CaucusRoom is designed to be a community where the environment you see is similar to the one you experienced in the “real world” before the internet and “Big Social” media screwed everything up. For instance, we designed the verification process so similarly to Colorado’s political caucuses that we were able to play host to official Republican assemblies online.
We recently released some new tools for users, including a “Report Content” option on every post. I’ll be honest, I don’t particularly like that option. It’s not something we do in “real life.” At least, I certainly hope it’s not. I’ll let you in on a secret: the “Report Content” feature is a requirement imposed by a certain mobile device App Store that rhymes with “Snapple.” We can’t get approved without it.
To be clear – just because I don’t like this new feature does not mean we want people to feel free to be obnoxious or offensive. CaucusRoom should be a place where members expect constructive, interesting news and discussions. As our community values indicate, we believe in freedom, but also believe good citizenship is a civic duty.
What happens when a member reports content?
A bunch of stuff happens all at once:
- CaucusRoom’s team is notified who reported the content and the reason.
- The reporting user will receive a message indicating their report has been successfully submitted.
- The content is removed from the reporting member’s feed.
- In a short period of time, the CaucusRoom team will review the content to determine if it really does violate any of our Community Rules.
a. If it does not violate the Community Rules, the post will stay up. The person who reported the content will not see it, but they also will not likely receive any follow up on the matter. They can always inquire to help@caucusroom.com to check on the status.
b. If it does violate the Community Rules, the post will be deleted. Repeat offenders might face additional penalties, such as a demotion of their membership access.
Alternatives to “Reporting Content”:
- Ignore the post. Move on.
- “Mute” that user- You will not see their content again. CAUTION: Right now we do not have an “unmute user” option.
- Leave the Group. If the Group is prone to discussions or jokes that offend you… it’s probably not a good group for you. Just click on the Group’s name to go to its main page, then select “Leave Group” on the right just under the Group’s logo.
For Neighborhood (i.e. your local county) discussions, this is not an option— so instead, “Mute user” is your best alternative to “Report Content.” - Group Hosts can expel a member from their Group. From the Group’s main page, click “Manage Groups” —-> “Manage Members” —-> then locate the offending member and choose “Suspend”. This even works in “public” setting groups.
To sum up:
Content posters – Please be constructive.
Members – If you are offended by something, consider that we’re probably just humoring you because “Rhymes with Snapple” forced us to. But seriously, consider one of the listed alternatives above first. If you really think it is a Community Rules violation, you can “Report Content” and a bunch of stuff happens, but you probably won’t hear back from us directly.
