Good evening to you all. Chances are that you have just read my post on "How To Delete A Post Reported By Another Member".

As such, you are probably saying to yourself "George, I already know how to delete a post while I'm reading it - I simply hit "remove message" at the bottom of the post and it is over."

Yes, this is true. It is fast and effective - but we would recommend only using this method to delete non-violating messages. For example, duplicate posts, messages on the wrong board, etc.

Why? Because points are not deducted from offending members when you use this function. We placed it there as a way of quickly deleting posts that didn't deserve to be penalized - or to delete offending posts when time is of the essence.

However, if you have just one minute, we suggest that you actually "report" the message as a violation and then go into your HUB Controls to delete it. You will gain points, while the offending member will be penalized.

For your convenience, I've copied and pasted the step-by-step process for Deleting A Post below:

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Deleting a post is an important and necessary part of your arsenal as you work with fellow members to keep your forums clear of bashing, profanity and spam.

However, it shouldn't be wielded lightly. For example, you must only delete posts that violate the AGORACOM 6 Rules of Use. We put a fun slant on them but please make sure you are familiar with them and kindly refer to them if you need to when deciding to delete a post.

Make no mistake about it, we are confident that all of you have the ability to make great judgements. As such, once you've decided that a post needs to be deleted, here is the process. It only takes a minute, so don't worry about the number of steps below. I've just taken extra care to be as descriptive as possible:

Deleting A Message That You Are Reading

If you are reading a post that violates the rules of the site, select "Report This Message As A Violation" at the bottom of any post (red flag icon). At this point, follow these steps:

1] Go to your HUB Controls box (Underneath the button that says "You Are A President Plus") and click On "Violations"

2] You will see a list of violation(s) for the HUB

3] Locate the one you are dealing with and select "process". This will show you a copy of the post, who posted it and you as the reporter.

4] At this point, you have to make a decisioin about simply deleting the post or outright banning the member. For this exercise, assume you are simply going to delete the post.

5] Scroll down to "Action" and select "warn user" from the pull-down menu.

6] Right below that is a "delete" pull-down menu. You can choose to delete either the offending post or EVERY post he has ever made. Given the fact you've decided to only delete this message and warn the member, please select "only this message".

7] You will see an automated message appear in the box titled "To Poster". This is a standard warning message sent to the offending member. However, you can add to it if you wish.

8] The box titled "To Reporter" will be empty. Since you are the reporter, there is no need to send yourself a message.

9] Scroll down to "Ban Reason" and give us a quick reason for the deletion. We need it as a reference for the future. The best thing to do is simply copy and paste the offending post as it is right inside the violation page that you are now on.

10] Hit "Save" and it is all done. The post will be deleted, the offender will be warned, points will be deducted from the offender, the reporter will be thanked and points will be earned by the reporter.

Regards,
George