This is the third public set of post report statistics, covering all of 2012. These statistics are calculated based on the reports submitted when alerting the moderators to posts with the report post icon (
). They are selected from a wider set of statistics I've produced for the moderators for the last 6.5 years; for privacy reasons, we don't release certain statistics publicly such as those that identify individual members.
For more information about how post reports help us, the role of these statistics and moderation in general, see Doctor Q's post from 2011.
Previous post report statistics:
The significant time since the last report is due to behind-the-scenes changes that meant the method I used to gather these statistics no longer worked; I'm now using a new, more robust method.
2012 post report summary:
Overview
There were 33552 reported posts in 2012, at a rate of 92.7/day, however 58% of these (19558) were in the second half of the year. In particular, September had 4312 reports (54% more than the average for the year), with 301 reports alone on September 19, the release date of iOS 6 - that's one every 4 minutes and 47 seconds. These were both new records, breaking the previous records of 3982 reports in July 2010 and 251 reports on November 25, 2009. 1.1% of posts made in 2012 were reported, and 9.3% of threads had at least one post reported. The graph below shows the trend in post reports since 2006.
Day of week
As usual, there were more reports on weekdays than weekends (using PST). There were 29% more reports on a typical weekday compared to a weekend day, representing a slightly smaller gap than is normal. Monday was the busiest day, with Friday again being the quietest weekday - perhaps because it overlaps with Saturday in many parts of the world.
Time of day
There were two busy periods: the main one peaking between 10 AM and 3 PM PST, with a second between 10 PM and 4 AM PST. This represents a change from the past where there tended to be only one main peak corresponding to daylight hours in North America. The quietest times were about 6 AM and 8 PM. The busiest hour (11 AM - 12 PM) had about 2.1 times as many reports as the quietest hour (5 - 6 AM).
Post reporters
4086 members reported posts in 2012. Of these people, 50% reported just one post, while 90% made 10 or fewer reports each. The top 10% of reporters made 76% of all reports, with the top ten reporters alone making 30% of all reports - an average of 1002 each.
There was some correlation between the top reporters and the top posters, however many members were high in one ranking but not the other. 50% of 2012 reports were made by the top 50 post reporters, while only 21% were made by the current top 50 most active posters.
Reported forums
The iPhone forum again had the most reports. Big movers included iPhone and iPod touch Apps (+14), Politics, Religion, Social Issues (+13, likely due to the 2012 US elections) and Mac Pro (+12). The top 20 forums by number of post reports were as follows; deltas are in comparison with figures from the second half of 2011.
Report reasons
Moderators deal with a wide range of issues when handling post reports. The graph below shows some of the common issues and how the breakdown has changed over time. Spam remains the most common reason, and is hovering around an all time high in its share of all reports. For the other categories, the most noticeable trend is a steady but substantial decrease in reports about duplicate or double posts.
Reported threads
Some threads, particularly long or controversial ones, have a large number of posts reported. 73% of threads containing a reported post received just one report, while 145 threads received more than 10 reports. The highest number of reports for a thread was 83, for iPhone 5 Wallpaper idea.
For more information about how post reports help us, the role of these statistics and moderation in general, see Doctor Q's post from 2011.
Previous post report statistics:
The significant time since the last report is due to behind-the-scenes changes that meant the method I used to gather these statistics no longer worked; I'm now using a new, more robust method.
2012 post report summary:
- Number of post reports: 33552
- Mean per day: 91.7
- Max per day: 301
- Min per day: 34
- Number of post reporters: 4086
- Number of reported members: 16990
- Number of posts reported: 27837
- Number of threads reported: 20041
Overview
There were 33552 reported posts in 2012, at a rate of 92.7/day, however 58% of these (19558) were in the second half of the year. In particular, September had 4312 reports (54% more than the average for the year), with 301 reports alone on September 19, the release date of iOS 6 - that's one every 4 minutes and 47 seconds. These were both new records, breaking the previous records of 3982 reports in July 2010 and 251 reports on November 25, 2009. 1.1% of posts made in 2012 were reported, and 9.3% of threads had at least one post reported. The graph below shows the trend in post reports since 2006.
Day of week
As usual, there were more reports on weekdays than weekends (using PST). There were 29% more reports on a typical weekday compared to a weekend day, representing a slightly smaller gap than is normal. Monday was the busiest day, with Friday again being the quietest weekday - perhaps because it overlaps with Saturday in many parts of the world.
Time of day
There were two busy periods: the main one peaking between 10 AM and 3 PM PST, with a second between 10 PM and 4 AM PST. This represents a change from the past where there tended to be only one main peak corresponding to daylight hours in North America. The quietest times were about 6 AM and 8 PM. The busiest hour (11 AM - 12 PM) had about 2.1 times as many reports as the quietest hour (5 - 6 AM).
Post reporters
4086 members reported posts in 2012. Of these people, 50% reported just one post, while 90% made 10 or fewer reports each. The top 10% of reporters made 76% of all reports, with the top ten reporters alone making 30% of all reports - an average of 1002 each.
There was some correlation between the top reporters and the top posters, however many members were high in one ranking but not the other. 50% of 2012 reports were made by the top 50 post reporters, while only 21% were made by the current top 50 most active posters.
Reported forums
The iPhone forum again had the most reports. Big movers included iPhone and iPod touch Apps (+14), Politics, Religion, Social Issues (+13, likely due to the 2012 US elections) and Mac Pro (+12). The top 20 forums by number of post reports were as follows; deltas are in comparison with figures from the second half of 2011.
Code:
Rank Delta Forum Reports Percentage
---- ----- --------------------------------------- -------- ----------
1 n/c iPhone 5941 17.7%
2 n/c MacRumors.com News Discussion 4518 13.5%
3 +5 iPad 2251 6.7%
4 +1 MacBook Pro 2081 6.2%
5 -2 Community Discussion 1791 5.3%
6 n/c Mac Applications and Mac App Store 990 3.0%
7 new iOS 6 814 2.4%
8 +13 Politics, Religion, Social Issues 779 2.3%
9 +8 iMac 756 2.3%
10 n/c Mac Basics and Help 712 2.1%
11 -2 iPhone Accessories 612 1.8%
12 -5 MacBook Air 527 1.6%
13 +14 iPhone and iPod touch Apps 508 1.5%
14 -1 Marketplace 499 1.5%
15 -3 iOS 5 488 1.5%
16 -2 Buying Tips and Advice 474 1.4%
17 new Alternatives to iOS and iOS Devices 460 1.4%
18 new OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion 444 1.3%
19 -8 iPhone Hacks 422 1.3%
20 +12 Mac Pro 403 1.2%
Report reasons
Moderators deal with a wide range of issues when handling post reports. The graph below shows some of the common issues and how the breakdown has changed over time. Spam remains the most common reason, and is hovering around an all time high in its share of all reports. For the other categories, the most noticeable trend is a steady but substantial decrease in reports about duplicate or double posts.
Reported threads
Some threads, particularly long or controversial ones, have a large number of posts reported. 73% of threads containing a reported post received just one report, while 145 threads received more than 10 reports. The highest number of reports for a thread was 83, for iPhone 5 Wallpaper idea.