Reporting a bad post has always counted as a post in forum systems, as it generates a discussion thread in a hidden forum accessible only to moderators. Historically, there were configurations that only counted posts with specific content, but reports have consistently been included in post counts. The effort involved in reporting is recognized as beneficial to the forum community. Misuse of the reporting function is subject to moderation. Overall, the inclusion of reports in post counts is seen as a standard practice that supports forum maintenance.