The problem with reporting off topic replies is

[ElectricMucus]

... it's unsatisfying. Especially if it doesn't get removed afterwards or it is unclear.

Discussion tends to deviate alot in some threads to topics which are loosely associated with the topic. I never thought much of it until I got one of these posts removed and warned about trolling.
But on the other hand if the post(s) seem to be casual discussion without controversy, if reported do not get removed even after reporting, while at the same time they are clearly off topic.

So what I am asking for are some guidelines on which posts to report in more detail. "Off topic" seems insufficient, as it seems, at least how the mods who ought to remove them react.
I would also like to suggest some additional forum functionality related to reporting posts which shows the reporting user if the report has been seen by a moderator and how he did decide to act on it.

[theymos]

If a report isn't acted on within a few days, you can PM me about it and I'll deal with it or tell you why the post shouldn't be deleted.

[ElectricMucus]

So in general: Should I report posts of casual discussion on a loosely related topic which span over about a page?
Should I report each of them or is reporting the first or the last one sufficient? Also should I report the post from which the discussion deviated from?

You guess, answering these issues (you didn't in enough detail) this is pretty tiresome, and this is part of my issue.
It's a loose definition of what is considered harmful on this forums, at least how it is acted upon and I think it needs a better definition.

[theymos]

So in general: Should I report posts of casual discussion on a loosely related topic which span over about a page?

If the discussion has some relation to the topic specified by the topic post, then it's usually OK. Here's an excerpt from the moderator guidelines:

Off-topic posts

Almost everyone gets posts split/deleted due to off-topicness. It is the most common error. I've made the error myself several times.

Every reply to a topic should be a response to the OP. When someone reads the OP, they should be able to guess more or less what the replies will look like.

It is quite natural for replies to actually only respond to some point of another respondent. For example, you might want to point out a small and trivial error that another poster has made. However, this kind of replying is usually off-topic.

A reply to another reply is on-topic when it contributes to the on-topic discussion. For example, it could build onto or refute the on-topic arguments of an earlier reply.

Posts may contain off-topic remarks in addition to the on-topic arguments. The off-topic remarks can be more substantial than the on-topic remarks, though as a very rough guideline I'd say that for every three paragraphs of off-topic arguments there should be at least one of on-topic arguments. Text that replies to this off-topic text is also off-topic text.

Posts consisting of ad hominem attacks or other useless text are always off-topic.

Sometimes some leeway is given when the topic starter seems to like the off-topic replies.

Bump-only replies are OK if they don't become annoying. Delete these useless replies once more replies have been posted and the bump is no longer necessary.

The phrasing of the topic post gives hints as to how strictly to enforce on-topicness:
- Topics with vague topic posts may cause "chaotic" replies to actually be considered on-topic. Topics that contain no questions are especially prone to this.
- Non-answer replies to a topic consisting of a specific question are likely to be off-topic.
- General topics about a service created by the service creator can contain criticism of the service unless otherwise specified in the OP
- Announcements can generally contain any comments about the service that was announced

Topics in the "off-topic" section still have the same on-topicness rules.

When in doubt, wait until a couple of people have reported the potentially off-topic posts.

The policy about off-topic posts is non-optimal, but I think it's the best we can do with flat (non-threaded) discussions.

Should I report each of them or is reporting the first or the last one sufficient? Also should I report the post from which the discussion deviated from?

Reporting all of them is often helpful. If you're going to report just one post, report the first one which should be deleted.

[ElectricMucus]

thanks


About my suggestion of a feedback system for regular users: Is that something for the to-do list? I'm not asking that it should be implemented right away, but at least considered.

I would also like to suggest some additional forum functionality related to reporting posts which shows the reporting user if the report has been seen by a moderator and how he did decide to act on it.

[theymos]

I don't want to make most of that info about reports public. It'd be nice if people got a notification about the outcome of their own reports, but that'd be very difficult to add to SMF.

[myrkul]

I don't want to make most of that info about reports public. It'd be nice if people got a notification about the outcome of their own reports, but that'd be very difficult to add to SMF.

It would be easier to add as a policy than an addon.

Please note that your email address will be revealed to the moderators if you use this.

Just email 'em.

[Maged]

The problem with communicating with people who put in reports is not so much because of policy, but because there's no easy way for a moderator to know if someone else has already handled a report. Keep in mind that reports go to 6 people (2 admins and 4 global mods) + any local moderators for the board. So, it wouldn't be uncommon for people to get 6+ responses to their report as various times (possibly with conflicting information) if we actually started to respond.

[myrkul]

The problem with communicating with people who put in reports is not so much because of policy, but because there's no easy way for a moderator to know if someone else has already handled a report. Keep in mind that reports go to 6 people (2 admins and 4 global mods) + any local moderators for the board. So, it wouldn't be uncommon for people to get 6+ responses to their report as various times (possibly with conflicting information) if we actually started to respond.

Well, then clearly you guys need better comms amongst yourselves. A "Moderator actions" board or thread couldn't hurt, for letting each other know you've handled it (or feel it should be left), and why, and how. Then you can just c/p that post into an email to the reporter, and everybody happy.

Just a thought.