I'm not leaving, munchkins..I know you are slightly disappointed now and were waiting for some eDrama (or happy to see me FINALLY desert the pop to live on my farm full time and stop clogging your "answers") but it's just boring old me sharing my thoughts on reporting. Forgive me..it's Sunday..and I had the time.
I sometimes stumble across obvious spam (yes, I'm talking aboot you chinese shoe and handbag sellers!) on this site that has been there for months and I wonder why it was never removed. I also see quizzes where people have been informed of a mistake and yet months later the wrong quiz still sits there.
Then I see highly amusing threats in comments: I SWEAR I WILL HAVE YOU DELETED OFF THIS SITE!!
I have come to the conclusion that some users just don't report or have a totally wrong idea of what a report does so here are some basics on reporting:
1)How do I report content?
Harold wrote a link including images where you will find the report flag on the different types of content. He also made a handy little list of things you might stumble across and what you should do (rate, ignore, report).
It's slightly outdated since this was written before we had the handy little "notes" section but it's a great guide if you're not sure what to do or where to find the report flag.
2)What happens when I report something?
As I mentioned I have seen a lot of comments where people threaten to have "users deleted/banned". This is a silly and actually empty threat. The reporting system is not automated. Flagging a user or any type of content will not result in an immediate ban or deletion. Instead the F4 will look at reported content and deal with it as they see fit.
3) I stopped reporting because nothing ever happens when I report!
There might be a number of reasons why this is happening.
A) You didn't give a valid reason in the notes section.
The people handling the reports can not be experts on everything: They didn't read the book or see the film on a pop quiz question and maybe the answer is even a controversial one and fans are still debating whether "Edwards shirt to cover his sparkly body was a) a deep green or b) a deep turquoise". Be as precise as possible with your reports. If you have a lengthy answer put it in a comment beneath the content and write "see comment" in the notes section.
B) You were being biased in your report.
If your reports are for very personal reasons (shipping, national pride, personal disagreement etc) chances are a more neutral observer will not agree and the content stays as it is. Unfortunately this is also true for uncredited and keywordless images..or images with wrong keywords *shudder*.
C) You submitted something yourself and now want it removed for personal reasons.
fanpop is a community and the content of all clubs belongs to everyone not just you. If you added a quiz or a pick that fans have already answered and you just want it removed "CUZ OMG I DON'T EVEN SHIP THEM ANYMORE" or some other silly reason chances are it will stay. If you have made a controversial pick that sparked a fight you can report it and it will probably be removed.(Ah..good times :P)
D) It took time to be dealt with.
I remember there was an amusing picture of some naked lady's behind and there was an ootraged user who foresaw fanpops moral decline because the image wasn't removed within seconds. People run this site and sometimes the F4 might be at home! having dinner with the kids! Or playing scrabble with their wives! Or having a beer! Or...something.
3)Isn't reporting someone mean?
Think of the reporting tool as an "alert" button. You are alerting the F4 to someones behaviour. Chances are that if this user is abusive there will be others reporting them,too. It's better to report someone for a reason than getting into an online argument with them and making the situation worse. If you are being harassed, stalked, attacked REPORT and BLOCK the person. Let the powers of fanpop deal with internet trolls and don't attempt to take matters into your own hands (we have seen how that ends ;)). If however you get into a fight with someone over silly shipping issues: this isn't a reason to report someone. General disagreements are NOT a reason for reporting. Forums do not belong to groups or individuals and anyone can comment anywhere- even if they aren't a fan of the club so that's not a valid reason either. Be reasonable in your reports and rest assured that the F4 know what they are doing (if you alerted them to the situation properly and they have all the facts).
4) My content got deleted and I don't know why!
As of now there is no automated system that tells you if your content was moved or removed. Maybe this will be changed in future but for now all you have is your common sense.
a) It was a repeat (Think: OMG DO U THINK EDWARD IS HAWT???)
b) It was miscategorized (Think: WAT DAY WUZ JUSTIN BIEBER BORN? in the fanpop club)
c) It was in the wrong category (THINK: IS DEMI LOVATO HOTTER THEN SELENA GOMEZ? as a quiz)
d) It was (and this is the most likely these days) NOT AN ANSWER REQUEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SAY IT WITH ME CHILDREN:
"I vow to NOT use the answers section for picks (do you think...?) and forum topics (What did you think of the latest plot development in XYZ)"
5) Why should I even use the notes section?
I have finally reached the critical point where I always quote myself:link
6) What should I report?
Anything that violates the link but since I doubt that anyone has ever actually READ them here are some basics:
+ Spam (selling clothes,jewelery, condos etc) Report both content and user.
+ Offensive content (content that promote racism, bigotry, hatred or physical harm of any kind against any group or individual)
+ porn (pornographic or sexually explicit in nature)
+ illegal content
and anything that obstructs the fanpopping experience for other users:
+ repeated content (provide a url to the original in the notes section)
+ miscategorized content (put the correct club in the notes section)
+ biased content (picks with effectively one answer: "yes" and "omg yes")
+ incorrect quizzes (state correct answer in notes section)
+ hateful and abusive comments (remember children: fanpoppers don't tell other fanpoppers that they "are fat assed cows and should go cut their wrists and go die in a corner")
+ outdated/broken content (links,videos that no longer work, quizzes with no specific time given that have become obsolete, picks aboot plot developments that have been revealed)
+(thank you ineedcoffee) Links to episodes that take you to sites where you have to fill oot a survey/subscribe to something
+ irrelevant content posted by bored users (what colour shirt am I wearing today? as a quiz)
6a) Should I report the content or the user?
This very much depends on the situation at hand.
A) Obvious spam (selling stuff, links to survey sites etc)
If you report content the user will not automatically be reported (I used to think so but papa said its a separate thing) so since I have known this I make sure to report the content AND the user. Sometimes people will address one of those spam accounts politely and write something like "Oh please dont spam" on their walls which cracks me up..LIKE THEY WILL CARE..or even go back to read it!? REPORT these accounts and the spam content they posted.
B)Users who repeatedly abuse others/post content to annoy people on certain spots
Report both the user and the content. Remember to use the notes section! Be reasonable in your expectations as to what will happen. Explain what they are doing so that people who AREN'T part of your shipping war know whats going on.
C)Miscategorized content/honest mistakes/noobz who are very confused/ootdated picks,quizzes
Just report the content.
7) I have reported a user a number of times but nothing happened and they still harass me.
Ignore,report,block!
Last resort: Message one of the F4 privately via their profile. I do NOT encourage you to do this lightly. If you are at fault as much as the other person you better settle it privately. They are busy people! They have other things to worry aboot than personal wars on fanpop. But sometimes the situation gets oot of hand and I know from what I have seen that the F4 are always willing to help people oot if they are having trouble with trolls on this site.
8) I got a message saying my content was reported as broken. What do I do?
Read link
9)HELP MEEEEE! I got banned! I can't access my account!*runs in circles**flails**collapses*
Step 1:
Breathe!
Step 2:
THINK!
What were you doing before you got banned?
Were you being naughty? Did you post something that's against fanpop's Terms of Service? DID YOU ASK A QUESTION ABOOT HOW TO GET A MEDAL? (kidding...)
If you didn't do anything wrong, chances are you were auto-banned for posting the same comment over and over. For more info read link.
10)But...I mean really really... isn't reporting something/someone REALLY mean? Will they get banned? Will I get banned if someone reports my content?
Again: The act of reporting is a neutral step to clear fanpop from clutter! Think of reporting like a spring clean and best of all: you don't even have to do the work. You're basically just putting a little post it on something that says:
I think this needs to go/be donated/moved/archived!
Reporting is not automated. As I said PEOPLE run this site and PEOPLE deal with the reports. We don't really know how it works exactly but from what I know the F4 look at all the stuff thats reported and then decide what to do with it. Should it be moved? Should it be removed? Is it actual spam? Did someone make an honest mistake?
Really if reporting were mean and got you banned each time you made a mistake THE POP WOULD BE EMPTY!
Think of all the twihards and bEiberkidz- they wouldn't BE here anymore if asking silly pop quiz questions like "DO U THINKK JUSTINE BEIBER IZ HAWT????" which then get reported by some sane person got you banned!
But why should I even go through the trouble of reporting?
Some people take the time to write some elaborate comment like "YOU SUCK. THIS IS WRONG. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO CALL URSELF A FAN IF U DONT KNOW DIS! EVRYBODY KNO DIS. WHEN UR RLLY A FAN U KNOWDIS OMG YOU SUCK GET OFF DIS SPOT"...but DON'T have the time to just friggin click the report flag. The result? PAGES and PAGES of useless content people (and the search engine) have to sift through to get to ACTUAL interesting content!
+Report because you want the pop to be a nice place with INTERESTING useful content!
+Report because you're a good user who understands that the site creators can't be everywhere and you're willing to HELP them by putting the little post-its on content!
+Report because you understand that because the web these days lets EVERYONE add stuff we need MORE people paying attention to what is right and useful.
How long will my account be suspended?
Of course no one is ever rightfully banned- IT TTLLY WASNT MY FAULT I DIDZ NOTHING WRONGZ!!!111!!! and yet people get suspended. How long does this suspension last?
NO ONE KNOWS! repeat after me: NO ONE KNOWS!
Stop asking, please! The F4 would know because they are the only ones who know WHY you got suspended. BUT now we think back to the fact that there are millions of fanpoppers and no! they don't have time to explain to everyone why and how they were naughty and how and when they can get their account back.
Now quit whining because chances are you made a new account anyway (if you're reading this) and your silly medals are worthless anyway and these days your props, too. So just be patient!
And since I am pretty conceited I will refer you to another article I wrote:
link
This should be helpful to read when you have questions aboot how to contact the F4, deleting your submissions etc.
I sometimes stumble across obvious spam (yes, I'm talking aboot you chinese shoe and handbag sellers!) on this site that has been there for months and I wonder why it was never removed. I also see quizzes where people have been informed of a mistake and yet months later the wrong quiz still sits there.
Then I see highly amusing threats in comments: I SWEAR I WILL HAVE YOU DELETED OFF THIS SITE!!
I have come to the conclusion that some users just don't report or have a totally wrong idea of what a report does so here are some basics on reporting:
1)How do I report content?
Harold wrote a link including images where you will find the report flag on the different types of content. He also made a handy little list of things you might stumble across and what you should do (rate, ignore, report).
It's slightly outdated since this was written before we had the handy little "notes" section but it's a great guide if you're not sure what to do or where to find the report flag.
2)What happens when I report something?
As I mentioned I have seen a lot of comments where people threaten to have "users deleted/banned". This is a silly and actually empty threat. The reporting system is not automated. Flagging a user or any type of content will not result in an immediate ban or deletion. Instead the F4 will look at reported content and deal with it as they see fit.
3) I stopped reporting because nothing ever happens when I report!
There might be a number of reasons why this is happening.
A) You didn't give a valid reason in the notes section.
The people handling the reports can not be experts on everything: They didn't read the book or see the film on a pop quiz question and maybe the answer is even a controversial one and fans are still debating whether "Edwards shirt to cover his sparkly body was a) a deep green or b) a deep turquoise". Be as precise as possible with your reports. If you have a lengthy answer put it in a comment beneath the content and write "see comment" in the notes section.
B) You were being biased in your report.
If your reports are for very personal reasons (shipping, national pride, personal disagreement etc) chances are a more neutral observer will not agree and the content stays as it is. Unfortunately this is also true for uncredited and keywordless images..or images with wrong keywords *shudder*.
C) You submitted something yourself and now want it removed for personal reasons.
fanpop is a community and the content of all clubs belongs to everyone not just you. If you added a quiz or a pick that fans have already answered and you just want it removed "CUZ OMG I DON'T EVEN SHIP THEM ANYMORE" or some other silly reason chances are it will stay. If you have made a controversial pick that sparked a fight you can report it and it will probably be removed.(Ah..good times :P)
D) It took time to be dealt with.
I remember there was an amusing picture of some naked lady's behind and there was an ootraged user who foresaw fanpops moral decline because the image wasn't removed within seconds. People run this site and sometimes the F4 might be at home! having dinner with the kids! Or playing scrabble with their wives! Or having a beer! Or...something.
3)Isn't reporting someone mean?
Think of the reporting tool as an "alert" button. You are alerting the F4 to someones behaviour. Chances are that if this user is abusive there will be others reporting them,too. It's better to report someone for a reason than getting into an online argument with them and making the situation worse. If you are being harassed, stalked, attacked REPORT and BLOCK the person. Let the powers of fanpop deal with internet trolls and don't attempt to take matters into your own hands (we have seen how that ends ;)). If however you get into a fight with someone over silly shipping issues: this isn't a reason to report someone. General disagreements are NOT a reason for reporting. Forums do not belong to groups or individuals and anyone can comment anywhere- even if they aren't a fan of the club so that's not a valid reason either. Be reasonable in your reports and rest assured that the F4 know what they are doing (if you alerted them to the situation properly and they have all the facts).
4) My content got deleted and I don't know why!
As of now there is no automated system that tells you if your content was moved or removed. Maybe this will be changed in future but for now all you have is your common sense.
a) It was a repeat (Think: OMG DO U THINK EDWARD IS HAWT???)
b) It was miscategorized (Think: WAT DAY WUZ JUSTIN BIEBER BORN? in the fanpop club)
c) It was in the wrong category (THINK: IS DEMI LOVATO HOTTER THEN SELENA GOMEZ? as a quiz)
d) It was (and this is the most likely these days) NOT AN ANSWER REQUEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SAY IT WITH ME CHILDREN:
"I vow to NOT use the answers section for picks (do you think...?) and forum topics (What did you think of the latest plot development in XYZ)"
5) Why should I even use the notes section?
I have finally reached the critical point where I always quote myself:link
6) What should I report?
Anything that violates the link but since I doubt that anyone has ever actually READ them here are some basics:
+ Spam (selling clothes,jewelery, condos etc) Report both content and user.
+ Offensive content (content that promote racism, bigotry, hatred or physical harm of any kind against any group or individual)
+ porn (pornographic or sexually explicit in nature)
+ illegal content
and anything that obstructs the fanpopping experience for other users:
+ repeated content (provide a url to the original in the notes section)
+ miscategorized content (put the correct club in the notes section)
+ biased content (picks with effectively one answer: "yes" and "omg yes")
+ incorrect quizzes (state correct answer in notes section)
+ hateful and abusive comments (remember children: fanpoppers don't tell other fanpoppers that they "are fat assed cows and should go cut their wrists and go die in a corner")
+ outdated/broken content (links,videos that no longer work, quizzes with no specific time given that have become obsolete, picks aboot plot developments that have been revealed)
+(thank you ineedcoffee) Links to episodes that take you to sites where you have to fill oot a survey/subscribe to something
+ irrelevant content posted by bored users (what colour shirt am I wearing today? as a quiz)
6a) Should I report the content or the user?
This very much depends on the situation at hand.
A) Obvious spam (selling stuff, links to survey sites etc)
If you report content the user will not automatically be reported (I used to think so but papa said its a separate thing) so since I have known this I make sure to report the content AND the user. Sometimes people will address one of those spam accounts politely and write something like "Oh please dont spam" on their walls which cracks me up..LIKE THEY WILL CARE..or even go back to read it!? REPORT these accounts and the spam content they posted.
B)Users who repeatedly abuse others/post content to annoy people on certain spots
Report both the user and the content. Remember to use the notes section! Be reasonable in your expectations as to what will happen. Explain what they are doing so that people who AREN'T part of your shipping war know whats going on.
C)Miscategorized content/honest mistakes/noobz who are very confused/ootdated picks,quizzes
Just report the content.
7) I have reported a user a number of times but nothing happened and they still harass me.
Ignore,report,block!
Last resort: Message one of the F4 privately via their profile. I do NOT encourage you to do this lightly. If you are at fault as much as the other person you better settle it privately. They are busy people! They have other things to worry aboot than personal wars on fanpop. But sometimes the situation gets oot of hand and I know from what I have seen that the F4 are always willing to help people oot if they are having trouble with trolls on this site.
8) I got a message saying my content was reported as broken. What do I do?
Read link
9)HELP MEEEEE! I got banned! I can't access my account!*runs in circles**flails**collapses*
Step 1:
Breathe!
Step 2:
THINK!
What were you doing before you got banned?
Were you being naughty? Did you post something that's against fanpop's Terms of Service? DID YOU ASK A QUESTION ABOOT HOW TO GET A MEDAL? (kidding...)
If you didn't do anything wrong, chances are you were auto-banned for posting the same comment over and over. For more info read link.
10)But...I mean really really... isn't reporting something/someone REALLY mean? Will they get banned? Will I get banned if someone reports my content?
Again: The act of reporting is a neutral step to clear fanpop from clutter! Think of reporting like a spring clean and best of all: you don't even have to do the work. You're basically just putting a little post it on something that says:
I think this needs to go/be donated/moved/archived!
Reporting is not automated. As I said PEOPLE run this site and PEOPLE deal with the reports. We don't really know how it works exactly but from what I know the F4 look at all the stuff thats reported and then decide what to do with it. Should it be moved? Should it be removed? Is it actual spam? Did someone make an honest mistake?
Really if reporting were mean and got you banned each time you made a mistake THE POP WOULD BE EMPTY!
Think of all the twihards and bEiberkidz- they wouldn't BE here anymore if asking silly pop quiz questions like "DO U THINKK JUSTINE BEIBER IZ HAWT????" which then get reported by some sane person got you banned!
But why should I even go through the trouble of reporting?
Some people take the time to write some elaborate comment like "YOU SUCK. THIS IS WRONG. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO CALL URSELF A FAN IF U DONT KNOW DIS! EVRYBODY KNO DIS. WHEN UR RLLY A FAN U KNOWDIS OMG YOU SUCK GET OFF DIS SPOT"...but DON'T have the time to just friggin click the report flag. The result? PAGES and PAGES of useless content people (and the search engine) have to sift through to get to ACTUAL interesting content!
+Report because you want the pop to be a nice place with INTERESTING useful content!
+Report because you're a good user who understands that the site creators can't be everywhere and you're willing to HELP them by putting the little post-its on content!
+Report because you understand that because the web these days lets EVERYONE add stuff we need MORE people paying attention to what is right and useful.
How long will my account be suspended?
Of course no one is ever rightfully banned- IT TTLLY WASNT MY FAULT I DIDZ NOTHING WRONGZ!!!111!!! and yet people get suspended. How long does this suspension last?
NO ONE KNOWS! repeat after me: NO ONE KNOWS!
Stop asking, please! The F4 would know because they are the only ones who know WHY you got suspended. BUT now we think back to the fact that there are millions of fanpoppers and no! they don't have time to explain to everyone why and how they were naughty and how and when they can get their account back.
Now quit whining because chances are you made a new account anyway (if you're reading this) and your silly medals are worthless anyway and these days your props, too. So just be patient!
And since I am pretty conceited I will refer you to another article I wrote:
link
This should be helpful to read when you have questions aboot how to contact the F4, deleting your submissions etc.