I'm an old timer (since 2003), but I never saw this come up until recently:


Are we allowed to repeatedly threaten other posters with reporting their posts to the mods?

By the same token, are we allowed to repeatedly TELL other posters that their posts have already been reported to the mods?

I've seen this a few times the last couple of days, and I considered reporting this poster for abusive abuse of the abuse report function.

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Wanted: Diabolical Plan for World Domination.

I have reported this post!

Don't the big cheeses around here already know what's been reported to them and who reported it?

Is this thread should be in the About BAUT section?

How do you know that, that post is already reported by another poster and abusingly abusing the report function?

On the rare occasions that I report a problem post, I do it confidentially and ask the mods to let me know in a PM if they think I was out of line.

I think telling someone that you have reported their post can have many very different motivations behind it.

However, I think I'd rather be told that my post has been reported than be ignorant about it-

Even if it does seem very superfluous.

im teary eyed.

Moved to About BAUT.

The Rules for Posting #16 explain when a post should be reproted. ToSeek's FAQ tells you how. We'd prefer that you not warn (threaten) another Member about reporting a post, or say that you did.

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Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by ignorance or stupidity.
Isaac Asimov

On the rare occasion in which I was out of line (didn't get a joke, really), the mod actually sent me an e-mail. I've also received a thank you or two by PM. The mods are nice, and I think they'd rather we risk overreporting than to miss something ban-worthy.

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Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"

I would be absolutely horrified if I ever found out that I had not been reported to the Mods, for one I feel that I have deserved reporting on more than one occasion.

And two it would mean people are not reading what I write

I feel that letting someone know that they are out of order can be done well and lets a poster know where the boundaries are. If done well it is a good guide for new members or those thinking of posting for the first time because it shows that the forum members value this venue.

Cheers

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"Nature is obliged to let reality determine its laws, whereas mathematics is under no such constraint."

LOL that's an interesting take!

I'm pretty sure the Mods have a special "Neverfly" thread in the Mod Forum for the sole purpose of pulling out hair over my antics...

When I report a problem post I do not warn the person. However, if a person seems to be getting close to the line, particularly if they are new, I will post a friendly suggestion first that they might want to change their behavior, though I always point out I am not a mod.

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At night the stars put on a show for free (Carole King)

Same here. I figure if it comes to the point where I do have to report something, there's no point in mentioning it in the thread, it's too late for a cool-off.

As for snitching on snitches, I've no doubt the mods can tell when the 'report post' feature is being misused.

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New! It combines the power of science with the gentleness of your mother's best intentions!
A new miracle technique, we apply homeopathic methods to achieve scientific efficaciousness
for dilutions WAY beyond Avogadro's Limit. It's New! It's Fresh!
It's Placebo^[tm] Brand Power Drink! *[Use as directed. May increase kidney function.]

Thanks Moose,

Your use of this system has consistently been just as we hope it should be used.

There have been a few people who've gotten suspended or worse for misusing the warning system... but if you (the broader 'you', not Moose) are not using it as a tool to act out a grudge repeatedly against another member, you probably have nothing to worry about.

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Forming opinions as we speak

Thanks for saying. It's nice to have confirmation I'm 'dialed in' in that respect.

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New! It combines the power of science with the gentleness of your mother's best intentions!
A new miracle technique, we apply homeopathic methods to achieve scientific efficaciousness
for dilutions WAY beyond Avogadro's Limit. It's New! It's Fresh!
It's Placebo^[tm] Brand Power Drink! *[Use as directed. May increase kidney function.]

Before you get reported for advertising, where can I buy some Placebo[tm] Brand Power Drink?

Seriously, I've reported posts occasionally, but I always try to think it over for a while and come back to it later before I press the little triangle. I wish there was little triangle available for the comments on the UT articles; some of those get way out of control.

Regards, Placebo John M.

You can find it in outlets and channels all over the world. Tell you what, you can send money c/o my Grand Cayman Islands bank account, preferably in small, unmarked bills please, and I'll make sure you can tap your full potential.

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New! It combines the power of science with the gentleness of your mother's best intentions!
A new miracle technique, we apply homeopathic methods to achieve scientific efficaciousness
for dilutions WAY beyond Avogadro's Limit. It's New! It's Fresh!
It's Placebo^[tm] Brand Power Drink! *[Use as directed. May increase kidney function.]

Providing one is polite, and their main concern is the successful integration of someone into this board's community, I believe it's entirely reasonable to PM a person once or twice, point out where a post of theirs fell outside the board rules, and provide a constructive suggestion of two to help guide them back inside the rules.

That's basic mentorship 101.

If they continue to violate board rules (or even just basic netiquitte), then it's time to report it to the mods, without, as Jim mentioned, threatening the member (either publically or privately), or publically humiliating them by telling them in a public post that you've reported their post.

I've been either a mod or an admin on numerous boards for more than two decades. One of the responsibilities of being a mod is to do the same as above, but back it up with the consequence that if the poster doesn't comply with the rules after a stern warning, then they'll be either temporarilly or permanently banned, depending on the severity of their error.

To be perfectly transparent with you, can be very headstrong. I've been both temporarily and permanently banned from a handful of boards over the years, including having been temporarily banned from BAUT for crossing the line. Sure, it hurt, ego bruised and all of that. But I learned from it, and am a better netizen because of it. Not only do I have a couple of accountability partners who let me know, pronto, when a post of mine is out of line, but I'm doing a better job of policing my own posts.

BAUT, although an online community, is no different than any other community. Some members I know as acquaintences, others as friends, and a few as close as a real family member. In some online communities, like BAUT, law and order prevails. In others, chaos reigns. In most, it's a mix of both.

Contrary to what some people believe, the appropriate application of law and order brings freedom, while removing abusive behaviors that impinge on that freedom.

So, back to the OP, "should we snitch on tattle-tales?" I believe a polite PM is in order, but if it's a repeat, after the polite PM, then yes, it's time to contact the local sheriff (mod) and let them do what they signed up to do!

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I am Mugs, of the Alien clan of Usa, Nordamerica, a Terran, of Sol.

Mine: "Perception isn't reality. It's merely an abstraction thereof, and quite often not a very good one at that."

Heinlein's: "Staying young requires the unceasing cultivation of the ability to unlearn old falsehoods." "Freedom begins when you tell Ms. Grundy to go fly a kite."