DailyStrength Help: Abuse

What should I do if someone is being abusive?
DailyStrength does not actively moderate our public discussion forums. Instead, we rely on members to report abusive activity to us. If you feel that another member is violating the site's Rules of the Road, the best action to take is to Report the member and then Ignore them.

To report abusive content or an abusive member, click on the Report Abuse link (found at the bottom of every page on DailyStrength), complete the form, and press the "Send" button.

To ignore a member, simply click the "Ignore Member" link usually found near his/her avatar. After clicking the "Ignore Member" link you will be presented with options to just ignore his/her public content or ignore private contact as well. The Ignore Member feature will prevent you from seeing any and all content from that member.

Most importantly, do not engage the member or participate in retaliation of any kind. Doing so may put you at risk of disciplinary action yourself.


How does the abuse reporting process work?
It's our goal to respond to each abuse report we receive within 72 hours - during normal business hours, however, our response time is usually much quicker. In our response we will let you know that your report has been received, and that our Member Care team will be investigating the report.

If necessary, we may also ask you to provide us with additional information, such as the links to the content which you feel violates the Rules of the Road. Note: If you received a hug, journal/photo comment or private message you feel is abusive, please do not delete it if you want a DailyStrength administrator to see the original content in order to determine if any actions against the member should be taken.

Every single abuse report we receive is investigated by a DailyStrength administrator, and a member will not be issued a warning unless he/she has violated the Rules of the Road. DailyStrength administrators review both public and private communication to determine if disciplinary action is warranted. To respect and protect the privacy of all members, we cannot disclose if we are going to or have warned or banned another member you have reported. Also, if a warning or ban is issued, we cannot tell that member who reported him/her.

What are warnings and bans, and how do I avoid them?
Members who violate the Rules of the Road may be warned or banned. You will receive a notification via email if you are being warned or banned. Before being permanently banned, members will normally receive two warnings and even a temporary ban. There are exceptions to this rule that usually apply to trolls, spammers, and extreme attacks.

As a policy, we do not share or detail explicitly the specific offense when issuing warnings or bans. Doing so jeopardizes the privacy of other members. Every member should acquaint themselves with the Rules of the Road, utilize the Ignore feature when encountering abuse, submit a Report Abuse form instead of engaging with the abuser, and understand that any violation of the Rules of the Road can be met with disciplinary action detailed above even if it is retaliatory to another abusive action.

What are spammers and trolls, and how do I deal with them?
A spammer is someone who posts prolifically on the boards and on the comment systems in order to promote links or products, often of a commercial interest. Spammers are not here to help others or be supportive, and therefore have no place at DailyStrength.

A troll is someone who posts with the intent to rile up communities, provoke others into arguments or attacks, steer discussions off-topic and prevent them from being helpful, or disrupt and pollute a support group with negativity. DailyStrength has a zero-tolerance policy towards trolls.

Keep in mind that members who may be otherwise helpful and productive in a support group can be considered a troll if they allow themselves to engage in the above-mentioned behaviors in other areas of the site - private messages to members, hugs, journal comments, for example. Do not ruin your own experience here, or the experience of others, by engaging in harmful or negative behavior on the boards. Use the Ignore feature instead.

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