New Members - Post Approval Process 101

The Post Approval Process is something all New Members have to go through to make a bug report, feature request or anything only full members can make a topics under. Let’s be honest, until now you’ve had to open several topics, search for topics and comments only in order to fill a feature request or bug report properly. But hopefully, this tutorial will make it easier to use the topics approval process. I’ll split it into spoilers to make it easier to go to what’s relevant for you. Now you all no longer got an excuse for making bad bug reports and feature requests. Good luck!

Bug reports

Here’s how to write a bug report.

  1. Make a new topic under #bulletin-board. DO NOT post it anywhere else. Only in #bulletin-board.
  2. Use grammar, you want everyone to understand what you’re saying, you want no misunderstandings.
  3. Make sure you are meeting the requirements listed in this wonderful topic. If you don’t your bug report will most likely get denied- and then you’ve wasted your time writing the bug report.
  4. Don’t title your bug [ROBLOXCRITICAL] (TITLE HERE) unless it’s actually critical. But you should also consider that a full member will probably have reported it before your bug report was approved- so maybe you should just wait.
  5. Always, I repeat, always include a repro file if possible, images too. If there’s anything that makes it easier to find out what you’re reporting then include that in your topic.
  6. You’re done! Now post it (double check you’re posting it under #bulletin-board). You may now close this spoiler and open “After posted”.
Feature requests
  1. Make a new topic under #bulletin-board. DO NOT post it anywhere else. Only in #bulletin-board.
  2. Use grammar, you want everyone to understand what you’re saying, you want no misunderstandings.
  3. Title your feature request as meaningful and descriptive as possible. The title should be enough to tell what you want added.
  4. Follow this format. If you don’t your feature request will probably not get moved, so fyi, follow the format.
  5. Describe the problem (without mentioning the solution).
  6. Provide use cases (examples of problem in practice).
  7. Propose a solution and explain how it solves the problem.
  8. That’s it, now post the feature request (double check it’s under #bulletin-board). You may now close this spoiler and open “After posted”.
After posted

After you’ve posted there’s just a few steps left to do:

  1. Click this link (it’ll direct you to a group PM with the Post Approval group).
  2. Remove either “Bug Report” or “Feature Request” based on what you’re posting. So if I’m posting a bug report it’ll be “Request: Posting Bug Report” and not “Request: Posting Bug Report / Feature Request”
  3. Include a link to your topic (the one you posted in #bulletin-board).
  4. State what category you want it moved under.
  5. Submit the message and wait. Sometimes they may tell you to fix some errors before they move it for you, if they don’t then you’re done. You’ve successfully used the Post Approval Process.

Feel free to give some feedback and I’ll whenever I can improve the Tutorial.

PS: Bookmark this topic to make it easy to find next time you’re writing a bug report or feature request.

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Although I’m a full member, I think that many new members will find this useful, especially with the confusion surrounding the process recently. Good job!

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Thank you for taking your time to put all together for everyone. This will definitely be a lot easier for us to post better quality threads in those categories.

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I’m glad you appreciate it.

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It’s a nice gesture, which is something to be encouraged.

The problem is that anyone who knows to search for this will already have learned from other members that rule #15 of 57 clearly spells this all out for those who follow the process link prominently displayed under the obvious process heading of Don’t post where you can’t (or whatever) in the list of rules about proper forum etiquette and how not to get your new member access revoked.

So, the ultimate value of your commendable effort is uncertain (IMO, of course).

It is understandable that folks developing the Roblox platform would rather not spend their time sifting through hundreds or thousands of silly feature requests and unintelligible or inaccurate bug reports in order to find a handful of good ideas and actionable issues. Rather than prohibiting new, unproven members from making these requests altogether, they have provided this less-than-ideal post approval filter. It is, without a doubt, better than nothing.

While a filter of this kind is justifiable in my mind, the hazing-like comments that this addendum-process invites are harder to abide. This is not a standard forum feature and rolling it into the more typical rules page practically ensures that it will be missed and then used as a cudgel against new visitors who haven’t internalized all the small print before trying to report a bug they’ve found, etc.

My thought, if this 101 post doesn’t produce the results you are after with respect to this process thing, would be to run the filter-gauntlet yourself and suggest that instead of simply removing the “Reply” button from pages where new members can’t post, replace it with a “Provisional Post” button (or the like) that automatically posts the request to the bulletin board and notifies a Lead Top Contributor who can accept it with a click or reject it with a notification: something that, at least superficially, works like any other new post/reply operation. Get this process business out of the rules and off the forums.

Anyway, I tried very hard to keep all that from sounding too much like a gripe-fest. Apologies if I’ve stomped on anyone’s toes with my opinions. It’s just my 2 cents.

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I might’ve misunderstood what you attempted to say, but I’ll answer based on how I understood it. This guide wasn’t made to attempt to gain some kind of result, but make it easier for all New Members to fill a bug report or feature request. As of now the Post Approval Process is mandatory for all New Members, and I therefore made a guide on it.

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I just want to be clear that I’m not criticizing your effort at all. It’s a nice guide. Very clear and well thought out. Worst case, it could become another source of confusion in the future if it gets out of sync with the official process due to some change. You shouldn’t have to spend your time doing this kind of thing. That was basically my point. But, you did, and it looks great. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that there is an improved approval process in the pipeline that will render all of this obsolete.

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Yep.

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