We have a new rule in the sidebar:
Rule 2: Don't abuse the report function.
Abuse of the report function includes: making multiple reports that are not justified, making multiple spurious reports, reporting comments for behavior that you yourself have just engaged in, making multiple targeted reports of a user you are in an argument with regardless of the content of the comments.
Think before you report. Repeated abuse of the report function could result in a temporary ban.
I'm working on a new rules page for this forum which will explain each rule in a bit more detail - I don't want to clutter up the sidebar too much with explication.
These are the same, right?
Does chronology matter here? "They started it" playground rules?
Or do you forfeit your right to report a user for breaking rules if you yourself violate the rules in a subsequent response?
So making only one report would be appropriate in that case? I recognize this makes more work for you mods, but shouldn't you expect a report each time a user violates the rules - regardless of how many times they do it within a particular comment thread?
Also, argument is a bit tricky/murky/subjective - right? It's ok to break the rules if you are in an argument?
Thanks! I think ideally the sidebar stuff could be replaced by a single link to it and message that all must read and abide by the rules.
I ask the above for general clarification which will hopefully go into that rules page. I don't report users in any case, and instead remind them that those rules make the community a better place and help them to more effectively communicate/contribute. Perhaps i should just report them instead? Knowing what mods would prefer and why would be helpful.
pretty much
Upon receiving a disrespectful reply, some people will simply reply with an equally disrespectful comment, without reporting. When the initial disrespectful user then reports that reply, it's hypocritical. They will be reprimanded too, even though their original disrespectful comment was not reported.
People are making multiple reports of single users and maybe only one of the reports is valid. It seems people get angry with a user and just open that users account page and report all their recent comments. When you do this, your user name is attached to each report. This kind of report bombing will not be tolerated anymore.
The content policy of this website is well written, and calls for moderators not to be over-bearing, and for users and mods alike to be more tolerant than other similar sites have become. I think this is a great idea and it's my guiding mantra for moderation here.
This includes tolerating a little name calling here and there, which is natural during arguments sometimes, though it greatly weakens the name-caller's position. When 2 users are in a heated argument, calling each other names, and neither of them reports the other, my tendency will be to let them at it. If a third party reports one or the other or both, I might ignore that report since they are not involved. If one of the users in the argument reports the other, both will be reprimanded. if they both made disrespectful comments.
Maybe it would make sense then that "being hypocritical" is against the rules so we can start reporting people for this?