# How is the staff notified of a reported post?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-staff-notified-of-a-reported-post/183330
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [June 21, 2003, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-staff-notified-of-a-reported-post/183330 "2003-06-21T01:39:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2003, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-staff-notified-of-a-reported-post/183330/1 "2003-06-21T01:39:11Z")
If I click ‘Report this post to a moderator’, enter a reason why, and click submit, how is it communicated to the staff? Does it generate an email to all mods, does it somehow PM all mods online, does it simply add a message to a queue of posts to be reviewed, or what?
In other words, what sort of turnaround time is the norm for a reported post? I’ve reported a few on occasion, and a staff member has dutifully wandered in and taken care of the matter, but I don’t know if a previous poster had reported it hours before.
Not that I’m accusing the mods of sloth (well, except for one or two), but just wondering about cases like a Harry Potter spoiler in a thread title.
---
### Author:  [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-staff-notified-of-a-reported-post/183330/2 "2003-06-21T02:30:14Z")
It e-mails all mods in that forum, one of whom is usually online during a typical posting time period (unless you live in Western Samoa or Tibet).
They get an e-mail that looks like this (a real one passing on my report on a post to Coldfire):
> [@](#):
>
> From: “Straight Dope Message Board Mailer” \<[webmaster@straightdope.com](mailto:webmaster@straightdope.com)\>
> To: [Coldie’s e-mail, which I’m not going to leave here for automatic harvesters]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2003 11:07 PM
> Subject: Reported post from Straight Dope Message Board
> Polycarp ( mailto:[my e-mail, removed for same reason] ) has reported this post:
>
> [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=3583502#post3583502](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=3583502#post3583502)
>
> This is part of this thread:
> [Thread name]
> [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=191676](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=191676)
>
> This is the reason that the user gave:
> [What you type in the little box when you report a post goes in here.]
>
> This message has been sent to all moderators of this forum, or all
> administrators if there are no moderators.
>
> Please respond to this post as applicable.
On receiving one of these, the Mod. then rises in righteous wrath, and seizing his/her Wand of Power, smites the offending post. If SDMB operates like the Pizza Parlor, they then document in the Secret Mod. Clubhouse what they’ve done, for the information of the other Mods. (and where applicable as an alert to a possible problem poster).
Should a banning be called for, the Admins. do this. And I can tell you what they do – but then we’d both be in deep doo-doo! 😉
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### Author:  [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2003, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-staff-notified-of-a-reported-post/183330/3 "2003-06-21T02:35:03Z")
> [@](#):
>
> then rises in righteous wrath, and seizing his/her Wand of Power
Sometimes a Wand of Power is just a cigar. Er, um…
Thanks, **Polycarp**. I couldn’t have asked for a better answer.
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### Author:  [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-staff-notified-of-a-reported-post/183330/4 "2003-06-21T03:17:21Z")
If you’re in the office, the hamsters run down the hall and bite you on the ankle.
your humble TubaDiva
Administrator
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### Author:  [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-staff-notified-of-a-reported-post/183330/5 "2003-06-21T04:15:38Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by TubaDiva \*
> \*\*the hamsters run down the hall and bite you on the ankle.
> \*\*
What’s a matter, Lassie? There’s a troll in Great Debates? He’s using racial slurs? Let’s go!
😃
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### Author:  [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-staff-notified-of-a-reported-post/183330/6 "2003-06-21T12:40:48Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by TubaDiva \*
> **If you’re in the office, the hamsters run down the hall and bite you on the ankle.**
This would be a good reason not to go with **Kal** ’s frequent suggestion to switch to pissed-off wolverines.
😃