[META] On Reporting and Forum Links

Morning everyone. Hope the new Vaults are treating you well!

This post will cover two topics which the Moderators have been discussing for the past week or so. The following rules will go into effect once this thread has been posted, so please read everything carefully and comply with these changes.

##REPORTING

Last time we made a post about this, we received little feedback and even less compliance. For the sake of trying again, we will bring this up once more.

All reported comments/threads must be supplemented by a message to the moderators about why that content was reported

If you don't follow your reports up with a message, the likelihood of us seeing offensive content is a lot slimmer, so help us help you shut it down!

And it shouldn't have to be said, but the report function should not be used as a "super downvote." Expressing one's opinion, even if extremely unpopular ("I think DE is doing a terrible job," for example), is not grounds for reporting and banning. Content will be considered offensive mainly in cases where overly aggressive tones or offensive words are used without provocation, but we'll take things on a case-by-case basis.

##FORUM LINKS

The Moderator Team is aware of the many Forum Posts on the Official Forums, and there's a lot of good discussion to be had! However, we've noticed a trend in which users will post a Link Thread to their Forum Post, asking people to "check out" or "support" the ideas listed within. While that promotes discussion on the Forums, it doesn't promote discussion here, which is the focus of this subreddit.

From this point forward, all Forum Posts must be submitted as Text-Based Posts which contain a summary, or the complete contents of, the Forum Post being linked to. A link to the Forum Post may be provided anywhere in the Text Post, but cannot be the sole content of the Text Post.

This way, we'll have less people looking like they're hoarding Link Karma, and more about actually discussing their ideas with interested parties.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these changes, feel free to leave a comment or send us a modmail, and we'll do our best to address them.