I hope by all means they claim the report and handle it.
In the end, reported items and moderation queue features are a great thing to have, as long as users don't find a way to abuse them. I know how I handle my reported items is not as in depth as most would probably handle their own site, but its there as an informative tool so I hope you have enjoyed this article and keep an eye out for more articles from myself and XenFans.
Copyright (c) 2010-2011 http://xenfans.com, author: Steven Moore @ Mythotical's Blog
In this article we diving into the reporting features of the modern forum product XenForo. Explaining where to find it, how it works. And how it's expected to operate.
When reporting a thread, post, comment, etc. it goes to a special place where moderators and/or site admins can monitor these reports called a Reported Items Queue. This queue allows for easy moderation of reports and carrying out proper procedure according to the site rules established by the site owner. As this article deals with reported items only, let us take a look at the features behind it before I tell you how items are handled on my site.
First, there is a bar at the top of the page that all moderators and site admins can see. The bar can be customized or altered to reflect more or less links or information. For now the default displays 'Moderation Queue' and 'Reported Items', anytime there is anything waiting for moderator check or approval it will display a number next to 'Moderation Queue'. When an item gets reported it sits in a limbo per se that awaits moderator or site admin to view and handle the issue.
Clicking on 'Reported Items' will bring up a new page. If there have been no reported threads, posts, etc. then the page that loads will have a phrase that says 'There are currently no reported items to moderate' or something similar to that. As I used my own site as an example, I created a false report so there is a report.
Let's break this down so that anyone new or veteran to moderating can understand what they are looking at. On the page you will see the 'Content' title which below that displays the 'Content Creator', 'Post Content', and 'Forum' of the reported item. Right below that information is a button 'Go to Content' which allows a moderator to visit the thread and view the post that has been reported, allowing the moderator to decide whether or not the report is valid.
In this case it is not a valid report. Therefore, I have made a comment on the reported item stating so. This allows other moderators and site admins to discuss the issue further for either validation, procedure, or what to do next, hence the reason for the comment box.
Now, as this is a false report, it will be ignored as there is no reason to think there is an issue. So now let me explain how I handle reported items on my site as with any site I run.
When a report comes in regarding a post, I always check the content to make sure the report is valid. I keep the report open and add a comment to show the actions I took in the thread. If I have to remove the post, I do a soft delete then leave a comment on the reported post as well I 'Claim and Handle' the report. And then I can close the report by marking it resolved or refuse it as a false report by marking it rejected.
I try not to reject any reports as that is like spitting in the face of the person trying to be helpful but there can be times the feature can be abused. I only allow certain user groups the option to report an item in order to avoid abuse.
Once I have handled the report, I send a courtesy PC (Private Conversation) to the reporter with something to the effect of:
Then, if necessary, I send a PC (Private Conversation) to the poster of the item to inform them why I did what I did if any action was needed, if no action was taken I leave it alone and don't even bother the poster.
Some moderators might wonder about reported items on my site, but I tell them if they feel confident that they can handle the report then I hope by all means they claim the report and handle it.
In the end, reported items and moderation queue features are a great thing to have, as long as users don't find a way to abuse them. I know how I handle my reported items is not as in depth as most would probably handle their own site, but its there as an informative tool so I hope you have enjoyed this article and keep an eye out for more articles from myself and XenFans.
