Reporting Things on Mibba | What Is Okay on Mibba? What Isn't? | Please Note

I feel like this is a somewhat important blog to make. There is also a guide written about this in the Knowledge Base but I know not everyone has read every page in there.

And hence, this blog.

As some of you may have noticed, clicking the little "report" buttons all over the site does jack-all. Nada. Nothing. I'm about 99% certain they've been broken since Mibba was updated all those years ago.

I really, really hope that everyone actually knows this, whether it be because they tried to report something and got an empty dialogue box, or they heard it through the grapevine.

But you know what's awesome about Mibba?

You can still actually make reports about people breaking the rules on Mibba to the staff members. Really. And we take all reports and PMs from other users seriously*. You can find us under the members tab, right here.

* Unless you are calling us names, swearing at us, being condescending and/or not really after an answer to a question you may have when you contact us. I tend not to reply to people who have a bee in their bonnet and I know other staff don't, either. We don't have to tolerate being shat on. This is not exactly a paying job and there is always a polite way to phrase something.



I feel like now would be a great time to remind people of the following rule found in the Knowledge Base:

"If you know of another user violating any of Mibba's rules, you can contact the appropriate staff member via private message.
It is never appropriate to confront a user or report a user to non-staff members."

So, guys, this is super duper important.

1. Always send reports to us as a PM. Never ever post a report in a public place. The user you are reporting will not appreciate being called out like that and you may not have the entire story straight. This is public ridicule and is against the rules on Mibba.

I see this rule being broken in the blogs for example when people post a blog to call out another user having stolen their story. This is public ridicule and is not okay on Mibba. Your blog will be edited to have links, names and bashing statements removed and deleted if you repost them in the comments. PM a story editor. Trust me in that if your story is deemed to have been plagiarised on Mibba, it will be dealt with. Other sites will have their own rules to follow.

To clarify:

OKAY: Posting a blog about how angry and upset you are that someone has stolen the story you worked so hard on.
NOT OKAY: Posting a blog outing the person that stole your story (be it someone on Mibba or on another site), or bashing the person that did it by swearing at them, calling them names, or being condescending towards them.

2. Don't confront other users when they are breaking the rules on Mibba. This tends to lead to arguments, and arguments lead to drama, and this leads to the staff being on high alert for like a month because of one tiny issue escalating into something perceived as much bigger than it ever really was.

Obviously, some rules are broken and it's quite alright for other users to point this out. For example, a user may post a story that has grammatical errors in it. It IS OKAY to point out that they have some errors they may want to fix and to be helpful in that way. It IS NOT OKAY to point out that their story is full of grammatical errors and that this is against Mibba's site rules. PM a story editor instead.

This rule is important for the blogs, too. If another user is harassing you or someone else in the blogs section on Mibba, DO take a screenshot of the comment and/or blog and PM a blog moderator. DON'T reply to the user with an equal tone and the attitude that "they started it" or "two wrongs make a right" and expect not to be seen as breaking the rules, too.

To clarify:

OKAY: If someone is swearing at you, calling you names, or being condescending towards you in your own blog, you can ignore the user's comments, delete your blog, re-post another blog rewording your opinion as to not get the same response, or screenshot the issue and PM a blog moderator/admin and ask them to take a look at it.

OKAY: If someone is harassing you in the comments of someone else's blog you can ignore it, leave the conversation entirely, or screenshot the issue and PM a blog moderator/admin and ask them to take a look at it.

NOT OKAY: If someone comments on your blog or replies to you on another and you believe they are being condescending, calling you names, or swearing at you, do not tell them that they "are breaking the rules" or that they "will get banned". Take a screenshot, PM a blog moderator.

In addition:

OKAY: Leaving a conversation if you feel uncomfortable, having an opinion on a matter and voicing it in a respectful manner, and posting further blogs about the subject if you want to start your own conversation about it, too.

NOT OKAY: Posting a blog that is directly bashing another blog. Saying something like, "Wow, I can't believe how narrow-minded people are" and then launching into a blog about a specific subject that was just blogged about by another user with the opposite opinion is not okay. Not to be confused with having an opinion. Respectful opinions are allowed on Mibba, whatever side of the fence you may be on with an issue, but keep in mind that some opinions will cause more of a negative uproar than others and that there is a fine line between voicing your opinion and being disrespectful of others'.

NOT OKAY: Posting blogs or comments telling people "not to comment" on something you have said. All blogs and comments are public to all members on Mibba and as such, all Mibbians are allowed to comment on and have an opinion on the matter. If you can't deal with the responses you may get from posting something, then don't post it. If you post something and get unexpectedly negative responses to it, re-read what you actually said and try to forget how it sounds in your own head. Note the words used. Note the tone. Remember that text can often be misinterpreted or interpreted differently. Consider re-thinking how you have worded your opinion. You are allowed to have an opinion, be it a respectful one, but consider before you post it that others are allowed to have a contrary opinion.

There is more about this rule in the forums in the Site News thread:"December 8, 2014

As a general reminder to all Mibbians, comments and posts anywhere on this site are public and visible to all Mibbians. As such, when you post something to the site, remember that any and all Mibbians are allowed to comment, counter, or otherwise respond to what you have said. If you are uncomfortable with users responding to your comments or posts (or if you are uncomfortable or do not want to engage others in conversations about that topic), then do not make posts. Remember that everyone else has the same right to speak as you.

In other words: Do not post something if you're not prepared to deal with the responses you may get.

If you feel like someone has broken Mibba's rules with their comment or post, contact an admin via private message so we can look into it."



The vigilante behaviour sometimes witnessed on Mibba where users are telling other users what will and will not get them banned often results in the spread of false information. It's really quite irritating to see a huge deal be made of Mibba's rules or how "unfair" the staff are when it comes to policing their section of the site when half of the information being spread around is false.

I often see the phrase "I better not write this/do this or else my blog will be deleted/I'll be banned" and it's nothing all that big of a deal. If you're unsure about the rules then please, PM a staff member. I realise that when I send out blog corrections to people that I have copy-pasted in the part that says:

"If you have any questions, feel free to message me and I’ll get back to you ASAP."

But that doesn't make it any less sincere of a comment. I honestly do not mind being asked questions about the blog rules on Mibba if you are asking me in a respectful tone and not swearing at me because I've just done something you personally disagree with. I am quite happy to go through a rule with you and help explain it further if required.

One thing I cannot do is change the rules. They remain the same for all users on Mibba and everyone receives the same treatment from me. If you have a valid suggestion for a change of the rules (eg. something other than "wow these capitalisation rules are so stupid blogs shouldn't have rules anyway") then I'm always quite happy to point you in the direction of an admin to discuss it.

I also want to note that there's always a discussion had when the staff are unclear if someone has broken a rule, and these discussions happen between all staff with all sections and countless rules on Mibba. If I'm not sure someone is bashing, I don't take a look at the user's username and decide, "Hmm, I really don't like this user. I think I might just put this down as bashing anyway." I don't flip a coin. I don't make a report unless I'm pretty certain I'm being consistent with the way the rest of the staff handle the rules and with how the admins want things to be handled. There is no favouritism when it comes to enforcing Mibba's rules. I have honestly never, ever seen this happen on Mibba.

The fact is that if you are breaking the rules and you are caught, you will face the same consequences everyone else does when found breaking that same rule.

Which brings me to an important conclusion.





That's right. The staff here are actually human beings. Or are we really birds?

As a result, we aren't on Mibba 24/7 (though I come pretty close to it sometimes). We make mistakes. We miss things. This is why if you see someone breaking the rules and it bothers you enough to bring it up at a later date when you feel like not enough was done about it, that you actually report it when it occurs. If you see that a rule has been broken and you say nothing about it, I can only deduce that you don't really care all that much about people following the rules here or about everyone receiving equal treatment. If it's not reported, it may be missed. If it bothers you then please, please, report it. The rules are there for a reason.

On a final final note:



If you want Mibba to be a friendlier place with less drama, then respect other users. Respect all users. Respect all opinions. If you don't and you're one of those "watch the world burn" types, well, then this place probably isn't the place for you.