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Dealing with online harassment
TheMix
Posts: 3,112 Boards Guru
Heyo, the moderation team and I wanted to talk about recent events. Some of you know already, but we've been dealing with a very persistent user who is determined to cause trouble here. 
What moderators do
Our behind-the-scenes moderation systems are good at filtering out bad apples. Most of them either get blocked when they try to register, or our moderation filters pick them up when they try to post something they shouldn't. Our moderation team also catch some of them when they're online.
Unfortunately no moderation system is perfect, which means some of those bad apples slip through. Those are the ones you see, and y'all are SO good at reporting them which helps massively.
What you can do
Here are the best things to do if someone is harassing you on The Mix:
Don't feed the trolls
The golden rule is don't respond. Trolls and other online bullies thrive on the attention they get. If you don't respond, usually they end up getting bored and go somewhere else. If you'd like to support a community member, it's better to do that privately via DM.
We know this is difficult. It's natural to want to fight back or defend other community members, but please try to step back once you've reported them so you don't add fuel to the fire. You're also helping moderators by doing this because it means we have less to sort out when we come online.
Here, we can keep you safe
Whatever happens here in The Mix Community, our moderators can look after you.
It's (unfortunately) normal for online communities to get trolls, spammers, and other people who don't follow the guidelines. We've been through this before and it never lasts forever.
If it goes beyond The Mix
If the harassment you're getting happens outside The Mix, you can:
Thank you all for reading! Any questions, worries or concerns we're here for you
- JustV & the team
What moderators do
Our behind-the-scenes moderation systems are good at filtering out bad apples. Most of them either get blocked when they try to register, or our moderation filters pick them up when they try to post something they shouldn't. Our moderation team also catch some of them when they're online.
Unfortunately no moderation system is perfect, which means some of those bad apples slip through. Those are the ones you see, and y'all are SO good at reporting them which helps massively.
What you can do
Here are the best things to do if someone is harassing you on The Mix:
- Report the user's posts - this is the fastest way to get our attention
- Use the 'spam' reaction - when a post gets two 'spam' reactions, it's hidden from view until a moderator reviews it, so this is a good way to zap posts yourselves until a mod is online
- Don't DM them - accounts with less than 5 posts can't DM you unless you message them first, so make sure you don't send them any messages
- Talk to us about it - you can message @TheMix or email community@themix.org.uk at any time to tell us about anyone targeting you in any way
Don't feed the trolls
The golden rule is don't respond. Trolls and other online bullies thrive on the attention they get. If you don't respond, usually they end up getting bored and go somewhere else. If you'd like to support a community member, it's better to do that privately via DM.
We know this is difficult. It's natural to want to fight back or defend other community members, but please try to step back once you've reported them so you don't add fuel to the fire. You're also helping moderators by doing this because it means we have less to sort out when we come online.
Here, we can keep you safe
Whatever happens here in The Mix Community, our moderators can look after you.
It's (unfortunately) normal for online communities to get trolls, spammers, and other people who don't follow the guidelines. We've been through this before and it never lasts forever.
If it goes beyond The Mix
If the harassment you're getting happens outside The Mix, you can:
- Contact the platform where the harassment is taking place (social media will have support options for you there to manage trolls).
- Report the harassment directly to the police - you can email our Safeguarding team at safeguarding@themix.org.uk if you'd like some support doing this
Thank you all for reading! Any questions, worries or concerns we're here for you
- JustV & the team
Post edited by TheMix on
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