The Report Function: All Members Please Read

There seems to be some confusion and misunderstanding of the report function.

You can report posts which are:

• personal insults to yourself or another member
• quoting and reposting of personal photographs
• to remove personal information
• to have personal photos removed from personal taxonomy
• trolling
• spam
• flaming
• harassment
• insulting visitor messages
• defamation

We try to encourage freedom of expression with as little restriction as possible.

Criticism of another country/culture/religion is allowed, as long as no members in particular are targeted.

Articles which are cited from reputable sources, even if controversial, will be allowed.



**We will update this thread as is necessary. Please make sure you have read it.

Some people report posts which are a response to their own provocation.

If you provoke, don't complain when you get a response you don't like.

The reports section looks like a school-yard of "but he said this first!" and "he said that first!". 90% of these reports are responses to provocations which the reporter made themselves.

Please thank this post when you have read it so that I can see who is reading the announcements and who needs to be reminded.

Bump.

Please note that simply disagreeing with someone's opinion doesn't warrant reporting a post.

Thanks.

Apricity registers thousands of posts every day and staff can unfortunately not read everything. To help moderation become faster and easier, we rely on your help to report bad posts. Since we do not have a moderation system for newbies like other fora, we particularly appreciate the reporting of spam and advertising. To report a post, click on the report button (Attachment 75912) from the postbit. You can also report a post by messaging a staff member, though we usually recommend the former method - particularly if you prefer to save time and clicks - as the report automatically quotes and links to the post, then sends it to a queue in the staff forum which all staff members can simultaneously access and read. If you value a more personalized approach though, you can PM a staff member.

Here are some guidelines for when reporting bad posts:

Only report those posts that breach the forum rules. On Apricity, we value freedom of expression, so we will generally not censor any views - whether political, ethnic or national. The only exceptions are mentioned here. Due to the existence of this clause, you might occasionally come across viewpoints you disagree with, or potentially even find offensive. If no rule is violated however, it is unlikely that staff will take action. Should that be the case, we advise writing a rebuttal of those views. Apricty is a place for discussion, and a lot can be - and has been - learned through debates.

Mention the rule that you believe was violated, as well as the problematic passage. This speeds up our reaction time, particularly when you are reporting long posts.

When reporting sock puppet accounts, also mention whom you suspect to be behind the account. "A formerly banned user" is not always helpful, as sometimes, users have dynamic IPs (where e.g. only the first 3 positions match), so searching for matches won't always yield results. Cross-checking the accounts in question manually will however shed light on the matter. Another thing to keep in mind is that a troll is not necessarily also a sock.

Do not respond to insults or personal attacks. We understand it can be frustrating when someone has insulted you or your friends, however insults in retaliation are also insults, and consequently also in breach of the forum rules. Report the post/visitor/private message where you or someone else was insulted and wait for the staff to take action instead. Another thing I've come across is someone baiting someone else with borderline insults or provocations, and then reporting them for personal attacks when they finally snap, or calling for their ban. We are aware of such tactics and they are unlikely to get you anywhere. Should you engage in them, it is highly likely that your posts too will fall under editorial discretion (or that some other type of disciplinary action will be taken).

Do not insult or belittle the staff. This one goes without saying, unfortunately some people forget their manners when they click on the report post button. Staff are not servants, but a team of unpaid volunteers who invest their time and energy into moderating the forum. It's not an easy job, and for the most part it is thankless. Needless to say that insulting them, or calling them names (such as "useless") will not make them more receptive. It is not the staff's fault someone has insulted you, and if no action was taken it is most likely due to the fact that said post was not brought to their attention. Again, we can't and don't read everything, so report the post and allow us some time to review the case.

Understand that the expression of any views, and the allowance thereof, do not represent the official views of Apricity or its staff. We, as staff, remain neutral and merely provide and manage the platform for free discussion. Also, make sure to differentiate our staff persona from our regular persona. We are not only moderators but also individual members with individual opinions, just like you. When we express a certain political or ideological view, or engage in debates it is, in most cases, our personal view and not representative of Apricity or its staff as a whole.

Understand that your and our interpretation of the rules may not always coincide. Some people tend to feel more easily insulted than others, while others have the impression that certain insults are merely truth. We try to take a fair, balanced and objective approach, favoring neither extreme or subjective interpretation.

Finally, be patient. We try to process reports as quickly as possible, though how soon a report is handled may vary from case to case. Consider the time and day you submit your report, the activity levels on that day and whether and how many staff members are online. On busier days, weekends or on holidays, processing reports might take a bit longer than usual.

Many thanks. :)