[MelK]

Could you say what happens when someone reports a post?

How long does it usually take before a moderator will see the report?

If the moderator decides to take no action, will s/he contact the person who made the report to say that?

[GreenSnail]

I'm not sure how much I can say to respond to the first 1, but in a thread in the guidelines forum it says this:

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If you have written to us about another member, or reported a post, please note that you may not receive a response as we have a policy of not discussing members with others unless necessary. To ensure a response as fast as possible, please address PMs to all or multiple moderators.

Please know that we take confidentiality seriously. As a result, if you report a post, you may not be informed of action taken. We thank members for their assistance in keeping the board safe by using the "report" function. This reaches all moderators, and we discuss the issue and take necessary action. At times action means removing or editing a post, checking in on the member, or simply watching the thread development. To protect the confidentiality of member issues, you frequently will not be informed of action taken in response to your report. Please trust that the mods are taking care of the issue, though it is often "behind the scenes."

And it's usually pretty obvious when someone's reported something, so as soon as they log in is my guess.

[Susan]

Hi MelK,

Kat has already answered most of what you've asked and I won't go into repeating what the guideline says other than to say we take each reported issue very seriously, but more than likely you will not hear anything due to confidentiality if you've reported something.

All of the board mods and section mod leaders are fairly scattered in different time zones, also depending on work schedules it varies as to when someone logs on but as Kat said, it's pretty obvious when something has been reported so we'll take care of it as soon as possible. I hope this helps! :)/>

Take care,
Susan

[MelK]

I'm sorry but I don't understand the confidentiality issue.

If I've reported Post X by Person Y and the moderator thinks there's nothing wrong with this post, what breach of confidentiality is there in telling me that?

I already know that Person Y has posted Post X. The only thing I don't know is whether a moderator has even looked at my report. How does that affect members' confidentiality?

If I see that no action has been taken after a week, then supposedly I can guess that the moderators didn't agree. The moderator's concerned could have told me that sooner - how could that have affected members' confidentiality?

This post has been edited by MelK: 09 November 2011 - 02:32 PM

[MelK]

And, just out of interest, does pandys have a complaints procedure?

[Onetofortynine]

Mel l have reported a couple of posts in my time here.

I think that if the person dealing with the post removes it or edits it would be a good thing to hear about.

But at the same time if you or l did not agree with the decision to just edit or their choice to delete that we might just get annoyed at the moderator themselves.
I think the moderators need to protect themselves as well.
We might feel differently/hurt/angry at and about a moderators decision if they leave something up that we are uncertain or plan convinced that it should never be left up (or taken down).

:shy:/> Perhaps if there was a standard message that was sent to you that did not identify the moderator to say it has been looked at l can see that would work.
But to have a response all the time might not be a good thing ... It could build up resentment for the moderator and make it difficult for them to continue in the job that they get no pay for. As l think we all agree because of the time in our different area of the world the person that moderates most of the posts in my area may well only one of a few people.

Just my thoughts on a difficult situation l have wondered at times myself.

[Katy]

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I'm sorry but I don't understand the confidentiality issue.
If I've reported Post X by Person Y and the moderator thinks there's nothing wrong with this post, what breach of confidentiality is there in telling me that?

It is just our policy that we do not discuss any communications we have with a member with another member. If a post is reported and we agree that this post needs editing / deleting then it is breaking confidentiality to discuss this with a member who did not write that post. We do rely on all of our members to help us to report posts which they feel are inappropriate or concerning, but in the interests of fairness we will only discuss the reported post with the member who made the post.

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I already know that Person Y has posted Post X. The only thing I don't know is whether a moderator has even looked at my report.

We have a system which means that all reported posts are looked at as soon as possible. Under normal circumstances this will be within a few hours of the post being reported. Looking for reported posts is something a moderator does as soon as they log on and so be assured that the post will have been looked at when a moderator logs onto the board. If you feel it is something that is VERY urgent, such as a persons life is at risk, then you can always email admin@pandys.org and that then covers all bases.

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If I see that no action has been taken after a week, then supposedly I can guess that the moderators didn't agree. The moderator's concerned could have told me that sooner - how could that have affected members' confidentiality?

You would not be aware of whether any action had been taken because we keep any correspondence confidential. If a post has not been edited or removed, it does not necessarily mean that any action has been taken. Sometimes, for example, we may have a chat with the poster to explain to them the impact of their post and to ask them to be more careful in the future. Or it could mean that we did not feel it necessary to take any action at this time. As I explained before, we would not discuss any actions with anyone but the person who made the post.

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And, just out of interest, does pandys have a complaints procedure?

If you wish to make a complaint about anything then I urge you to contact a moderator directly or email admin@pandys.org. All complaints are handled confidentially within the moderating team - and a response will be sent to you as soon as we have had chance to discuss it. Usually this will be within about 48 hours.

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As l think we all agree because of the time in our different area of the world the person that moderates most of the posts in my area may well only one of a few people.

While we do all work in different time zones, all moderating decisions are made as a team.

Quote

Perhaps if there was a standard message that was sent to you that did not identify the moderator to say it has been looked at l can see that would work.

Please be assured that a reported post will be looked at whenever a moderator logs on. If you want specific confirmation that the reported post has been looked at then please PM a moderator.

I hope that helps :)/>

[GreenSnail]

I think the mods know what they're doing and have adapted the rules over the years so they know what works and what doesn't. I know of a post I'd made had been reported, I wouldn't like the idea f it being discussed between members behind my back. I just think this system is as fair as it can be. :)/>

[PhoenixRising]

Agreed.

[MelK]

Thank you for the explanations. I wasn't asking to be told about any exchange between a moderator and a member - I didn't know there was any action other than possibly editing a post, which I can see om the board.

I understand what you've said, and I like 1249s suggestion of some kind of anonymous confirmation that the report has been looked at. Maybe that can be done without taking up too much more of the moderators' time.

Thank you all for responding.