To Report...or Not to Report...and if you do, what to expect...

[monksmom]

Well, we've got tutorials for just about anything under the sun in freebieville but one thing that I'm fairly sure few are aware of is reporting...and what it entails. Why the lack of knowledge? Because folks are scared, unsure, nervous...and often unaware. Sooooo....

We know that, for most of the rules, banning will and does occur. (Only exception is overbumping and that results in a thread lock)

How does that happen? How do folks get "caught" when they infringe upon the rules?

Well, more often than not, one of our wonderful moderators will be running crowd control on the forum and BAM! lol...they'll run right into something that shouldn't outta be...or be out cruising in response to a pm or report notification they have received...

We all know what pms are and yes, folks do just send them instead of hitting "report", especially if they are not sure what it is they see. I have pm'd them once or twice now. One time was over a situation that I saw developing...and wanted to see if it was actually a situation:) Another, a thread that seemed way off base - to me - and it just so happened they were already taking care of it.

It will never, ever hurt to ask! If we do not ask, we may never know and that IS how we learn.

Things happen...we see things - we've got over 100,000 eyes between all of us! BUT, it really is ok to ask if you are unsure...our mods are not only awesome, but very, very understanding and helpful...use them well and use them wisely!

Our moderators are here to help ALL of us...please treat them with the respect they deserve.

Remember, they do NOT get paid to help US on the forum. They do it as they are kind, considerate, and at times, extremely compassionate AND passionate about what we do here:) It is those traits that make them who and what they are.

Ok, enough lecture...let's talk about Report notifications.

A click-able report button is everywhere - posts, pms, visitor pages...have you seen it?

Familiar at all? This is the one that displays when you get a private message. If someone sends you something you did NOT ask for, click that button...



and you will see....



Put in a simple comment (examples listed) and click submit.

That's it...that's all there is to it.

YOU are NOT named in any way.

No one knows where it came from but those that cannot say:)

Feel secure in the knowledge they (flr) is NOT going to risk their licensing and other things by telling tales or giving details stemming from these reports.


Should I report something or not?

Whew...this is a personal question one must ask themselves. We all know I am going to say "Yes", especially if it pertains to spamming and scamming new folks!!! Whoop 'em in the bootie, is my thought...but reporting will work well, too:)

There are some things you just don't do...like take advantage of folks who are new to freebieville - heck, take advantage of folks, period! And yes, folks, that is EXACTLY what spamming AND scamming do...they take advantage of a situation and/or person...even with the best of intentions:)

A few things you should ask yourself are:

1. What do the rules that I've read and agreed to adhere to say...?

2. Does the contact in some way seem to give the "alleged" offender an upper hand? Suggest self-promotion or trading with them in general?

3. Is what you see offensive to you? Your children?

4. Ask yourself this more than anything else...How do you think someone else would handle whatever it is you are seeing...especially someone new to the forum?

Could it....would it...is it at all possible...it might hurt or misguide a new person? Someone who may not have your savvy? Someone who may be totally unaware of what's even going on yet?

5. How would I feel if this harmed someone else?

In that, you will find your answer:) I'm a pretty high ethics kinda gal yet there is quite a bit I tossed off, especially when I hit the forum for the first time as yeppers, I got my share of spam, too:)

However...I DID ask myself would it or could it possibly hurt someone who did not have my moxie or years of experience with the business world? Those that I felt would, whelp...yep, I sure did report!

One thing we can ALL do for each other is to play fair, stick by the rules and support others...doing as we would like to be done to...in that, I say report it...or if at all in question, ask!

Safe trading IS happy trading...so what say we all be happy...and move on:) It's all good...if we make it that way, eh? Good luck!

[IRONLady]

Thank-you, it needed to be spelled out clearly. I hope everyone reads it. Excellent.

[pd4sw]

Good information...thanks for taking the time to put this together...I discovered something on yesterday that I have been wondering if I should report...this will help me to make the right choice.

[md-phillips3]

Good post! I think it helps clear up any confusion as why and what happens next.

[kar708]

Thanks for taking the time to put this together, it's great info!

[joeys1976]

Good job, I agree with everything you said!

[greensunited]

Thanks for taking the time to explain the importance of that report button....of when & why we should use it....and what happens when we do use it. Hopefully, it will put new traders more at ease when they are considering whether they should report someone . One thing that I would like to add....I have noticed posts where traders were hesitant to use the report button because they were concerned they might get an innocent trader in trouble by reporting them due to their own lack of understanding of the rules....No trader will suffer any consequence if it is determined by the mods that they have not violated any rules...in fact the trader will not even know that the mods received a report about them and checked up on them. There is no harm in reporting a trader/situation that you are concerned about....the mods make the final determination about each incident & no one who is innocent will find themselves in trouble.

[monksmom]

Exactly right, gs...and it does get even better as the mods are allowed to make judgment calls...discuss things amongst themselves and get with admin, when needed.

Now, why does this make it even better? Simple! KNOWING the unless it's something just plain ignorant, meaning blatant, well...no one is going to jump and do anything...unless it is agreed upon by the powers that be, when necessary. THAT is just about as fair as it can get and it keeps preferential treatment at bay as admin, of all people, is not going to risk a discrimination suit...which is what it would be if found to be treating some with special preference:)

All of this good stuff combined should make anyone more at ease...to simply do whatever they feel is right...and keep flr safe for the next person in:) It really is...all good:)

[tinker549]

Wonderful post monks! This should be stickied I think! Explaining to a new trader that they should report someone is VERY hard and it isn't always done correctly. Therefore, the process is long and tedious for them and mods. So glad you took the time to create this!

[monksmom]

Thanks, tink:) Keeping things simple and in perspective is bound to help anyone faced with the situation of reporting or not...