# Small rule infraction, should I report it? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 8, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-rule-infraction-should-i-report-it/186937 "2003-07-08T04:15:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-rule-infraction-should-i-report-it/186937/1 "2003-07-08T04:15:41Z")
I constantly see infractions of the rule > [@](#): > > _From the Posting Guidelines_ > > Q: What should I do when I see a user “trolling” at the SDMB? > > A: **Do not publicly accuse someone of trolling at the SDMB.** Use the “Report this post to a moderator” facility below the “trolling” post. Do not reply to the troll in any way in the thread, that will only encourage the troublemaker. Should I be reporting it? I see it around a lot, but it seems pretty small and not worth reporting. ---
**Author:** ![Washte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Washte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washte)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-rule-infraction-should-i-report-it/186937/2 "2003-07-08T09:32:08Z")
It can be difficult to distinguish between a troll and an argumentative or aggressive poster. If in doubt, use the handy _Report This Post_ feature. The mods and admins don’t normally work 24-7 so many appreciate the heads up (IMPE). ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-rule-infraction-should-i-report-it/186937/3 "2003-07-08T09:37:58Z")
If in doubt, report the post, as **Washte** said. ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-rule-infraction-should-i-report-it/186937/4 "2003-07-08T09:39:37Z")
No, that’s not the problem. It is subtly different, but I’m talking about people **accusing people of being trolls** , not whether or not I should accuse people publicly of being trolls. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-rule-infraction-should-i-report-it/186937/5 "2003-07-08T09:44:52Z")
**Aslan** , if you see a thread where folk seem to be accusing one another of being underbridge dwellers, _and it seems trouble is brewing_ – report the post. It’s a judgement call. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-rule-infraction-should-i-report-it/186937/7 "2003-07-08T19:43:47Z")
[Isn’t this a matter of board policy](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3588971#post3588971)? ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-rule-infraction-should-i-report-it/186937/8 "2003-07-08T20:01:47Z")
**Ice Wolf** is correct that it’s a judgement call. But if you have any doubts at all, go ahead and report the post and let us make the judgement. We never get mad when someone reports a post for what they believe is valid reasons, although in the end we may disagree and let things lie. But do go ahead and report it. It’s better we know about trouble that might be brewing in advance than to be blindsided by it. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-rule-infraction-should-i-report-it/186937/9 "2003-07-08T20:13:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Achernar \* > \*\*[Isn’t this a matter of board policy](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3588971#post3588971)? \*\* From the linked thread: > [@](#): > > Please, stick to referring people to FAQ or restating published policy. Yes. That’s what we did here. Repeated that you go tell the mods. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-rule-infraction-should-i-report-it/186937/10 "2003-07-08T20:41:08Z")
Okay, fair enough. You didn’t say that you were repeating it is all, so someone could have misinterpreted it as your original opinion on the matter, especially with disclaimers like “IMPE”. FWIW, here’s what the FAQ says about it: > [@](#): > > Q: I see something at the message board that I think breaks the rules. What should I do? > A: E-mail all the moderators for the forum in which the thread occurs and/or which relates to your question. (You can easily do this using the “report post to moderator function” if your question concerns a post in a thread.) > Since the message board is so active, and the moderators are unpaid volunteers, we appreciate any assistance that our members can give us. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-rule-infraction-should-i-report-it/186937/11 "2003-07-09T02:42:55Z")
Tangentially - and I am hoping we have the attention of Someone In Charge who can address this - do you guys ever get irritated if someone in your estimation abuses the report-a-post function? ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-rule-infraction-should-i-report-it/186937/12 "2003-07-09T05:34:36Z")
I’m just back from work, so my brain is fogged all to heck. Can’t work this out. Hey, **Washte** and **Achernar** – what does “IMPE” stand for? (Actually, I could start puttin’ an abbreviation for “Member Opinion Only” at the end of such posts like that I do. Could be a MOO-ving experience. Heh. Trouble is, you’d say, “Oh, there goes th’ old MOO again,” and all that.) (Kidding! :)) ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-rule-infraction-should-i-report-it/186937/13 "2003-07-09T10:09:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ice Wolf \* > > Hey, **Washte** and **Achernar** – what does “IMPE” stand for? In My Personal/Previous Experience Julie ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-rule-infraction-should-i-report-it/186937/14 "2003-07-09T10:21:42Z")
I thought IMPE was In My Personal Estimation, kind of like IMHO. Yours makes more sense, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-rule-infraction-should-i-report-it/186937/15 "2003-07-09T10:57:05Z")
Thanks, **Shrinking Violet** and **dantheman**. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-rule-infraction-should-i-report-it/186937/16 "2003-07-09T19:02:20Z")
> [@](#): > > Tangentially - and I am hoping we have the attention of Someone In Charge who can address this - do you guys ever get irritated if someone in your estimation abuses the report-a-post function? My information on this is somewhat dated, since I haven’t been a moderator for a while. But back when I was one, I would get about 20 e-mails a day from the other mods, and perhaps one or two a week from the other posters. Now, I presume that there are a lot more e-mails from members since we got the convenient “report this post” feature, but it still can’t be significant compared to the inter-mod communications. So no, I don’t think that it’s likely to get annoying.