Entry reports
Entry reports are mainly a way of communicating edit-related mistakes.
The list of open entry reports is visible to all trusted users and above.
- Trusted users should ignore moderation-related reports such as artist verification and content removal -requests.
Reporting an entry also sends a notification to the editor. If the entry has more than one editors, notifications are not sent.
Reporting a specific version should be preferred for entries by multiple editors, since it always sends a message to the relevant editor.
This list shows suggestion that should be followed to prevent unclear situations and unnecessary work.
DON’T spam entry reports of the same type
If the same report applies to multiple entries, list those entries under one report or in a comment under one of the relevant entries, or message a moderator.
DON’T ask questions using reports
If you’re asking a question, such as why did the previous editor change something, and you’re expecting an answer, you should post a comment instead of report. Reports are for making a note that there’s something wrong that should be fixed.
If you know that something should be changed, but you also need to ask for details, it’s ok to post your question in the comments and also post a report for fixing the mistake.
DO prefer reporting a specific version
Unless there’s only one editor for that entry, the editor won’t get a notification, and if they’re not a trusted user, they can’t even see your report. For entries with multiple editors, it’s better to report a specific edit. That makes it more obvious what the problem is, and also the previous editor will get a direct notification.
DON’T report edits that are very old if you can take care of the issue yourself
If the mistake was made months, even years ago, there’s not much point in reporting it, assuming you can take care of it yourself. In many cases the previous editor isn’t even around anymore.
DO prefer taking care of your own reports if no one else responds
Two main reasons for reports are: 1) giving the previous editor a chance to correct their mistake and hopefully learn from it, and 2) making a note that there’s an issue that should be fixed.
The expectation is that the previous editor who made the mistake would be the one to correct it, but assuming they don’t, the best thing you as the reporter can do is to correct the mistake yourself when you get the chance. Some people don’t check the site very often, or maybe they didn’t even get the notification.
As a trusted user / moderator, DON’T let reports lie there for weeks
Usually when the report is over a week old, it should be taken care of somehow. If you can, fix the problem. Or if it’s a small issue, post a comment instead and delete the report. In the worst case, if the entry isn’t useful as it is, it will need to be deleted.