# Response to reported post?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [October 14, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528 "2016-10-14T17:39:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@half-elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/half-elf)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/1 "2016-10-14T17:39:50Z")
I just reported a post by a new poster because their user name and posting style are very similar to somebody who was recently disappeared (which makes me believe that they already have a propensity to sock up).
Do mods ever get back to the ‘reporter’ to say ‘‘good catch!’’ or ‘‘investigated and it’s just an uncanny coincidence’’ ?
Or will I just have to check again and again to see if they get banned or not-banned to see if my instinct was correct?
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/2 "2016-10-14T17:41:07Z")
> [@half-elf](#):
>
> I just reported a post by a new poster because their user name and posting style are very similar to somebody who was recently disappeared (which makes me believe that they already have a propensity to sock up).
>
> Do mods ever get back to the ‘reporter’ to say ‘‘good catch!’’ or ‘‘investigated and it’s just an uncanny coincidence’’ ?
>
> Or will I just have to check again and again to see if they get banned or not-banned to see if my instinct was correct?
My experience is that they don’t usually don’t say anything if they act, but may say something if they don’t, explaining why not.
But it’s been a while since I’ve reported anything.
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### Author:  [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/3 "2016-10-14T17:53:34Z")
Yes, they sometimes say “good catch” or “you were right”, it really depends on the mod and if they have time to do it or think of it, but before I became a mod, I’ve had mods regularly tell me that my sock suspicions were correct in PMs when I would PM them with my thoughts and “evidence”.
So it happens. Maybe not so much to reports because you cannot easily reply back to a report, but if sent in a PM, say, it would probably get replied to.
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### Author:  [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/4 "2016-10-14T17:58:06Z")
As for regular reports, **BigT** is correct. Normally mods will just take no action at all if they don’t think a report needs action and they will not reply to the reporter because, again, it takes an extra step in order to reply to a report. First you have to copy the email of the poster, you can’t just reply back to the report, because that just gets sent back to the SDMB email. Then you have to create a new email entirely and paste in the poster’s email and then create your own title, etc.
That all said, I have done that before and will sometimes if I have something to say. More often I will just come here and PM the poster using the PM system, though. It’s faster/easier than replying to a reported post.
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### Author:  [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/5 "2016-10-14T18:05:28Z")
Some mods respond more than others, but most of the time we don’t respond to the person who reported the post. If you are ever curious about a particular post report (or pretty much anything else), feel free to send us a PM or e-mail and ask what’s going on. Some folks are hesitant to contact us because they think they might be bothering us, but that’s not true. We’re generally happy to answer any and all questions that we get.
In this particular case, we received your report and we’re looking into it.
We don’t have time to respond to all of them, but we very much appreciate all of the post reports that we get. We probably don’t say this often enough, but than you for reporting it and thanks to everyone else who has reported posts and other issues.
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### Author:  [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/6 "2016-10-14T18:09:34Z")
I have been thanked via PM recently by a moderator in response to a reported post. I won’t name the mod or the person that the report concerned to protect their anonymity, but the reply from the mod was very much appreciated and helped me to feel I made a difference to the board.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/7 "2016-10-14T18:25:29Z")
> [@cochrane](#):
>
> I have been thanked via PM recently by a moderator in response to a reported post. I won’t name the mod or the person that the report concerned to protect their anonymity, but the reply from the mod was very much appreciated and helped me to feel I made a difference to the board.
Thanks!😉
Anyway, as has been said, you’re much more likely to get a response by PM than in response to a thread report. We get a lot of reports, and it takes several extra steps to reply by email, so I usually don’t do it except in special circumstances. No one should feel their reports are unappreciated.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/8 "2016-10-14T18:35:21Z")
And just FYI, but I’m pretty sure that there’s no nice, easy “Reply” button on a post report: If a mod wants to reply, they have to do it manually. Which explains why they don’t usually bother.
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### Author:  [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/9 "2016-10-14T18:38:40Z")
It does depend on time and circumstance.
Example of workflow: since yesterday and today we have 34 reported posts across all fora. It can be higher sometimes. I respond when appropriate but a lot of times I just act - or not - and move on.
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### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/10 "2016-10-14T18:38:47Z")
FWIW recently I reported a post, received back an email from one mod saying that my reason for reporting the post was not valid, and when I returned to the thread later a different mod had issued a warning for that post.
Not that it’s any big deal - I’m sure they get a lot of reports, and occasionally a mod could respond before the issue is definitely resolved one way or other.
Regards,
Shodan
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/11 "2016-10-14T18:45:50Z")
So my receiving a $5 check for every post I report _isn’t_ the norm?
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### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/12 "2016-10-14T18:58:12Z")
You only get five?
Regards,
Shodan
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### Author:  [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/13 "2016-10-14T19:12:17Z")
Back when I was a poster most of the time when I reported a post I wouldn’t get a message back. If the report was acted on that was my answer. If it wasn’t acted on I figured “I guess they didn’t think it was a big deal” and I would move on.
Now that I am a mod when I see a post in another forum that isn’t spam or a total trainwreck that needs immediate action I hit the report button like everyone else. If the report was acted on that was my answer. If it wasn’t acted on I figured “I guess they didn’t think it was a big deal” and I would move on. I still don’t get a message.
If I see the report while I’m on my phone the chances of you getting any kind of message from me are pretty much zero. It’s a pain to do. On a computer your chances are higher.
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### Author:  [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/14 "2016-10-14T19:14:54Z")
36
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### Author:  [@half-elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/half-elf)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/15 "2016-10-14T19:38:16Z")
Thanks to everybody for the replies. 🙂
The wait to see if my hunch is acted upon will be agonizing! :eek:
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#):
>
> 36
Que? 😛
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### Author:  [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/16 "2016-10-14T19:49:30Z")
I thought it was 42?
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### Author:  [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/17 "2016-10-14T19:52:22Z")
> [@Colibri](#):
>
> Thanks!😉
>
> Anyway, as has been said, you’re much more likely to get a response by PM than in response to a thread report. We get a lot of reports, and it takes several extra steps to reply by email, so I usually don’t do it except in special circumstances. No one should feel their reports are unappreciated.
Well, since you outed yourself, **Colibri** , you’re welcome again and thanks for letting me know you read my report and took action on it. I appreciate the personal touch. 🙂
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### Author:  [@half-elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/half-elf)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/18 "2016-10-14T20:22:23Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#):
>
> I thought it was 42?
Yes, I suspect it’s connected to that but I fail to see how.
Please come back and explain!
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### Author:  [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/19 "2016-10-14T20:46:05Z")
> [@half-elf](#):
>
> Yes, I suspect it’s connected to that but I fail to see how.
> Please come back and explain!
I believe Jonathan was updating the running tally on number of reports for the day.
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### Author:  [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2016, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/response-to-reported-post/768528/20 "2016-10-14T20:49:44Z")
I reported a couple of suspects and help bust a serial sock once. Cecil sent me a collectible, autographed 8 x 10 glossy and 2 tickets for VIP seating at the movie debut of _the Barn House_.
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