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All user-reported posts appear in /dev/null as an automatic process. This has been enabled since the middle of 2007.
Why does this happen?
There are several mods on the forums, and the method for notification before middle of 2007 was email. However, email is not on the forums, but is a secondary channel, not always checked by mods as they are logged into the forums. For the fastest response, posting these on the forums allows any logged in mod to see the user-reported post and content and then choose to act, and if they wish comment on the user-report in public. This helps use avoid a case where several people report the same post, causing mods to get "spammed" in email.
Why public?
Other users can see a post was reported, and know they don't need to report it again, and duplicate the notifications. Users that have posted the disagreeable post can comment on the complaint if they wish, and other users can comment on the validity of the complaint.
Also, making it public provides a level of transparency, where I or other mods reply in public. There is no conspiracy with this, and the truth of what is answered is available for anyone to read.
Why /dev/null ?
They are not really on-topic for the forum, as they are more about forum maintenance. It is really about the potential to "/dev/null" a thread or posts because of abuse in the thread which violates rules.
[Edit: Added, change on 11-10-2008]
We notify users reporting posts that their report will appear in /dev/null. This is part of the text that appears on the page where they enter information about why the post is being reported. This was added as a result of a suggestion from one of our users (Tacitus) after one of our users didn't realize their report would appear in /dev/null automatically.
Why does this happen?
There are several mods on the forums, and the method for notification before middle of 2007 was email. However, email is not on the forums, but is a secondary channel, not always checked by mods as they are logged into the forums. For the fastest response, posting these on the forums allows any logged in mod to see the user-reported post and content and then choose to act, and if they wish comment on the user-report in public. This helps use avoid a case where several people report the same post, causing mods to get "spammed" in email.
Why public?
Other users can see a post was reported, and know they don't need to report it again, and duplicate the notifications. Users that have posted the disagreeable post can comment on the complaint if they wish, and other users can comment on the validity of the complaint.
Also, making it public provides a level of transparency, where I or other mods reply in public. There is no conspiracy with this, and the truth of what is answered is available for anyone to read.
Why /dev/null ?
They are not really on-topic for the forum, as they are more about forum maintenance. It is really about the potential to "/dev/null" a thread or posts because of abuse in the thread which violates rules.
[Edit: Added, change on 11-10-2008]
We notify users reporting posts that their report will appear in /dev/null. This is part of the text that appears on the page where they enter information about why the post is being reported. This was added as a result of a suggestion from one of our users (Tacitus) after one of our users didn't realize their report would appear in /dev/null automatically.