To report or not to report...that is my question

I haven't posted much here but I read the forums almost everyday and this seems like a good place to ask this question. Now, I see that it is very common for people to simply say the Lindens don't follow through and don't take reporting seriously. last week I was at a sandbox and saw a Linden removing dozens of swastikas that had been left everywhere so I know that to some degree and on some issues they do act.
Now, I posted a long while back about how to deal with ageplayers. I won't get back into that topic but the 2 responses I seemed to get most were either "Just mute them" or "Report them". I chose the latter as simply turning a blind eye to something I found morally wrong just didn't feel right but I have to say that months later I still see the people I reported in the same places doing the same things.
I know there are circumstances where it is just assumed you would report someone...griefing, etc. But what about things that may not effect you personally but are still either a TOS violation or jut offensive. Say, someone posting a picture of thier, um, private parts in thier profile. One could argue that if I don't want to see it I can simply not look. Then again, shouldn't we be able to assume that we can look at someone's profile and not see such things?
My question relates to someone I am seeing alot lately. I'm standing in a club, talking to friends and someone with a name I find quite offensive shows up. Now, I know over the years it has become fashionable to take derogatory term and flip it into something that is supposed to be either empowering or at the very least take the power out of it....much like some of the black communities use of the N-word. But does that make it acceptable for the general public?
So my question is this...with the exception of outright griefing, under what circumstances do you personally report someone?

If you feel morally obligated to report something, then I say you should report it. The worst that can happen is nothing. If the person ends up suspended or banned, it will have been because of what they did, not because of what you did. Don't let anybody who's breaking the rules try to put any responsibility on your shoulders.

In America, there's sort of an unwritten rule about "no snitching". But in my opinion, someone who demonstrates no respect for the written rules has no right to demand that you follow any unwritten ones.

I think I agree.

I've never understood the notion that ARing is "snitching." An abuse report can of course itself be abused, but, speaking for myself, I'd rather that WE in the community were determining what is acceptable and what isn't, rather than having an arbitrary LL police force do it for us. There is much that is wrong with the AR process -- a bit of transparency and accountability would be nice, for instance -- but "snitching" isn't really one of them.

I'd report something that was clearly against the TOS, but only if I have the evidence to submit with the report. There is no point in having TOS if they are not adhered to. I have reported someone who claimed to be under 18 in RL, for example.

Profiles have to be PG, so I would report one if it was clearly not PG - after all it should not be a problem for someone to change their profile to meet the TOS.

I'm not sure what I would do about an "offensive" avatar name - I do remember someone being made to change their avatar name by LL from a very obviously non-PG one to an acceptable variant, so it does happen. I'm not sure whether they had to create a whole new account, or whether LL effected the compulsory change. Whether a name is "offensive" or not can be just a matter of opinion and I don't think it is a good thing to be scared of names - definitely heading down a slippery slope IMO.

This!

There are some situations where I believe people should act slowly and thoughtfully before filing an AR:

1. Underage in RL: There have been too many reports of people over 18 whose accounts have been suspended because of such reports, forcing them to go through annoying hoops to undo the suspension. So don't do this unless you're really sure. Voice alone isn't enough, though some vocal behaviors might be. If someone says "I'm 13", make sure you understand whether it's role play, with no room for mistakes.

2. Offensive names, etc. Remember the standard is broadly offensive, not something you personally find offensive. Except perhaps for some obviously obscene avatar names, there's generally no rush for these. Take the time to get a second opinion.

3. Ageplay: Make sure you're sure about the age of the avatars and the nature of the activity. The base note says "I still see the people I reported in the same places doing the same things." Given how many people have been banned in recent months for this (including one recent case that was ultimately rescinded), a likely explanation is that the original poster is wrong about the standards. Or else is relying on circumstantial evidence and not hard proof.

4. Anything that could be attributed to ignorance of the rules or situation. There's a common feeling here, maybe even a strong consensus, that LL's presentation of the rules to users leaves much to be desired. For any AR, if the situation is such that talking to the person and explaining the rules might fix things, then do that first. Obviously you don't wait to AR obvious griefers, but otherwise it couldn't hurt to try talking first. The worst that can happen is that you'll get more ammunition to include in the AR.

The problem I have with "AR everything" is that people have been sanctioned by the G Team for doing *nothing*, simply because the Linden involved didn't understand or care to follow the rules. Consider what happened recently to Carl Metropolitan, and ask yourself if someone less well known would have been treated as well.

It's a reasonable question. On balance, it seems to me that if one finds something "quite offensive" then one shouldn't feel great qualms about reporting it. The same, I think, if one is confident that it would be offensive to the point of harassment to a group of others (thinking of "the N-word" referenced in the OP).

But yeah, it's sticky around the edges. "Queer" comes to mind as a hypothetical name that still might be offensive to some and at the same time empowering to others. That's one I wouldn't AR, myself. I can't seem to devise a rule to generalize that in any helpful way.

Thats why I ar dang near nothing... inless its really bad I just tp away.

Report it but don't dwell on it. Linden Lab will do as they please. And if this person has survived under the radar this long - they will probably dodge the bullet this time again. Mute them and turn them grey.

LL will absolutely respond to some reports, and I've noticed them take care of things like the OP mentions within minutes. I've also seen them completely ignore reports (like mine) of people selling copybotted items and stolen textures.

It's kind of a crapshoot, but if you feel compelled to report it then you should do so. At least then you'll feel you've done the right thing, and the ball is in LL's court.

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I agree with your entire post except for this single point. If someone asks you your age and you plan on answering "I'm 13 years old", I think the burden is on you to make sure the other person knows you're roleplaying. There's plenty of ways to do this, and since it's not any kind of secret that a "confession" of being underage is enough to get you banned there's really no excuse not to.

I'd have trouble feeling much sympathy for someone who got banned because they blatantly claimed to be underage in chat.

Oh this hits a nerve, as once I was approached in a sandbox to a person, who at first seemed merely playful, then increasingly childish and quite annoying. Then they admitted to being 13. The second I told them this was completely unacceptable (especially since they'd tried to make sexual advances--that is just so yucky), they tried to backpedal by claiming this was a joke. I felt so ill, and completely violated, since for the first few minutes, I'd taken them to be just a friendly adult. Imagine the potential outcome of this. They failed to understand that this is not a joking matter, and had no idea why I, and others in earshot thought this was serious. I think this fact alone, failing to grasp why all were appalled was a good indicator that they really were 13.

Three of us ARed him, but I didn't see any change in his account status.

*looks at post count*

this topic has been reported for trolling

No abuse reports so far (along 2 3/4 years).

In worst case I could turn the flat screen 180° and have a Picasso impression of the possible scenery. Or doing the [x] or a tp are good options too. There is no need to take pixels too serious since they are unable to jump out of the screen and messing around in my room.

In general I expect a decrease of AR's in near future since LL is doing all possible efforts to make SL as boring as possible. To fight yawning will have then a higher priority than to fight griefers.

I've only AR'd instances of griefing.

I'd probably AR harassment or an underage user. I don't believe I would AR someone over an offensive name or profile.

If that's the sum total of the conversation, then it's not enough, but that's rarely the complete picture. You don't go asking ages without a reason. If they have an avatar that looks 25 and answer 13, then it's probably not RP and you probably have some other reason to be suspicious enough to be asking. On the other hand, if the avatar looks like it could be between 13 and 18, there's enough doubt to need more info before deciding on an AR.

It takes an extra 30 seconds to respond with "You know you have to be 18 to be here, but you can be on the teen grid" and wait to see whether the answer is "(I RP 13, I'm much older in RL))" or "the teen grid is lame".

I'm not saying never to AR. I'm saying not to have an itchy AR trigger finger. It's almost never the case that you can't afford to take another minute or two to be sure.

One guy showed up and said he was 15, so I asked, pointedly, "you're RPing you're 15, right?" and, no, they said, they were 15 in RL. I think he must have got half a dozen ARs, and vanished 30 seconds later. Subtlety is wasted on some people.

if it offends me, I ignore it, if it directly affects me and it's against TOS I report it.

it can be a fine line though
guy w/ RL picture of himself mastubating in profile? ignored
same guy going around multiple child av areas trying to "pick up" people? ARed

why? simple, people like that cause the area to get media flack as child porn, destroying the area for non-illegal use for fear of association, owners get griefed or shut down, and people that aren't doing anything wrong get caught in the crossfire or at the very least lose something dear to them because of a few jackasses... not cool in my book (yes, this was a real life scenario)

I think I more or less suscribe to a similar approach, with the difference that it's not merely whether it affects ME that I would use as a criterion.

So, it has to be against the ToS/CS (because there's not much pointing in ARing anyway if it isn't), and I have to feel that it causes harm.

So, a guy with an RL pic of his equipment, or with a sexually explicit name, I likely wouldn't AR because I'm not sure how it causes harm. And I don't believe in ARing things that I find MERELY "offensive."

But a guy with a racist or homophobic name? Yeah, I'd AR that, even if it didn't affect me directly, because I believe it does cause harm.

I haven't AR'd anyone in over 2 years and the times that I did, it was something done to me. Not over something I see as offensive. If it is offensive to me, I just leave. There are plenty of places in sl visit.

To me it's not a question, and for sure it's not a question of snitching.

I have AR'd three underage people and each time it was because they volunteered their age. Those are the only times I've AR'd anyone, and the last two times I explained that they belonged in the Teen Grid.

I've never seen sexual roleplay, but if I did, I'd AR that too. And get the hell away from it.

That said, I wouldn't go LOOKING for things to AR. I'm pretty sure that people who do that have something wrong in the head.

I agree.

I had less than 5 posts when the forums changed and for some reason I started back at zero....but, um, ok...

If I see someone state they are under 18, I'll usually ask a follow-up question to make sure they really are. If someone asks me if I'm a kid I'll say "yes, but only in SL" or something like that, not gonna take my chances.

I have ARed two that were underage so far, both were under a couple of weeks old, and when they disclosed their age (12 and 13) I asked if they didn't think the teen grid would be more suited for them. "Naah, it's more fun here! lolz" Mmmyeeeah I think not. They went poof shortly after.

I guess that would indicate he was cleared as being adult with LL.