# Red Triangle Button



## Bienvenidos

Hello everyone,

   I use the red triangle button ALL THE TIME to report posts that are asking for HW review, posts that need to be moved, posts that are inappropriate; but I feel like I'm bothering the mods by using it so much; I don't want to annoy anyone  so I just want to know if that's the best way to report a post that shouldn't be there. It's just simple for me to press it, type a quick message and be on my way. I catch a lot of little things here and there but I always feel so bad when I press the red button because I'm not sure if it's only supposed to be used for emergencies.   

Please let me know what you all think!
Thanks!


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## MünchnerFax

I'm also interested in the answer to this as I act exactly the same way... And I haven't been reproached yet.


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## Paulfromitaly

Guys, let me tell you that you really help Mods a lot!!
We keep encouraging all the foreros to report threads or posts which don't comply to the forum rules so that we can sort them out as soon as possible.

Thanks for taking the time to press the red triangle


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## Bienvenidos

Thanks Paul. I was afraid that the mods would think I was a pain for using it so much.   

Thanks again


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## panjandrum

Please keep on using the red triangle report-a-post.

I spent ages (well about five minutes) today dealing with threads in EO that were in the wrong forum.
They hadn't been reported, but helpful forer@s had posted in the threads explaining that they were in the wrong forum.
The result was that a lot of time passed before the threads were moved to the right forum.

Reporting a post is much easier than posting on the thread.
The report can be seen by all moderators who are on-line at the time.
Posting in the "problem" thread may not be seen by a mod for hours.


You can be very confident that if mods feel that you are being a bit over-enthusiastic about reporting posts we'll contact you 

(A sudden thought - most of Bienvenidos's reported posts are in forums where I don't moderate.  Ah well, I expect the others would agree with Paul and me.)


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## jann

Paulfromitaly said:
			
		

> Guys, let me tell you that you really help Mods a lot!!



I second that!    On the French-[only/English/Spanish] forums, we really appreciate it when members use the report triangle.


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## elroy

On average, I don't see many reports for the forums I moderate (Arabic, Hebrew, German, German-Spanish, and Other Languages), but let me tell you, I appreciate it when I do! And I think I speak for all of my co-moderators in those forums when I say that those reports are useful and helpful. 

Keep reporting!


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## Jana337

MünchnerFax said:


> I'm also interested in the answer to this as I act exactly the same way... And I haven't been reproached yet.


Rest assured that your reports are helpful and useful.


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## Etcetera

panjandrum said:


> You can be very confident that if mods feel that you are being a bit over-enthusiastic about reporting posts we'll contact you


Then I'll go on hitting the red triangle whenever I see something which is inappropriate, in my opinion.


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## Paulfromitaly

Etcetera said:


> Then I'll go on hitting the red triangle whenever I see something which is inappropriate, in my opinion.



Please do it!
Members are more than welcome to "hit the red" when they think a thread or a single post doesn't comply with the forum rules (which every forero should have read at least once  ); each time they do it they help Mods to run the forum smoothly.


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## Bienvenidos

Okay   Thanks for the reassurance everyone  

Will continue to use the Red Triangle Button as I please


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## .   1

I can assure you that the red triangle works and that from my experience it is possibly the most pressed button in the forum.

.,,


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## Paulfromitaly

. said:


> I can assure you that the red triangle works and that from my experience it is possibly the most pressed button in the forum.
> 
> .,,



It might surprise you, but only a few number of members frequently use the RP feature: I guess less than 1% .


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## .   1

Paulfromitaly said:


> It might surprise you, but only a few number of members frequently use the RP feature: I guess less than 1% .


Jeeze, if that's the case there must be a couple of them giving it a fair going over.  I wonder if it is possible to wear out a virtual button.

.,,


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## lsp

. said:


> I can assure you that the red triangle works and that from my experience it is possibly the most pressed button in the forum.
> 
> .,,





> Jeeze, if that's the case there must be a couple of them giving it a fair going over.
> .,,


You've made me curious. How would you know that?


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## fsabroso

Bienvenidos said:


> Okay   Thanks for the reassurance everyone
> 
> Will continue to use the Red Triangle Button as I please


Yes my friend. Thanks for your help.

Also, I would like to say to everyone who help us in this, please, just report the post, do not answer it.


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## TrentinaNE

fsabroso said:


> Also, I would like to say to everyone who help us in this, please,* just report the post, do not answer it.*


Ditto, ditto, ditto!!

Elisabetta


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## maxiogee

fsabroso said:


> Also, I would like to say to everyone who help us in this, please, just report the post, do not answer it.




Surely there are times when it is appropriate to both report a post and to respond to it. I'm thinking of posts which are in the wrong place, or which, whikle contravening one of the rules of the Forum, ask a valid question?


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## KaRiNe_Fr

I understand your bad feeling Bienvenidos. I feel I'm one of those "observers" in this (wonderful!) movie "Das leben der Anderen" (translated "The lives of others") each time I'm tempted to click on this red triangle.  So I don't click. I can't help... Finally, I think there are always enough "reporters" and mods. I'm glad you do it, to avoid me to do it. Thanks for doing it for me.


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## emma42

maxiogee said:


> Surely there are times when it is appropriate to both report a post and to respond to it. I'm thinking of posts which are in the wrong place, or which, whikle contravening one of the rules of the Forum, ask a valid question?



Yes, this is something I find difficult to decide on sometimes.  For example, I will sometimes answer a valid question, but then ask someone not to use chatspeak.  Do the mods think I should report in a case like that?

I also feel a bit worried when I report a post (unless it is clearly outrageous).  I think the mods will think "Oh, not her again".  However, it's clear from this thread that reports are appreciated.

This has been a useful thread for me - thanks for starting it!


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## Paulfromitaly

emma42 said:


> Yes, this is something I find difficult to decide on sometimes.  For example, I will sometimes answer a valid question, but then ask someone not to use chatspeak.  Do the mods think I should report in a case like that?



If you think there's something which doesn't comply with the rules, you should report it even if you decide that the question is valid and therefore you answer to it.





> I also feel a bit worried when I report a post (unless it is clearly outrageous).  I think the mods will think "Oh, not her again".  However, it's clear from this thread that reports are appreciated.


Noo..As I said before, you and all the members who use the RP do help up us make the forum run smoothly, so a hand is always welcome.


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## Philippa

maxiogee said:


> Surely there are times when it is appropriate to both report a post and to respond to it. I'm thinking of posts which are in the wrong place, or which, while contravening one of the rules of the Forum, ask a valid question?


It can be risky to answer the post - we don't always know how many times a forero has made that mistake before or how many times they've been encouraged not to by mods in a PM. Mods may want to be more draconian and, for example, close the thread rather than move it. (I've fallen foul of this one - responding and reporting, when I'd've been better just reporting it   )


emma42 said:


> I also feel a bit worried when I report a post (unless it is clearly outrageous).  I think the mods will think "Oh, not her again".  However, it's clear from this thread that reports are appreciated.
> This has been a useful thread for me - thanks for starting it!


I still worry about this "Oh, not her again - she hasn't answered anyone's question for a week, but is reporting yet another thread!". I've asked this before (here) and I still feel uneasy about reporting Vocabulario threads with vague titles - in that thread the consensus seems to be 'don't be too keen to hit the red triangle' and more recently I've wondered about threads that would very probably be better in Specialised Terminology - is it worth reporting them as being in the wrong foro or not?
Saludos
Philippa


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## cherine

Philippa said:


> I still worry about this "Oh, not her again - she hasn't answered anyone's question for a week, but is reporting yet another thread!".


You're not required to answer people's question to have the "privilege" or reporting bad posts 
Let's say that reporting is another way of helping in our community. You can help people who post their questions in the wrong forum by helping the mods know about those threads, so that they can move it to where they belong.


> more recently I've wondered about threads that would very probably be better in Specialised Terminology - is it worth reporting them as being in the wrong foro or not?


Of course. As I said, it's an indirect way of helping people getting their questions answered, and helping moderators organizing the forum.

The _*most important*_ posts to be reported, for me at least, are:
1- spam
2- threads with copyright problems
3- threads in wrong forum
4- duplicates

Not that the other reports are not important, or not wanted; but only that these have more priority.


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## la reine victoria

I'm an old hand at pressing the red triangle.  "Use it or lose it" is my motto.    No mods have complained so far.

LRV


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## .   1

la reine victoria said:


> No mods have complained so far.


Who has the right to complain need not do so.

.,,


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## heidita

I always feel like I am "telling" on somebody. I might have hit the bottom a dozen times, only for copyright and "screaming". 
Personally I prefer the PM method.


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## Jana337

> I always feel like I am "telling" on somebody.


We do not take it so personally. 


> Personally I prefer the PM method.


The method has a big downside: I often receive PMs (not from you, Heidi ) alerting me to a spam thread. Many of those are read many hours later or on the subsequent day. Remember that members are shown online 30 minutes after the last click.


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## EmilyD

Thanks to this thread, I knew exactly what to do when I posted my query in the wrong forum.  I hit the red button!   My first time and for my own askance post!

Nomi


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## Paulfromitaly

Jana337 said:


> The method has a big downside: I often receive PMs (not from you, Heidi ) alerting me to a spam thread. Many of those are read many hours later or on the subsequent day. Remember that members are shown online 30 minutes after the last click.



More: if foreros use the RP button, every Mod can see their report, discuss about it and take action if needed.


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## ElaineG

Paulfromitaly said:


> More: if foreros use the RP button, every Mod can see your report, discuss about it and take action if needed.


 

Also, another beauty of Report A Post is that the computer automatically inserts the link for you!  No copying and pasting, and trying to figure it out.

(Can you tell we really love it when people use report a post  ?)


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## pyan

Several people have said they felt uncomfortable using that button, and I understand that because I used to feel it.    

Once I reported a thread where posts had three different titles.  I did not understand about "merged threads" and thought it was some horrible software glitch.  I picked a mod's post because there is no way of reporting the thread itself, and apologised for reporting Panjandrum.  I had a nice PM from a mod saying "never worry about reporting any thread." 

After that I started hitting the button. 

How can we spread the word more widely about how helpful it is to report posts?


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## maxiogee

pyan said:


> How can we spread the word more widely about how helpful it is to report posts?



Report, at least once a month, everyone you know


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## lablady

I lurk here on the forums much more often than I make my presence known. Mostly, that is because WR is very active and heavily populated with helpful people.  By the time I compose the perfect post, then preview it, then edit and preview it again (repeated several times), I find that someone else has already posted a better response. (Right now there are probably quite a few forer@s wondering, "Who's Lablady?")  

I assumed all those wise and helpful people have also been reporting posts. I rarely use the RP button because I figured the post was already reported by someone else!  

I imagine I am not the only one to make this assumption, so my question for the mods is - is it troublesome if many people report the same post? Do you need to check each report each time to know if that particular post has been reported before? I don't want to add unnecessary duplication to anyone's workload.


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## Jana337

No, it is not troublesome at all. Reports of the same post are conveniently combined into one thread. And it does not happen very often, so your assumption that someone has already done it might often be wrong.


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## lablady

Ahh, it combines the reports. Good idea! 

Thank you for the reassurance. I will consider myself a reformed non-reporter. Now all I need to do is learn to deem my posts "ready for publication" sooner.


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## Philippa

lablady said:
			
		

> I lurk here on the forums much more often than I make my presence known. Mostly, that is because WR is very active and heavily populated with helpful people.  By the time I compose the perfect post, then preview it, then edit and preview it again (repeated several times), I find that someone else has already posted a better response. (Right now there are probably quite a few forer@s wondering, "Who's Lablady?")
> I assumed all those wise and helpful people have also been reporting posts. I rarely use the RP button because I figured the post was already reported by someone else!
> I imagine I am not the only one to make this assumption, so my question for the mods is - is it troublesome if many people report the same post? Do you need to check each report each time to know if that particular post has been reported before? I don't want to add unnecessary duplication to anyone's workload.
> Ahh, it combines the reports. Good idea!
> Thank you for the reassurance. I will consider myself a reformed non-reporter. Now all I need to do is learn to deem my posts "ready for publication" sooner.


Thanks for asking this! I had wondered about duplication too.
(and I do exactly what you say about previewing posts and then other people 'beat me to it', and occasionally I will then abandon the post, but usually I will post it anyway, since I've put the effort in and whose to say just what a better response is. It's usually helpful to have several responses that agree anyway. I reckon you should post your answers!!) 


pyan said:


> How can we spread the word more widely about how helpful it is to report posts?


Back to the topic, I think part of the problem is that the Report-a-Post is a message that goes off into the 'void' from our point of view. I've only ever once received any communication back from a mod following reporting a post and that was well over a year ago and I've reported dozens since. So it leads to the worry that maybe what I'm reporting isn't really that helpful since it's not usually reporting the most important/urgent things, as cherine said. (Please don't think I'm fishing for huge thank yous here, because I'm not at all - just the occasional bit of feedback would be nice!!)
Saludos
Philippa


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## TrentinaNE

Philippa said:


> I've only ever once received any communication back from a mod following reporting a post and that was well over a year ago and I've reported dozens since. So it leads to the worry that maybe what I'm reporting isn't really that helpful since it's not usually reporting the most important/urgent things, as cherine said.


As a moderator, I don't usually send PMs to the posters who use RaP because it would just take too much time. The response is the action: if the title is changed, thread deleted, etc., you know we agreed with you. Sometimes we don't agree with the report, and no action ensues, but it's still helpful to know what other posters consider to be problematic. 

Believe me, all your efforts are appreciated, so please don't stop!   

Elisabetta


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## Philippa

TrentinaNE said:


> As a moderator, I don't usually send PMs to the posters who use RaP because it would just take too much time. The response is the action: if the title is changed, thread deleted, etc., you know we agreed with you. Sometimes we don't agree with the report, and no action ensues, but it's still helpful to know what other posters consider to be problematic.
> Believe me, all your efforts are appreciated, so please don't stop!
> Elisabetta


Hi Elisabetta,
I don't 'watch' for any action to take place after I've reported a post because I don't know when it would happen, I know that maybe nothing will happen if mods think no action is necessary and I have no record of which post/thread I have reported.  (It's not exactly the most exciting thing to do here at WR anyway!!) 
Of course I realise that 'usually' PMing people would take too much time - (you deleted my bit in brackets in your quote of me!!) - but lots of reported posts and never any feedback at all ...
P


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## Jana337

There are tens of RPs every day. I don't think that there's a moderator that systematically sends PMs to those who reported a post. I have done it just a few times (when someone said something like "I am new to this, please let me know whether I used the feature correctly").


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## Bienvenidos

I like the whole RP feature because it eliminates the need of using snail mail (the PM)   The mods are always really kind and throw in a "thank you _insert username here" _and it's good to see how fast the system works!! (And, of course, how quickly we are able to deal with the threads in question!  ) Since I bug the mods of the Spanish forums so often  when I report posts there, they usually know that I'm the pester that's been bugging them. But, I've noticed that some mods that I may not necessarily see all too often send me a "thanks" PM when I report a post that should be in their forum, etc since I may not bug them as often as I do others.   It's heartwarming, I have to say. The RP post is a great thing!


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## danielfranco

In an average, I spend one day of the week reporting posts instead of posting my own posts. Yes, it feels like I'm telling on people and that's why I do it. I'm that kind of hardcase. Sorry.
So, anyway. In all these months, only once I've received a PM from a mod graciously explaining why he didn't agree with me.
Because of that, I don't think mods resent the Red Triangle of Thread Doom, but instead cherish the instances when they get all these thread reports with links to the suspect posts and don't have to hunt down and destroy offenders who slyly try to slither under the radar.
Like me.

So, yeah, it should be part of every forer@'s duty, to spend a few minutes every day reporting posts that are messing with the wonderful experience of WRF's.


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## fenixpollo

I am a moderator right now, and I just want to thank Bienvenidos and everyone who has been reporting posts since this thread started 3 years ago. *Reports are invaluable* to the moderators, especially in high-traffic forums like Spanish-English.  We don't catch every bad thread title, misplaced thread, repeated topic or contextless question, and _we really appreciate the help of the other members_ who call our attention to these issues.

*Your reports help us to keep the forum organized.* In fact, please report _*more*_ problematic posts. I say this because for every report that I respond to, I moderate *20* other posts or threads that were not reported. Many problem posts go unnoticed by any moderator, which often compounds any problems. So Please keep using that little red triangle!


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## Revontuli

You can take this as a complaint or whatever you want, but I just want to tell. I was using the red triangle _when needed_ too but then I was told I was reporting posts that didn't need mods' attention, although I am sure they did. Because there were many threads where some people kept asking for translations for some sms they got in X language, they got their answer and disappeared without ever thanking. But there were some other more professional and useful ones but their threads were closed. I think this is very unjust and it really doesn't concern me if they have no knowledge of that language. There must be other forums where they can post their all personal e-mails etc, but we have specific and clear rules in this forum. So since then I have never used it. And I will never again.


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## JamesM

I'm sorry to hear that is your decision, Revontuli. I can see by reviewing our closed reported posts that many of your reports were acted on. 

I would like to add my voice to fenixpollo's and say to everyone that the reports are very helpful and very useful. We may not act on every single one but the vast majority of them are acted upon. My first duty when logging in to WordReference as a moderator, in my opinion, is to check for reported posts. I always head there first. If I have a question or concern about a report I may start a conversation about it with fellow moderators until a decision is reached. If it looks simple and clear-cut I will take action immediately.

I'd like everyone to feel free to use the feature. We can't read every post of every thread on an active forum. Reported posts draw our attention to a problem (or a potential problem in the making.)


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## Revontuli

Well of course, I didn't mean all my reports were ignored, James. Anyway, that's my personal opinion and decision as my help didn't seem to count.


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## JamesM

You're welcome to your opinion and decision.  I would like to encourage everyone else, however, to continue reporting posts.


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## fenixpollo

I'm also sorry that your experience has soured you on the use of the red triangle, Revontuli.

If you ever feel that a moderator (or moderators) is not acting correctly or fairly, you can use the red triangle to send a report about the moderator's action (or inaction), which is seen by all moderators. The moderator team will then discuss your report.

Or, you can send a private message to another moderator that you trust. Or, you can send a message to the forum's administrator, whether by private message or the "contact us" link at the bottom of the main page.


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## TimLA

JamesM said:


> My first duty when logging in to WordReference as a moderator, in my opinion, is to check for reported posts. I always head there first.


 
I was wondering, are all of the "reported threads" placed in the same area for you to view, or are they divided based on forum?

My question, is just out of interest. I will sometimes report an advertisement, and I'll say "Advert! Ban! Ban! Ban!"
It has seemed that those are responded to quite rapidly, even when I don't see any active Mods on IE (where I hang around).


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## JamesM

They are all in one "forum", essentially, with the title of the forum as a prefix.  If we see "spam" or "ad" or some other similar warning, we usually jump right on it, no matter whose forum is involved.


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## swift

I used to report a lot in the past but eventually decided to stop doing it after I received a message from a moderator who told me that it was not necessary to report all the posts needing moderators attention because one of them would eventually detect the problem and then intervene.

Of course I still send reports sometimes but I am not always sure of the relevance of those messages.


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## ajo fresco

I can't say I've ever had a negative experience when I used the red triangle. I've even received PMs from a couple of mods thanking me for reporting these posts. 

Maybe it depends on one's mood mod... 

Revontuli, I remember we participated in this lively discussion about the pros and cons of using the red triangle to report posts.


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## Ynez

I have reported few times, because I realize the perception of things can be different. For example, once I reported a thread I saw like this:

Some Spanish speaker gave a answer.
An English speaker corrected a word from the previous text writing it in capital letters (_Some Spanish speaker gave AN answer_).

Spanish speaker gave a whole speech on the use of capital letters, their use in shouting, etc.

From my point of view, English speaker was helping, correcting a mistake. The person didn't deserve being told off for writing a word in capitals to make it clear.

I think moderators could see the episode differently, but I know that if I correct someone and I am given a speech, I'd strongly dislike it and would never again correct anybody (this, of course, is something I don't normally do because I know most people don't like it).


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## Revontuli

ajo fresco said:


> I can't say I've ever had a negative experience when I used the red triangle. I've even received PMs from a couple of mods thanking me for reporting these posts.
> 
> Maybe it depends on one's mood mod...
> 
> Revontuli, I remember we participated in this lively discussion about the pros and cons of using the red triangle to report posts.



Hello ajo fresco,

Yes, it was indeed a long discussion and in the end, thanks to Loob, we decided not to remind the forum rules to new friends but use the red triangle. So I started doing it but failed again.


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## cuchuflete

Hello to all actual and potential red triangle users.  I'm writing as a mod here.

Like most other mods, the first thing I do when I log in is look at the Report-a-post
page.  [private confession: I sometimes think of it as the Report-a-_Pest_ page, as that's where we tend to see many reports about the few people who need lots of extra help, as well as a nice random selection of other reports.]

Like most other mods, I quickly scan the reports for the forums I'm assigned to, and take immediate action to remove spam, ban spammers, and then slowly review other things that are less urgently in need of action.  I would guess that I do something in the forums in response to about two thirds of all the reports I read.  

What about the other third?  There are two main groups.  First, those that are borderline cases that may need intervention, or may be best left alone.  I post in the report threads, asking for other moderators' thoughts.  The final group are those reports that call for an extremely rigorous application of all the rules and guidelines.
These are _good reports!_ The person making the report has spotted something that doesn't strictly adhere to our stated regulations.  Yet we choose not to act on the report.  Why?  Usually because it is either a new member, who we don't want to intimidate with a public deletion, or because a very strict application of a rule may make a thread conversation disjointed.  

In short, we apply our experience and judgment to each report, acting on most, and sometimes deciding that moderator intervention would either do more harm than good, or simply wouldn't help a thread or forero.   Those people who send lots of reports are quite capable of noting which ones tend to result in actions, and which do not.  They almost always observe, learn, and focus on sending the kind that evoke responses.

The reporters do a great service to the forums, as well as making life a lot easier for the moderators.  It's a good collaboration, in my experience.  That's why I report threads with problems in the forums where I do not moderate.


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## Mauricet

swift said:


> I used to report a lot in the past but eventually decided to stop doing it after I received a message from a moderator who told me that it was not necessary to report all the posts needing moderators attention because one of them would eventually detect the problem and then intervene.
> 
> Of course I still send reports sometimes but I am not always sure of the relevance of those messages.


I strongly disagree with this view. Of course you're free, but reporting all posts needing moderators attention is the most helpful thing each of us can do. In hot forums (FR-EN Vocabulary is one), moderators cannot possibly check every thread. If a post is reported and no action is taken, it doesn't mean the reporter was wrong!

*Please* keep using the red triangle button!


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## Revontuli

Mauricet said:


> I strongly disagree with this view. Of course you're free, but reporting all posts needing moderators attention is the most helpful thing each of us can do. In hot forums (FR-EN Vocabulary is one), moderators cannot possibly check every thread. If a post is reported and no action is taken, it doesn't mean the reporter was wrong!
> 
> *Please* keep using the red triangle button!



The problem is, in my opinion, it's really discouraging to get such a reaction whereas you think you help. So I agree with Swift.

And that's all from me about this matter(again, it wasn't a complaint).


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## Valeria Mesalina

. said:


> Jeeze, if that's the case there must be a couple of them giving it a fair going over. I wonder if it is possible to wear out a virtual button.
> 
> .,,



I´m one of those who give it a fair going over. 

Though I´m always afraid some mod may think "oh no! not her again!", no mod has ever told me "hey, you´re addicted to the Red Triangle, you need rehab". 

I might be wrong many times, but then I don´t know everything, and when I click the Red Button I know I may be wrong. 

So, when I am not sure I just say "I am not sure, would you please have a look?"

I am only sure of what I am doing when I hit the button and cry "spammer", or "wrong forum". 

The rest of the posts I report... well, I don´t know if I´m doing the right thing. Sometimes I ask the mods to help a newbie with the rules (I tried to point the rules to newbies in the past but it didn´t work; many thought I was a wannabe mod and got angry). Sometimes I report a post that I think is derogatory (and many times is derogatory just to me). 

I assume my posts are reported a lot too: I tend to go heavy on irony, and that´s dangerous. 

But, until someone tells me "stop it and get rehab" I will go on doing it.


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## swift

Mauricet said:


> I strongly disagree with this view.


Also do I but since the advice came from a moderator I thought that it should be better to reduce my reporting activity. I concluded that there might be infractions more serious than others and therefore reporting only the significant ones would allow the moderator team to take care of really important cases.


> If a post is reported and no action is taken, it doesn't mean the reporter was wrong!


I feel relieved, Mauricet. I used to think that when no action was taken my point of view was actually wrong.



Valeria Mesalina said:


> Though I´m always afraid some mod may think "oh no! not her again", no mod has ever told me "hey, you´re addicted to the Red Triangle, you need rehab".


 
I had exactly the same feeling.


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## Cagey

A side note:

Much moderating goes behind the scenes by private messages.  This means that sometimes a moderator has taken action on a report, although you do not see the results in the thread.


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## jann

Revontuli said:


> The problem is, in my opinion, it's really discouraging to get such a reaction whereas you think you help.


But you *do* help when you report!! 

We look at every single report and decide what action, if any, is required on our part.  If you think a moderator's intervention may be desirable, that is reason enough for us to take a careful look at the thread in question.  And that is true even if, in the end, we take no action... or if we take an action that is invisible to you (as Cagey has mentioned).

The fact that the moderators do not always agree with you about when (or which) action should be taken (i.e., situations when you report but the mods don't take your suggestion) doesn't mean your reports are not helpful.  In some cases, it means that the mods understand the question/situation differently than you do.  In other cases, it means the mods have a different point of view from yours about what style of moderation is most effective.  In a few cases, it may mean that you have misunderstood how a particular rule gets applied on our forums.  

Moderators themselves file lots of reports, and some of those end up having no action taken.   If the moderators occasionally decide not to act on reports filed by other mods, it is only natural that they will also decide not to react to some of the reports filed by members!   For example, one of my colleagues on the French-English team might file a report to get a 2nd opinion from the rest of the FR-EN team.  Often we decide to remain hands-off and do nothing.  Another example: mods don't intervene on forums they don't moderate... but (like Cuchuflete) I will sometimes report threads on other forums.  However, my perspective doesn't always apply on forums I don't moderate, and the mods from those forums sometimes decide not to do anything about my reports.

When the moderators decline to act on one of your reports, you shouldn't take that as a personal rebuke.  As it says on the report form, "Please use this to report any post you feel needs moderator attention."  As long as you are using the report feature in an effort to make the forums a better place, your reports are helpful and we appreciate them!  Because of the volume of posts that moderators need to read each day, we don't generally reply to reporters - not to thank them when their reports do indeed alert us to problems we must act upon, and not to explain our reasons when we decide not to react to a specific report.  This doesn't mean you're not helpful or that we don't appreciate your reports; it just means that we are busy! 

On occasion, some misunderstanding about the rules or about how moderation works leads a member to file a lot of similar reports that the we decline to act upon.  We recognize, however, that taking the time to file all those many reports represents a genuine though misguided effort to help improve the forums.  And so we in turn will take the time to contact the member and correct the misunderstanding, explaining to him/her why it is not necessary to report that particular sort of thread.

cheers,
Jann
French forums moderator


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## Loob

One thing that intrigues me is that at least two members (if two have commented here, then maybe there are more?) have been told by moderators that their red-button-pushing is superfluous. I can imagine that would be rather offputting.

Is there perhaps some general guidance that can be given on where red-button-pushing is counterproductive/irritating/unhelpful? Perhaps it has more to do with _how_ posts are reported than with _which_ posts are reported?


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## swift

I am afraid I did not express myself properly. I was not criticizing moderators, and I was not looking for a pretext to say that they do not pay heed to my reports. In fact, I learned that I should report according to rules and not according to my feelings.

I have received private messages from three different moderators assigned to three different forums and they all agree: I had misunderstood some guidelines and therefore were reporting posts not deserving moderators attention. That is why I used to think that moderators intervention was an indicator of my understanding of WR rules.

No one has ever encouraged me to stop reporting posts but they have asked me to do it only if necessary. I should like to point that in every occasion I have received one of those messages, they have made rules clear to me in order to better understand the way moderation works in this forums.

Regards,


José

P.S. Jann, je suis horriblement distrait. Je voulais te remercier de ton explication qui m'a beaucoup rassuré. Merci d'avoir pris le temps de nous éclairer. Comme je disais ci-dessus, les commentaires des modérateurs visaient à ce que je comprenne mieux comment fonctionnent les forums. À bientôt, J.


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## swift

Loob said:
			
		

> Is there perhaps some general guidance that can be given on where red-button-pushing is counterproductive/irritating/unhelpful? Perhaps it has more to do with _how_ posts are reported than with _which_ posts are reported?


 
Hello Loob,

In fact, as I said above, moderators would always tell me the way moderation works in WR; but they have never said a thing about the _form_ of my messages. I do not know whether the _form_ is an explanation, I guess there are blaring reports and curmudgeon reporters that annoy moderators. Also, it could be irritating to read lots of reports from the same user, especially when that person has also violated some rules in the discussion he is pointing out.


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## JamesM

swift said:
			
		

> In fact, I learned that I should report according to rules and not according to my feelings.


 
This is _extremely _helpful.  We all have people who get on our nerves, but the only action a moderator can take is in relation to a violation of the rules.


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## swift

JamesM said:


> We all have people who get on our nerves, but the only action a moderator can take is in relation to a violation of the rules.


 
I concur with that attitude. If ordinary members grow angry at some messages, it is understandable that moderators get upset too.

Honestly, I realized that I could become a faultfinder rather than a helping reporter.


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## SwissPete

JamesM said:


> [...] We all have people who get on our nerves, but the only action a moderator can take is in relation to a violation of the rules.


Do you mean people who report posts? If that's the case, I would love to know I am getting on moderators' nerves (and why) so I can become more effective in reporting.


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## JamesM

SwissPete said:


> Do you mean people who report posts? If that's the case, I would love to know I am getting on moderators' nerves (and why) so I can become more effective in reporting.


 
No, I meant fellow posters, SwissPete.   I meant that sometimes it's tempting to report someone just because they are annoying us (as fellow board members), but reporting those types of problems can't result in any action.


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## SwissPete

Thanks! I am relieved...


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## fenixpollo

I see that we on the moderator team need to do a better job at reminding each of you how essential your contribution to the forum is. _* 

Please do not doubt that if you are reporting problem posts, your help is appreciated and you are in no way a pest. *_

The reason I revived this thread was to say *THANK YOU to all of you who continue to report posts*.


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## bondia

Ynez said:


> I have reported few times, because I realize the perception of things can be different. For example, once I reported a thread I saw like this:
> 
> Some Spanish speaker gave a answer.
> *An English speaker *corrected a word from the previous text writing it in capital letters (_Some Spanish speaker gave AN answer_).
> 
> Spanish speaker gave a whole speech on the use of capital letters, their use in shouting, etc.
> 
> From my point of view, English speaker was helping, correcting a mistake. The person didn't deserve being told off for writing a word in capitals to make it clear.
> 
> I think moderators could see the episode differently, but I know that if I correct someone and I am given a speech, I'd strongly dislike it and would never again correct anybody (this, of course, is something I don't normally do because I know most people don't like it).


 
I remember only too well, that* English speaker was me*, and I also reported that reply which was very rude and uncalled for! I'm not used to being told off for trying to help someone, and I was very angry.
Since then, I *NEVER* use capital letters!
Saludos


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## Mephistofeles

Sorry this is new to me... Is there a way to know if someone has already reported a "problem-thread"? I'd like to know this in order to don't annoy anyone reporting one for second time (or more) if it isn't longer necessary.


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## Ynez

That's funny, bondia, because you reacted in such a calm way that I thought I was too hysterical and it was not so important after all...  

I got angry just seeing that reply, haha, and it was not for me and I don't know you at all!


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## Cagey

Mephistofeles said:


> Sorry this is new to me... Is there a way to know if someone has already reported a "problem-thread"? I'd like to know this in order to don't annoy anyone reporting one for second time (or more) if it isn't longer necessary.


No, there is no way for you to know whether a thread or post has been reported.

I wouldn't worry about annoying people. I have never seen any moderator complain about multiple reports.  You should go ahead and report any problem.  There is a good chance that you will be the first and only person to report it.  We usually don't get more than one report.


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## Mephistofeles

Cagey said:


> You should go ahead an report any problem.


 
Thanks, Take it for granted.


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## fenixpollo

Mephistofeles said:


> Sorry this is new to me... Is there a way to know if someone has already reported a "problem-thread"? I'd like to know this in order to don't annoy anyone reporting one for second time (or more) if it isn't longer necessary.


 The more people report a thread, the better. It means that multiple people are participating actively in the organization of the forum. When nobody is reporting, then the moderator's workload increases -- we have to go out and scan for problem threads.  If you are scanning the forum for us, then it makes our job easier.

By the way, if you report a post that has already been reported, your report is just added to the other reports, like a list. It doesn't create more work or difficulty for the moderators.


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## TimLA

fenixpollo said:


> By the way, if you report a post that has already been reported, your report is just added to the other reports, like a list. It doesn't create more work or difficulty for the moderators.


 
Aha! Excellent! This is good information!
I sometimes feel guilty reporting an obvious problem post...but now I won't!


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## bondia

Ynez said:


> That's funny, bondia, because you reacted in such a calm way that I thought I was too hysterical and it was not so important after all...
> 
> I got angry just seeing that reply, haha, and it was not for me and I don't know you at all!


 
Well, you do now!
I acted calm so as not to sink to the other member's level, but I reported it.
Regards


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