# How often do people report posts to the admin?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [March 13, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118 "2003-03-13T15:54:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/1 "2003-03-13T15:54:06Z")
I’ve always tried to use this handy feature whenever possible (in case you havent seen it , there is a link called report this post at the bottom right of each post). Usually because I see a “Mods please move” or “Mods please lock”.
I don’t think I’ve ever used it because I found anything offensive or inappropriate but I am not easily offended.
So, how many of these do you get a day and what are they mostly for?
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### Author:  [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/2 "2003-03-13T19:39:05Z")
I get usually one or two a day with reports of decorum breaches. However, in cases of Spam and blatant trolling and the like, it’s not unusual to receive as many as a dozen inside of just a couple hours. For the most part, the members here do a damn fine job of alerting us to potential trouble. At least they do in MPSIMS; I assume the mods of the other fora see a similar response from the members.
For the record, and on behalf of the entire staff, if I may be so bold, I’d like to thank all y’all for being so helpful—and yet restrained; the reports I get are most often spot on. Many of us are very busy with our real jobs and life and stuff like that (much like all of you), everything that we’re directed to saves us a whole bunch of time. It also provides us a valuable method of gauging the sense of the membship. It shows us where the membership’s limits and boundaries of decorum lie.
Again, thanks y’all.
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### Author:  [@Truth\_Seeker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truth_Seeker)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2003, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/3 "2003-03-13T21:30:01Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*It also provides us a valuable method of gauging the sense of the membship. It shows us where the membership’s limits and boundaries of decorum lie.
\*\*
I agree this is valuable information but you need to be a bit careful in interpreting it. I assume that people only report posts to complain. I mean, people don’t report a lot of posts to call attention to their trenchant wit, do they?
In other words, you’re only hearing half of the story. From what I see in the pit, there are things that really get up some people’s noses that don’t bother most people in the least. If you only see the complaints, this can turn into a sort of “heckler’s veto.”
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### Author:  [@UnwrittenNocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwrittenNocturne)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2003, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/4 "2003-03-13T21:33:12Z")
I did once…a porn spammer, he disappeared
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/5 "2003-03-13T22:22:41Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by UncleBeer \*
> I get usually one or two a day with reports of decorum breaches.
It dawns on me that there are days when I personally am probably responsible for 100% of **Unc** ’s reported threads. I don’t know whether to be proud or embarassed. 🙂
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### Author:  [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/6 "2003-03-13T22:57:52Z")
I always wanted to be a hall monitor in school, and of course everyone knows I’m a Mod Wanna-Be, so I use it as much as possible. So at least a dozen times a day.
Seriously, some days I’ll report one or two things, other times I’ll go weeks w/out reporting anything. I report various things - sometimes GQ threads that are turning into debates, or threads where personal insults are being slung in the wrong forum, admitted or supected trolling or socking, crap like that. Sometimes I’ll report threads in the wrong forum.
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### Author:  [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/7 "2003-03-13T23:06:33Z")
I reported one post.
In the mod’s next post, the poster was banned.
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### Author:  [@Tony\_Barber\_s\_Underwear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Barber_s_Underwear)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/8 "2003-03-14T00:58:34Z")
> [@](#):
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> \*Originally posted by Bearflag70 \*
> \*\*I reported one post.
>
> In the mod’s next post, the poster was banned. \*\*
So you’re saying that we’d better not cross you, **Bearflag70**?
- Bubba.
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### Author:  [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/9 "2003-03-14T01:06:40Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by UncleBeer \*
> \*\* I assume the mods of the other fora see a similar response from the members.
>
> For the record, and on behalf of the entire staff, if I may be so bold, I’d like to thank all y’all for being so helpful—and yet restrained; the reports I get are most often spot on. \*\*
Amen to that! Also, the comments we get in the little reports are sometimes priceless. The “report this post to a moderator” function is absolutely my favorite part of this whole moderator gig.
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### Author:  [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/10 "2003-03-14T01:38:39Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Tony Barber’s Underwear \*
> \*\*So you’re saying that we’d better not cross you, **Bearflag70**?
>
> - Bubba. \*\*
Hey, I’m shootin’ 100%, if you catch my drift…
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### Author:  [@ScoobyTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ScoobyTX)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/11 "2003-03-14T04:22:22Z")
Should we be using the “Report this post” link to report any kind of troublesome post? I started to use it today for a C&P article posted to GD by a low post count member (not that there’s anything wrong with his low post count, just that he doesn’t seem to grok the rules yet). On the report form is
> [@](#):
>
> This is ONLY to be used to report spam, advertising messages, and problematic (harassment, fighting, or rude) posts.
Since this was none of these, I skipped it. A mod happened past the thread a few hours later & closed it.
Should I ignore that warning and report away in the future?
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### Author:  [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/12 "2003-03-14T04:57:32Z")
I’ve reported a couple over the past 2 years. Real blatant trolls and a couple of threads that were getting waaaaay outta hand.
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/13 "2003-03-14T06:34:56Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by manhattan \*
> Also, the comments we get in the little reports are sometimes priceless.
Can you share one or two of your favourites, manhattan? Of course, without revealing who reported it.
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### Author:  [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/14 "2003-03-14T06:43:05Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Should we be using the “Report this post” link to report any kind of troublesome post? I started to use it today for a C&P article posted to GD by a low post count member (not that there’s anything wrong with his low post count, just that he doesn’t seem to grok the rules yet).
While I can’t speak for the GD mods, I will say that I always appreciate getting reports on troublesome posts, and I usually DO take some sort of action on them, though the action is not always visible to regular posters.
I think that the record in the Pit was something like 36 reports in 15 minutes. It was some sort of spam post, and I guess that a lot of people were reading the Pit at that time. Yes, I did read every one of those reports, including the comments.
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### Author:  [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/15 "2003-03-14T07:50:48Z")
I use it just to bring to the mod’s attention that’s against the rules (factually, not stuff I personally find offensive). Stuff like, “Wrong forum,” “some kind of pyramid scheme.” Stuff like that. Junior modding, I suppose. Egh. Just trying to save them some time. I’ve probably done it five times in the past month.
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### Author:  [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/16 "2003-03-14T12:14:05Z")
I think that the description for the report this post should be toned down a bit. Every time I do it, I waver when i read the description as I think I might just be wasting a mod’s time.
Maybe you could add a section for thread moves and the such.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/17 "2003-03-14T12:32:21Z")
I do sometimes worry that maybe I over-use the feature, but I guess if that were substantially the case then somebody would have told me to reel my neck in a little…
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### Author:  [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/18 "2003-03-14T13:03:34Z")
I’ve often run across posts that are clearly in the wrong forum, but the extent of my action has at most been to mention that fact in a follow-up post (but only if I have something to contribute to the thread in general).
From **Troy McClure SF’s** comments above, it sounds like “wrong forum” posts might be acceptable situations to use the “report this post to a moderator” feature.
Mods… what do you think of this practice? Desired? Just OK? Avoid it unless it’s egregious?
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### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/19 "2003-03-14T13:06:28Z")
I agree with your last post, **Shalmanese**. Initially, the description deterred me from using the feature. Now though, I will use it, even if the problem isn’t one of those listed there.
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### Author:  [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-people-report-posts-to-the-admin/161118/20 "2003-03-14T13:08:45Z")
One thing is sure… all posts should be reported to a moderator where the username **Atomic Badger Racing** gets suggested to a doper who is considering a name change.
::mischievous grin::
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