XF 1.0 Managing Reported Content

Well, you wouldn't have seen it because it's only exposed to moderators. :)

Moderator actions are invoked using the moderator bar that is at the top of every page. In this post, I'll be focusing on how moderators handle reported content.

Handling a report is a little more formalized than you might be used to. Reports are now tracked with a status, so that it's clear what has happened and, if you leave a comment, why.

report-moderator-bar.webp


This bar makes it easy to see when you have tasks outstanding, but doesn't get in the way of reading the forum.

Inside the reported items section, you are presented with a list of outstanding (open or assigned) reports:

report-overview.webp


This does not just have to show a list of reported posts. It will show any type of comment, including profile posts or those added by add-ons. (Add-ons simply need to implement the basic reporting functionality and write some code to interact with this system.)

You can also use the button in the upper right to view recently closed reports.

Diving into the report listed, we see:

report-view.webp


This shows us the content that was reported and any comments that may have been made. If a piece of content is reported multiple times, only one report will be created but all the comments will be listed here. Each moderator that can manage the report has the option of making a comment as well. This is important when the type of action that needs to be taken isn't 100% clear. Note that users that report content can't see this page or any of the comments that are made; they are for internal use only.

To modify the report's status, you must first claim the report. This is mostly important if you have two or more people who might handle the report. Once one person claims the report, the other can see that it's being handled. After claiming the report, the view switches slightly:

report-assigned.webp


Now, using the "go to content" button (which opens in a new window), you can manage the content directly. After you have taken your course of action, you'd come back to the report view and change the status. After submitting, you're taken back to the report list view to move on to the next thing.

After a report has been closed, it can be re-opened if needed:

report-reopen-comments.webp


A moderator's comment will automatically re-open it. Another user reporting the content will cause it to be re-opened; however, all of the comments will still be available to help you decide whether an action is really necessary.

Added September 22nd:
Floris has put together a video showing how the system works. Thanks, Floris!
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Another great feature, completely uncluttering the staff forum from useless topics for very simple reports like spam or a double post which most of the time do not require any discussion. I only have one question, does the system already support custom statuses for the reports ? If not would it be easy to make a mod for it ?
 
Thanks for excellent teaser previews of what's to come.. You are keeping us all excited.

Hopefully you've just scratched the surface so far :D
 
I have to agree with some of what has been said...

A method to search reports, and a way to see which has a new comment. If I upgrade one of my forums, we tend to get about 40+ reports a week, some of which we have to discuss due to the nature of the problem.

As for allowing members to see the report comments; I'm perfectly fine with using personal conversations, and actually much more inclined too.

System looks great, but the ability to search and see what has been responded to would possibly be a deal breaker on using this system.
 
I love this.

I do have a question, I didn't notice any possible courses of action to take (punishment-wise). Of course, banning is an option, but is that the only option at this moment in time?
EDIT: Apparently this hasn't been developed yet.

Is there any logging in place? Such as how many posts each user has reported etc?

Also, what is the difference between the moderation queue and the reported items?
 
We don't have to 'remember' to check anything, with the report bar at the top of the page. Hard to overlook a red number.
Does this mean for every comment added to a report, you get a red icon/alert on the moderator bar? Or do you only get notified for the original report and not subsequent responses?

Another user reporting the content will cause it to be re-opened
I see that "rejected" is one of the statuses for reports. If a report is marked as "rejected", is it still re-opened if it's reported again? If so, I don't see the point in the "rejected" status. To me, rejected means the staff has looked into the report, and sees nothing wrong with it. If I deem something as totally acceptable but users keep reporting it, I don't want it to continue to get re-opened.
 
I'm wondering whether it would be viable (looking at nicks point) whether it be a good idea to (once a reported post has been rejected that the report text link is hidden via the postbit in that specific post. Dunno, another idea I haven't thought through. :D
 
I'm wondering whether it would be viable (looking at nicks point) whether it be a good idea to (once a reported post has been rejected that the report text link is hidden via the postbit in that specific post. Dunno, another idea I haven't thought through. :D

Where does the ")" go? :(
 
I see that "rejected" is one of the statuses for reports. If a report is marked as "rejected", is it still re-opened if it's reported again? If so, I don't see the point in the "rejected" status. To me, rejected means the staff has looked into the report, and sees nothing wrong with it. If I deem something as totally acceptable but users keep reporting it, I don't want it to continue to get re-opened.
Personally, I would want to get notifications for those reported posts where they were previously rejected.

Mods & admins make mistakes, and someone describing the reason for the subsequent reported post could describe it better than the first person.
 
I'm wondering whether it would be viable (looking at nicks point) whether it be a good idea to (once a reported post has been rejected that the report text link is hidden via the postbit in that specific post. Dunno, another idea I haven't thought through. :D
Interesting idea. It may go against what some admins (such as Abomination) want, which is a perfectly fine preference. I see it as a nice modification though! :D
 
Does this mean for every comment added to a report, you get a red icon/alert on the moderator bar? Or do you only get notified for the original report and not subsequent responses?
HA I'll have to ask about that. I don't know, since that's not happened here yet. :eek:
 
If search functionality were added, I'd be perfectly content with using the system as demonstrated in the original post.

In fact, on most of the forums (and other discussion platforms) I'm involved with, we utilize a ticket system somewhat similar to this. Given that we receive 70+ reports a day, most of which can be handled by a single staff member, we don't use forums for this as that would just lead to a lot of useless threads, which might contain one or two replies at most (and makes it a bit more difficult to see who his handling the report). If we notice repeat offenders, then sure, we'll create a thread and discuss the matter if need be. So, like I said, I'd be perfectly content with the way it works now (provided they're searchable).
 
Please add functionality to:
  • Let staff make the rest of the staff aware of positive and negative developments members. When you have large numbers of reports, infractions, etc. this is needed.
  • See at one glance, all infractions, warnings, reports, staff comments relating to a specific member.
 
Member card?
That would be a good solution, if it would be well integrated with the staff zone. Otherwise it could become as obscure as user notes in vbulletin.
I think it would also be good to show number of warnings/infractions/staff comments in member's postbit. (all visible to staff only)
 
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