# What do mods see when I report a post?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [July 29, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845 "2013-07-29T20:30:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845/1 "2013-07-29T20:30:50Z")
If I report a post, do the mods get a copy of the post in the report? Or do they just see my text, and then have to follow a link to see the post? Does it help if I give some description of the post itself in my report?
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### Author:  [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845/2 "2013-07-29T20:32:55Z")
We get a link to the post and a separate link to the thread itself.
And whatever message you typed to go with it.
Keep those cards and letters coming in, friends.
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845/3 "2013-07-29T20:39:41Z")
We get an email that looks like this:
> [@](#):
>
> Marley23 ( mailto:mod.marley [at] [gmail.com](http://gmail.com) ) has reported this post:
>
> What do mods see when I report a post?
> [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=16522883#post16522883](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=16522883#post16522883)
>
> This is part of this thread:
> What do mods see when I report a post?
> [What do mods see when I report a post? - About This Message Board - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=697965)
>
> This is the reason that the user gave:
> Sample.
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845/4 "2013-07-29T20:42:45Z")
So it no longer automatically turns on the poster’s webcam, prints out the latest bank and credit card statements, and forwards the notice to the NSA?
What happened-budget cuts?
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845/5 "2013-07-29T21:15:51Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#):
>
> Does it help if I give some description of the post itself in my report?
Yes, it helps to describe why you are reporting it. Some things are more time-sensitive for moderator attention (e.g. a fight breaking out) and others are less urgent (a thread move). If I have limited time, sometimes I may only deal with anything that looks urgent, and come back to other items later (assuming one of the other forum mods hasn’t dealt with it by then).
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### Author:  [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2013, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845/6 "2013-07-29T22:18:53Z")
Do all mods see a report, or just the Admins and forum mods?
You don’t have a seperate Mod forum here? Another place where I moderated did, and it was quite useful.
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### Author:  [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845/7 "2013-07-29T22:31:55Z")
> [@AK84](#):
>
> Do all mods see a report, or just the Admins and forum mods?
>
> You don’t have a seperate Mod forum here? Another place where I moderated did, and it was quite useful.
Only the forum mods AFAIK, not even the admins see it.
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### Author:  [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845/8 "2013-07-29T22:40:26Z")
Thanks.
> [@Colibri](#):
>
> Yes, it helps to describe why you are reporting it. Some things are more time-sensitive for moderator attention (e.g. a fight breaking out) and others are less urgent (a thread move). If I have limited time, sometimes I may only deal with anything that looks urgent, and come back to other items later (assuming one of the other forum mods hasn’t dealt with it by then).
This is exactly what I had in mind. I try to give enough information to help understand if it’s time sensitive or not..but then I thought that if the original post showed in the e-mail too, it would be obvious.
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> So it no longer automatically turns on the poster’s webcam, prints out the latest bank and credit card statements, and forwards the notice to the NSA?
> What happened-budget cuts?
The reward of a few cents from my credit cards wasn’t worth the penalty of having to look at me, apparently.
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### Author:  [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2013, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845/9 "2013-07-29T23:46:12Z")
Okay, some follow-on questions.
(1) How many reports do mods typically get? Are you overwhelmed by them beyond your ability to keep up? Or do you get a whole lot of them, but nothing overwhelming? Or just an occasional few to deal with?
**Colibri** ’s remark, above, seems to suggest that you get enough that you need to prioritize your responses.
(2) If reports in different forums go to different mods, does that mean there might be multiple reports about one bad actor, but if they are in different forums and different mods see them, you might not spot the pattern that someone is being the subject of numerous reports?
(3) Do you make it a practice to respond to the reporter, either publicly or privately? If you deign to NOT take any action on a report (like if you think a report isn’t serious enough), will you take the trouble to respond to the reporter to that effect?
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### Author:  [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845/10 "2013-07-29T23:59:07Z")
> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> Okay, some follow-on questions.
>
> (1) How many reports do mods typically get? Are you overwhelmed by them beyond your ability to keep up? Or do you get a whole lot of them, but nothing overwhelming? Or just an occasional few to deal with?
>
> **Colibri** ’s remark, above, seems to suggest that you get enough that you need to prioritize your responses.
I read the various responses more as “How quickly do I log in to deal with stuff, when I get an e-mail..”
> [@](#):
>
> (3) Do you make it a practice to respond to the reporter, either publicly or privately? If you deign to NOT take any action on a report (like if you think a report isn’t serious enough), will you take the trouble to respond to the reporter to that effect?
I’ve never gotten a response from a Mod after I report a post. But that’s ok. They’re busy people.
(I sometimes go back to the thread to see if action was taken, just to see if I’m reporting the right stuff. I know the mods prefer to get more reports than less so they can make decisions themselves, but it never hurts to learn a bit..)
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### Author:  [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2013, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845/11 "2013-07-30T00:09:00Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> So it no longer automatically turns on the poster’s webcam, prints out the latest bank and credit card statements, and forwards the notice to the NSA?
> What happened-budget cuts?
Fer the love of Goddess, put a shirt on when you post here, willya?
And don’t you roll your eyes at me!
:smack:
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2013, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845/12 "2013-07-30T01:37:21Z")
> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> (1) How many reports do mods typically get? Are you overwhelmed by them beyond your ability to keep up? Or do you get a whole lot of them, but nothing overwhelming? Or just an occasional few to deal with?
I think it varies by forum and by day. For me it doesn’t start to get overwhelming unless there’s some big fight in GD and everybody’s reporting everybody. That doesn’t happen too often. Usually it’s a few spammers, a few threads in the wrong forum, and occasionally somebody being a jerk.
> [@](#):
>
> 1. If reports in different forums go to different mods, does that mean there might be multiple reports about one bad actor, but if they are in different forums and different mods see them, you might not spot the pattern that someone is being the subject of numerous reports?
We can all see when someone gets a warning, and we try to make a point of communicating with the whole group about people who are acting that way.
> [@](#):
>
> (3) Do you make it a practice to respond to the reporter, either publicly or privately?
Some mods do, but it can be hard to make the time for it.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845/13 "2013-07-30T01:41:47Z")
> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> (1) How many reports do mods typically get? Are you overwhelmed by them beyond your ability to keep up? Or do you get a whole lot of them, but nothing overwhelming? Or just an occasional few to deal with?
>
> **Colibri** ’s remark, above, seems to suggest that you get enough that you need to prioritize your responses.
In GQ, I’d say anywhere from 5 to 20 a day, some of them reporting the same post. The majority of reports are spam, which are simple but tedious to deal with. There’s often considerable correspondence in the mod loop as well.
> [@](#):
>
> (2) If reports in different forums go to different mods, does that mean there might be multiple reports about one bad actor, but if they are in different forums and different mods see them, you might not spot the pattern that someone is being the subject of numerous reports?
That sometimes happens, but I think quite a few posters do most of their posting in only a few forums.
> [@](#):
>
> (3) Do you make it a practice to respond to the reporter, either publicly or privately? If you deign to NOT take any action on a report (like if you think a report isn’t serious enough), will you take the trouble to respond to the reporter to that effect?
Since the system isn’t set up so that we can respond directly by email to a thread report - we have to do that by a separate email - I tend not to. Sometimes I explain why I haven’t taken action if the same person has reported the same post a second time, or if the person who reported it is mistaken about the rules. I wouldn’t respond publicly unless someone has posted that they reported someone else’s post but they were mistaken or a squabble was starting because of it.
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#):
>
> I read the various responses more as “How quickly do I log in to deal with stuff, when I get an e-mail..”
I’m usually logged on to both the board and to my email, so I don’t log on just to deal with thread reports.
> [@](#):
>
> (I sometimes go back to the thread to see if action was taken, just to see if I’m reporting the right stuff. I know the mods prefer to get more reports than less so they can make decisions themselves, but it never hurts to learn a bit..)
Good policy.
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### Author:  [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2013, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845/14 "2013-07-30T04:05:27Z")
Mods see? I thought they just sensed a disturbance in the board.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2013, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mods-see-when-i-report-a-post/664845/15 "2013-07-30T04:08:49Z")
> [@Zebra](#):
>
> Mods see? I thought they just sensed a disturbance in the board.
Actually, sometimes I can tell a thread has gone wonky even without a thread report. If a thread on a seemingly boring topic suddenly has lots of new posts in a short period of time, it often means someone is trolling or a fight has broken out.