Flag abuse
We can all stipulate that flag ratings are being misused. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it. We have been aggressively sanctioning for flag abuse, but several people have complained that the rules aren’t explicit. And yes, that’s a valid criticism about much of what we do—we have done a poor job of documenting the site’s rules. We’re working on that. But in the meantime, let me make the flag rule crystal clear:
You may not flag for disagreement or disapproval. Flags may only be used for comments that are seriously offensive or that violate site rules.
Flags are a last-resort measure, something so heinous that the site must be protected from it. We had one person complain about their ratings sanction by saying, “It wasn’t disagreement, the comment was wrong!” Um, that’s the textbook definition of “disagreement”.
Soon, the pop-up message when flagging will reiterate that rule. Once that’s up, we will increase sanctions for flag abuse:
First offense: 1 day, ratings abilities removed
Second offense: Ratings abilities removed permanently
If that seems harsh, it’s because we’re taking this shit seriously. If you have any doubt at all, do not flag. We’d rather you hold on to those powers for those times we actually need them—spam, homophobia, racism, sexism, Republican trolls, and other deeply offensive behavior. “Someone is wrong on the internet” will never be enough reason to flag.
Uprate abuse
Uprate abuse is when someone recommends a story/diary or comment, with the intent to encourage someone violating the rules. You know, like someone yelling at another user, “Fuck you!” and having that comment uprated. Thus, uprates (and story/diary recommends) that encourage bad behavior will be sanctioned similarly to flag abuse. As a reminder (and to reinforce the point):
First offense: 1 day, ratings abilities removed
Second offense: Ratings abilities removed permanently
As someone who I trust on community moderation stuff told me, “Community moderation is like a healthy immune system when it is working well. When people start flagging each other for disagreement or to punish it starts looking more like an auto-immune disease, the site attacking itself.”
We are committed to reining in abuses. I actually do believe we’ve made headway, but we’ve got a ways to go, and getting people to use the comment ratings and story recommend systems is part of the challenge.
So play nice, or we’ll take away your toys. Deal?