A Tutorial on Reporting a ToS Violation

[Qwertea]

This is not my guide, my friend l_ -Crimson B- _l created it for my old guild "The Lights of Gaia", all credit goes to him for creating this guide. emotion_yatta

Since that guild has went inactive I figured that since this little forum has the exact same purpose of my old guild I'd just copy/paste it in here.

General Contents:

-Disclaimer (Here)
-Introduction
-Reporting a post in forums
-Reporting a post in guilds
-Reporting a post in flash spaces
-Recommendations
-F.A.Q.

-(Reserved)  

[Qwertea]

Introduction

We all like joke around, to freely discuss our thoughts with others. Such a liberty should always be respected. The same goes with respecting each of our liberties on this site. Love it or hate it, we all strive to keep Gaia a fun place, one way or another. But there are times you notice a post that you know that you feel uncomfortable with. Perhaps you think this will be the same way for other users, too, and it so happens that this same thought resonates with them. You want to report it, but hesitate because you can’t find a way to do so properly. Or, you’re afraid that this won’t get noticed.

Worry not, that’s what this thread is here for. I will be covering the basics of reporting for the forums, guilds, and flash spaces, as well as make some recommendations regarding reporting. Even if you feel that you know something about it already, feel free to use it as reference.

This does not mean that anyone in this guild has the authority to enact any ruling on any violation committed. We are all here to help the staff foster an environment where we don’t have to worry about hurtful responses that can take away from the enjoyment and integrity of this site. ^^


Side note: If you have something to add for this tutorial thread or feel that needs further clarifying, go ahead and share your thoughts! I intend for this thread to keep up with the ToS on reporting as time goes along. Keep in mind that this is also a continuous work in progress, I don’t make threads too often so if anything’s off just bear with me.  

[Qwertea]

Reporting a post in forums

Each forum has an appropriate sticky that describes the rules and guidelines in general. They also include a “How to Report” on each of them, there are links you can follow to make a report based on what was violated. If the post doesn’t have any of the listed criteria and you still can prove that it violates the ToS, a link with the title “Report Post” is located above each post. Make sure to follow the instructions before sending the report. If the thread itself is violating the ToS, click “Report This Topic” and follow the instructions there.

Some important things to note:

DO NOT abuse the report system. This includes spamming and falsely accusing the reported person. Intentional misuse of the report system can get you a warning at least and worse off, have your account permanently banned by the staff. Just don’t do that, that kind of nonsense really isn’t worth your time and energy if you think about it.
If you have questions about this or if you need to make sure about the report you are making, Site Questions & Assistance is your friend. Someone in that forum will gladly help you there. Alternatively, you can also talk to one of the crew members or Vice Captains about it (myself included), and we can help you sort this out. Either way, we’re happy to help you understand this system better. ^^  

[Qwertea]

Reporting a post in guilds

***Just to get this obvious detail out of the way: If there’s a post or multiple posts of one user that’s violating the ToS in this or any guild, don’t click “Report Guild”. The entire guild shouldn’t have to suffer the deeds of one person.***


Instead, talk to the Crew or one the Vice Captains about it. Don’t worry, as long as it’s within our guild we won’t ignore the problem at hand (we handle these kind of things pretty fast ^^). You, the user, are entitled to report to a mod in the Gaia Guild Network if there are not any Crew members (or even the Vice Captains/Captain if it comes down to that) who can but are not willing to handle the matter, should the occasion happen. This doesn’t just apply to this guild, but every guild that you the user are in.


Stuff that should be reported includes abuse, racist slurs, pornography of any kind (including cybering), and blackmailing. Basically, the same stuff that isn’t allowed in regular forums.


Like with the forums, DO NOT abuse the report system. Intentional misuse of it can still get a warning issued or worse off, have your account permanently banned by the staff. If you need anything clarified, contact a moderator. You can do this by clicking on this link to view the GGN moderators (there is a “View Moderators” link for every forum too, by the way).  

[Qwertea]

Reporting a post in flash spaces:

For all flash games: Simply click “Report Abuse” and follow the instructions there. (same for other flash games)
For Towns 1 + 2: Click “Send Report” on the bottom of the screen where the police mood bubble is located.

Once again, DO NOT abuse the report system. Regardless of what you believe, intentional misuse of the report system will receive a warning, with the worst being the permanent banning of your account by the staff.  

[Qwertea]

Recommendations

*When filing a report on a ToS violation, be sure to describe it in detail. The more information you provide, the faster that the issue will be dealt with.

*Small things like misplaced threads also apply; we all make mistakes like that from time to time.

*If a moderator sends you a thank you message for reporting the violation, that means they took the report into account. So be patient, they've got many other things to do like any other hard-working person.

*Don't be afraid to bring up any issues. The worst that could happen is that they say there's no issue with the user in question. They aren't dictators that will punish you for even speaking up.

*Lastly, give them a thank you message back when the issue is dealt with. They appreciate that, and it motivates them to continue doing their best.  

[Qwertea]

F.A.Q.

(This will be updated if there are multiples of any particular questions)