Manage and Report Abuse within Ideas and Comments
This article delves into the functionality and setup of the "Report Abuse" feature, specifically focusing on detecting and flagging abusive or inappropriate content submitted by community members
To set up the Abuse Notification in the Automation Builder, the Community Administrator follows these steps:
- Select Abuse Notification, then Edit.
- Select the Abuse Threshold condition.
- Enter the number of times an idea must be marked as Abuse to reach the Abuse Threshold.
- Once the threshold value is reached, the idea follows the behavior configured in the Action.
- Select an Action to trigger:
- Mark Abuse.
- Change Status.
- Notify Members: sent to all members, or to members assigned to specific Groups. The Notify Members action automatically sends an email to the designated groups or individual users.
- Select Enabled.
Path: Workspace Homepage >> Navigation Panel >> Settings >> Community >> Automation >> Automation
| What is the Report Abuse feature? |
|---|
| Report Abuse is a feature that lets Administrators and Standard Users flag ideas and comments that contain abusive or inappropriate language, and lets the Community Administrator configure automated notifications and actions once a set reporting threshold is reached. |
The Report Abuse feature empowers Administrators and Standard Users to identify and flag content that violates community guidelines, enabling detection and reporting of abusive language within submitted ideas and comments.
Role Permissions
- Community Administrator: Configures the Abuse Notification rule in the Automation Builder, including the Abuse Threshold and the resulting Action.
- Administrator: Can view and select the Report Abuse label on ideas. Cannot report abuse on another Administrator's idea.
- Standard User: Can view and select the Report Abuse label on ideas, and on comments posted by other Standard Users. Can report abuse on another member's idea or comment.
- Moderator: Does not see the Report Abuse label as an option. Approves flagged ideas and comments from the Moderator Dashboard.
- Administrator & Moderator (combined role): Does not see the Report Abuse label as an option.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Setup Report Abuse
Action
Report Abuse on an Idea
Report Abuse on a Comment
Filter by Label
Exceptions
Frequently Asked Questions
Setup Report Abuse Notification

To set up the Abuse Notification in the Automation Builder, the Community Administrator follows these steps:
- Select Abuse Notification, then Edit.
- Select the Abuse Threshold condition.
- Enter the number of times an idea must be marked as Abuse to reach the Abuse Threshold.
- Once the threshold value is reached, the idea follows the behavior configured in the Action.
- Select an Action to trigger:
- Mark Abuse.
- Change Status.
- Notify Members: sent to all members, or to members assigned to specific Groups. The Notify Members action automatically sends an email to the designated groups or individual users.
- Select Enabled.
Note: The 'notify' functionality will automatically send an email to designated groups or individual users.
Specific Actions
The Action is the response that occurs once the trigger condition is met. Depending on the settings configured by the Community Administrator and the severity of the reported abuse, the Action may mark the content as abusive, change its status, or notify relevant members or groups within the community. The available actions are Mark Abuse, Change Status, and Notify Member.
Possible actions:
Mark Abuse

When the Action is set to Mark Abuse, the idea moves into the Moderator Dashboard for Moderator approval once the threshold value is reached.

The idea is labeled Abuse after the Moderator approves it. Members following the idea, and the idea submitter, receive the following email:
Change Status

When the Action is set to Change Status, the idea's stage changes to the stage selected in the Action once the threshold value is reached.
Notify Member

When the Action is set to Notify Member, the designated group is notified once the idea meets the Abuse Notification rule.

Note: The Notify Member action only marks the idea as Reported; the idea does not move into the pending approval stage for Moderator review.
Report Abuse on an Idea
- Select the Report Abuse label on the idea. In both Grid View and List View, the Report Abuse label appears within the three-dots button, which provides additional actions.
Grid View:
List View:

2. Once the idea is reported and the threshold is met, the idea moves into the
Pending Approval stage with the message: "You have reported this idea as being inappropriate. It will be removed when enough people flag it."
3. The idea submitter receives a Mark Abused email notification, as shown below:

4. Selecting the link in the email redirects the idea submitter to the idea details page, showing the idea in the Pending Approval stage awaiting Moderator
approval.
Report Abuse on a Comment
The Report Abuse Comment label identifies and flags abusive or inappropriate comments made on ideas within the community.
- When a Standard User posts a comment, the Report Abuse label is visible to other Standard Users on that comment, as shown below:

2. When a Standard User reports a comment as abusive, the comment moves into the Pending Approval stage:

3. The Moderator receives a Comment Flagged email notification:

4. The Moderator approves flagged comments from the Moderator Dashboard:

5. Once the Moderator approves the comment, it is published with a Reported label:

Note: Only Standard Users see the Report Abuse label option on comments
Filter by Label
Ideas can be filtered using the Label filter to display all ideas with the Abuse label.

Exceptions
- Idea Stage Restriction: The Report Abuse label is visible only for ideas in the Ideate Stage. It is not available for ideas that a Moderator has moved from Pending Approval, or for ideas in any other stage.
- Administrator-to-Administrator Reporting: An Administrator cannot report abuse on another Administrator's idea. A Standard User can report abuse on any other member's idea or comment.
- New Comment Approval Enabled: When the New Comment Approval switch is enabled for the community, Standard Users lose access to the Report Abuse label on comments.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to an idea after it is marked as Abuse?
Once the Abuse Threshold is reached and the Action is set to Mark Abuse, the idea moves into the Moderator Dashboard for review. After the Moderator approves it, the idea is labeled Abuse, and the idea submitter and following members receive an email notification.
Is a reported idea removed automatically once it reaches the Abuse Threshold?
No. A reported idea moves into the Pending Approval stage and awaits Moderator review. It is labeled Abuse only after Moderator approval, rather than being removed automatically.
Can a Moderator use the Report Abuse label?
No. Moderators, and members with the combined Administrator & Moderator role, do not see the Report Abuse label as an option. Moderators instead review and approve flagged ideas and comments from the Moderator Dashboard.
What is the difference between the Mark Abuse and Notify Member actions?
Mark Abuse moves the idea into the Moderator Dashboard for approval before it is labeled Abuse. Notify Member only labels the idea as Reported and notifies the designated members or groups; it does not move the idea into the Pending Approval stage.
Why doesn't a Standard User see the Report Abuse label on every comment?
The label is visible only on comments posted by other Standard Users. It also becomes unavailable to Standard Users community-wide when the New Comment Approval switch is enabled — see Exceptions above.
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Last Updated: July 30, 2026
