What makes a good report?

This sub-forum is specifically about FAQ dealing with the Multiplayer Game Chat options and reporting inappropriate behavior in multiplayer games.
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What makes a good report?

Post by WQ Coordinator » Sat Dec 17, 2011 10:18 am

Many people have asked how to become part of the WolfQuest Report Team and what they can do to stand out. Part of being on the Report Team that is often overlooked is being a positive role model for the community, and positively representing the WolfQuest Team. If you already do that, then the other difference is to send in good reports.

Many people send in reports that aren't usable; they don't follow the instructions in the WolfQuest FAQ about how to send in a report and don't include information necessary to actually take action on that report. Some people send in usable reports, which is nice, but there is a definite difference between a usable report and a good report, and here is a list of what makes a good report so you can distinguish between the two. (This list is based on what makes warning and banning players go the quickest on my end, and will be updated as questions are asked and if new ideas are brought up. Feel free to ask questions on this thread!)

A usable report includes:
  • The username(s) of the person/people being inappropriate
  • Screenshot(s) or chat log (screenshot preferred) that shows the inappropriate behavior
  • Your e-mail address, in case there are problems with/questions about the report.
A good report includes:
  • The username(s) of the person/people being inappropriate and a brief description of what happened.
  • The date on which the inappropriate behavior took place.
  • One combined screenshot (preferably uploaded onto a photo-sharing site so it can be referred to later) that shows the inappropriate behavior as well as the host of the game, if the game name is inappropriate. Clicking 'c' before taking your screenshot is also appreciated because it shows more of the conversation that took place. (Please see the relevant topic on this forum for details on how to combine screenshots.)
  • Your username and e-mail address, in case there are problems with/questions about the report (and so I can give you credit for sending in a good report!).
All abuse reports are confidential, which means I will be the only person to see who sent each report, and I will not share your screenshots if the reported player (or his/her parents) ask for the proof. Please remember, all abuse reports need to be e-mailed to abuse@wolfquest.org; please do not send me any abuse reports via private message.

Edit: here's basically what the WQRT uses to report games, and you can use when you e-mail me a report (or become part of the RT yourself!):
  • Reporter's Username:
    Game Date:
    Game Host:
    Problem Player(s):
    Problem:
    Proof: (they post the link to their combined screenshot here- it also includes a screenshot of the host of the game, taken before they enter the game)
Note: you can include more than one report per e-mail if you're combining screenshots. Please make it obvious which screenshot belongs with which report (the Report Team and other frequent reporters often name their screenshots after the person/people being reported).

An example of a report that includes the host's name and combined screenshots: Image
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Re: What makes a good report?

Post by BlackWarrior » Sat Dec 17, 2011 10:37 am

Thanks for posting this Cana! I'm sure it will help everyone send in much more helpful reports, allowing the job to go quicker. ^^

May I suggest also including the time of the situation as well as if you have seen this user doing such things before? Maybe this user comes on at a certain time of day each time. If the time is included, your time zone would have to be stated as well.
This may determine how serious the situation is.
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Re: What makes a good report?

Post by Croix » Sat Dec 17, 2011 11:11 am

BlackWarrior wrote:This may determine how serious the situation is.
Would you care to elaborate on this? :)
I don't believe time would be relevent information, as the date of the incident is included in the Abuse report if people take the advice given in the first post. I also don't see how time would determine how severe a problem is.

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Re: What makes a good report?

Post by BlackWarrior » Sat Dec 17, 2011 11:49 am

Croix wrote:
BlackWarrior wrote:This may determine how serious the situation is.
Would you care to elaborate on this? :)
I don't believe time would be relevent information, as the date of the incident is included in the Abuse report if people take the advice given in the first post. I also don't see how time would determine how severe a problem is.

Well, from experience, I know that most users have a certain time of day they have time to go on wolfquest. Perhaps knowing the time of day the incident occurred, the report team could be aware that this certain user comes on around this time. They could then determine whether this user is constantly doing inappropriate actions, or if it was a one time thing.
the time suggestion would best fit for that, although including proof in your report about the user's other actions on a different chats may help evaluate the seriousness as well. Possibly because this user has performed inappropriate actions before. :3
hope this cleared it up a bit. You are part of the report team so you would know if this would help in anyway. =] if not, no worries. ^^
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Re: What makes a good report?

Post by WQ Coordinator » Sun Dec 18, 2011 11:21 am

Interesting idea, BlackWarrior. I could see how it would be useful, but since only I see the reports and don't have a lot of time to go patrolling myself, it's probably not necessary. And, well, if you catch the behavior and report it with proof, then hopefully no one else will have to try to find that user again because they'll already be banned. :)
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Re: What makes a good report?

Post by BlackWarrior » Sun Dec 18, 2011 1:04 pm

Alright Cana, well thanks for taking into account my ideas, and I understand how it could lead to extra effort because only you see the reports. ^^
Thanks again for replying to my suggestion!
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Re: What makes a good report?

Post by Overcast » Sun Dec 18, 2011 6:16 pm

Its good to see something like this finally out in text. I have a question though: what happened to the report form that comes up when one clicks Report Abuse? Was it removed due to the introduction of the WQRT?

Some of the tips listed here on what makes a report a 'good report' are not mentioned on the WQ FAQ topic What should I do if someone's being innapropriate?. Perhaps a link on the FAQ to this topic would be a good idea?

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Re: What makes a good report?

Post by Mr Wolf25 » Sun Dec 18, 2011 6:28 pm

The issues regarding reporting are complex and very important; it's good to see that actually the Report Team and Cana, have came up with this sub-forum to discuss about reporting, and also that they took their time to make of this something like a guide for anyone can be able to make a report or in this case a good report. I'm sure this will improve positively in the behavior of inappropriate games and behaviors.
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Re: What makes a good report?

Post by Croix » Sun Dec 18, 2011 6:32 pm

Overcast wrote:I have a question though: what happened to the report form that comes up when one clicks Report Abuse? Was it removed due to the introduction of the WQRT?
We still encourage normal members to report inappropriate behavior, and of course that involves using the Abuse Reports. I highly doubt they would be removed due to the addition of the WQRT, this is most likely a glitch and hopefully it can be fixed as soon as possible. :)

If you still want to report, please e-mail abuse@wolfquest.org directly with the same format as the Abuse Report. Remember to be sure to include some sort of proof and your username as well.

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Re: What makes a good report?

Post by WQ Coordinator » Mon Dec 19, 2011 9:16 am

Overcast wrote:Its good to see something like this finally out in text. I have a question though: what happened to the report form that comes up when one clicks Report Abuse? Was it removed due to the introduction of the WQRT?

Some of the tips listed here on what makes a report a 'good report' are not mentioned on the WQ FAQ topic What should I do if someone's being innapropriate?. Perhaps a link on the FAQ to this topic would be a good idea?
We actually removed the form because I'd get 20+ e-mails a day of gibberish, and hardly any valid reports because most of them didn't include screenshots. People also typed in their own e-mail address, which often included typos, so even if I had questions for them, they'd never receive them. So because most of my useful reports come from the report team and people who e-mail me directly anyway, I decided to remove the form for the sole purpose of saving me time. (No sense in taking the time to read through e-mails that don't give any kind of useful information when I could be taking that time to read through real reports and be able to catch up more on warning/banning inappropriate players.) So it's not a glitch.

And yes, a link to this topic/subforum in the main FAQ is an excellent idea that I had forgotten. Thanks for bringing it up!

Edit: I added pressing 'c' before taking the screenshot so I can see more of the conversation. It helps to let me know what's really going on, and it requires fewer screenshots to combine on your end. I'd also like to add a picture of what it looks like to take a screenshot of the host of a game if the game title is inappropriate, since 2.5 doesn't say who's hosting the game in the chat window. Perhaps Croix or DragonflySpirit would be so kind as to edit one of theirs so the specific names are removed and I can post them on here? :mrgreen:

Oh, and I'm also adding the 'form' the WQRT uses when reporting, in case you want some advice for how to organize all this information.
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Re: What makes a good report?

Post by Overcast » Mon Dec 19, 2011 1:56 pm

WQ Coordinator wrote:We actually removed the form because I'd get 20+ e-mails a day of gibberish, and hardly any valid reports because most of them didn't include screenshots. People also typed in their own e-mail address, which often included typos, so even if I had questions for them, they'd never receive them. So because most of my useful reports come from the report team and people who e-mail me directly anyway, I decided to remove the form for the sole purpose of saving me time. (No sense in taking the time to read through e-mails that don't give any kind of useful information when I could be taking that time to read through real reports and be able to catch up more on warning/banning inappropriate players.) So it's not a glitch.

And yes, a link to this topic/subforum in the main FAQ is an excellent idea that I had forgotten. Thanks for bringing it up!

Edit: I added pressing 'c' before taking the screenshot so I can see more of the conversation. It helps to let me know what's really going on, and it requires fewer screenshots to combine on your end. I'd also like to add a picture of what it looks like to take a screenshot of the host of a game if the game title is inappropriate, since 2.5 doesn't say who's hosting the game in the chat window. Perhaps Croix or DragonflySpirit would be so kind as to edit one of theirs so the specific names are removed and I can post them on here? :mrgreen:

Oh, and I'm also adding the 'form' the WQRT uses when reporting, in case you want some advice for how to organize all this information.
Ah, that helps explain its absence. I knew I couldn't be seeing things! And no problem Cana, glad I could help out. The last thing you guys need is more unusable reports!

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Re: What makes a good report?

Post by sSilvers » Tue Feb 07, 2012 6:28 pm

May I make a suggestion for the RT Abuse Form? Could we add an 'Anything else?:' slot for people who need & or want to say something else? Just a little suggestion I thought of ~~

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Re: What makes a good report?

Post by wolfpup125 » Wed Feb 08, 2012 12:21 pm

if people say your putting that word meat and then you get in trouble i have not been on four now five days and im already in trouble and i want to know how i got in trouble. :?:
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Re: What makes a good report?

Post by Atropine » Wed Feb 08, 2012 12:27 pm

wolfpup125 wrote:if people say your putting that word meat and then you get in trouble i have not been on four now five days and im already in trouble and i want to know how i got in trouble. :?:
If you use the word in an inappropriate manner (for example, if you participate in mate-related behaviour) then you can be reported. You won't receive a warning unless there has been proof of such behaviour, however if you feel you have been wrongly reported than you can contact Cana (WQ Coordinator) to discuss the issue. I hope this answers your question!
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Re: What makes a good report?

Post by Croix » Wed Feb 08, 2012 12:36 pm

sSilvers wrote:May I make a suggestion for the RT Abuse Form? Could we add an 'Anything else?:' slot for people who need & or want to say something else? Just a little suggestion I thought of ~~
I can see how it would be sometimes needed, but if you really need to add something, you can just do it yourself. ;)


Atropine wrote:
wolfpup125 wrote:if people say your putting that word meat and then you get in trouble i have not been on four now five days and im already in trouble and i want to know how i got in trouble. :?:
If you use the word in an inappropriate manner (for example, if you participate in mate-related behaviour) then you can be reported. You won't receive a warning unless there has been proof of such behaviour, however if you feel you have been wrongly reported than you can contact Cana (WQ Coordinator) to discuss the issue. I hope this answers your question!
Adding on to Atropine, if you think someone else besides yourself may be using your account, the following quote should help...
WQ Coordinator wrote:If you think someone has used your account without your permission, the best thing to do would either be change your password and hope it doesn’t happen again or ask for your current account to be deleted so you can make a new one. If you would like your account deleted, please follow the instructions in the "How do I delete my account?" FAQ.
What do I do if I think someone else is using my account?:
http://www.wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=21626

Keep in mind, you will not have your account deleted if you have had past warnings/bans.
WQ Coordinator wrote:Accounts are not deleted for anyone with one or more warnings (or a ban) associated with their account, or for users who do not follow the above instructions completely.
How do I delete my account?:
http://www.wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=21630

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