Do multiple reports get rid of spam posts faster?
I mean, is there a queue of reports, or do reports get randomly sent to the moderators?
If someone reports a spam post, and posts that they did so, does reporting it again do any good?
The reports go to all moderators of that forum. Speed of response depends on time of day/who’s logged in.
The mods have said before that it doesn’t help. That’s why we started posting that we had reported, so that the mods wouldn’t wake up with an inbox full of SPAM reports.
Yes, the reports just go to their email. There is no queue, IIRC. Though I believe there is an email account that any mod can check to see reports not in their own forum (again, IIRC).
Reports go to every mod for the forum that the reported thread is in. If one of those mods is online when the report comes in, the spam is usually dealt with immediately; otherwise it has to wait till one of us logs in.
As runner pat (who is a world-class spam spotter, BTW) said, multiple reports don’t make anything happen any faster, it’s all a matter of which mod is online when. So, yes, report the post then post in the thread saying “reported” so others know they don’t need to.
Also, if you see multiple instances of spam by the same spammer in the same forum, you don’t have to report all of them, since we automatically delete all spam by a particular person as part of the banning process. If you see the same spammer in different forums, though, go ahead and report, since the mods in one forum may read the email sooner than the mods in the other.
There is no master email queue of reports. A mod may just happen to see spam in another person’s forum while reading the boards (as we all do, being members as well as mods), in which case we’ll go ahead and delete. And since *all *spam goes when we delete the spam, if I’m banning someone who popped up in MPSIMS, whatever he or she spammed in GQ and IMHO will disappear as well, even though I didn’t see the reports to the mods in those forums.
Hope this helps.
twickster, MPSIMS and Cafe Society moderator
Just to reinforce what twickster said, if you see a spam post or thread, please report it and then simply post “reported” in the thread so others know they don’t need to. The forum moderators will see the report and deal with it if we are online. Multiple reports don’t get rid of the spam any faster. When I see 10 “reported posts” in a row my inbox, it is generally multiple reports of the same spam post. We certainly appreciate people trying to be helpful, but it takes more time to go through them all than if there were just one report.
Yes, what Colibri and twickster said, but I’d add: we’d rather go through a dozen reports of the same spam than have people avoid reporting something for fear of duplication. Failure to catch spam quickly is worse than having to go through multiple reports. So, if in doubt, report it… please! Then post that you’ve reported it so others needn’t.
User note
Multiple posting notes of Moderator’s post of [“Spam Reported” post by users, noted] has been noted.
/end note 
I love how quick and efficient the SDMB moderators are to spam, but I am wondering… is it possible when the moderators remove the spam to also remove the post where the reporting poster indicates he/she has reported it? It’s actually quite jarring to be happily reading along in spam-free thread and then see “spam post reported” when it’s already been removed.
I try to do this most of the time. I can’t speak for the other mods.
I try to do it also. But depending on how we get rid of the spam, it’s possible the mods don’t see those “Reported” posts.
By the club of Og, do not quote the spam post.
I also generally remove the “reported” post, as well as other posts referring to the spam posts, if there aren’t too many.
Yeah, if it looks like spam, don’t quote it. We’ll either have to delete or edit the post to get rid of the link.