Beware of Flags!
I like to share all the new things that I learn about here on Steemit and have an open discussion about them. This time I would like to share my thoughts about a rather touchy subject: Flags
The Flag
On the right hand side of every post there is this little flag. It looks quite innocent but pressing it has a lot of impact. When browsing Steemit on my phone I accidentally pressed it a few times to to see a warning pop up informing me about what I was about to do. Luckily I never accidentally flagged someone (yet).
With the flag you can downvote a post, diminishing the payout of a post for the author. Like with the upvote, the power of the downvote is determined by your Steem Power, the larger your Steem Power, the larger the impact of the downvote or flagging has.
Using the flag has a couple of consequences you should take into account:
- The author of the flagged post will lose money
Yes, you can actually lose some of the potential payout on your post. If someone decides to flag you then you can lose part or all of the money given to you through upvotes.
- The reputation level of the flagged author will decrease
You know that number behind your username? That's your reputation (or REP if you are cool). After receiving a good flagging your reputation will become low. So you might think, so what? Well, the thing is that other Steemians will not be able to see your posts if your reputation is too low.
- The flagged Post/Comment will be hidden
Maybe you have already seen one, a comment or post hidden "due low ratings", well that post or comment has been flagged.
- Your own voting power will decrease
Yup, using the flag will also hurt you (in more ways than one). Every time you use the flag your voting power will decrease and even more than upvoting.
Action is Reaction
If you ever decide to flag someone be prepared for some kind of reaction from the author. It could be that the author will politely (or impolitely) ask for the reason why you downvoted him or it could be that this author decides to start flagging your posts. Remember anyone can use the flag option, the thing is the more power the flagger has the more it will hurt you. So think very carefully before you decide to flag someone.
Flag Wars
Flag Wars are when two or more Steemians decide to downvote each others posts. The best thing is to stay clear of these wars especially if you are a minnow like me. No good ever comes from these Flag Wars and the only thing that can happen is that you get hurt in the long run.
A good reason to Flag
To be honest I can't really think of a good reason. If someone annoys you just mute him/her. This way you will not be able to see their comments.
If someone flags you for no reason, report it so that someone with more Steem power can talk some sense into them. If you flag back, you might be drawn into a flag war, even if you have more Steem Power than the person flagging you it is best to take the high ground.
Spamming, plagiarism, identity theft, scamming all seem like legitimate reasons to flag someone. But again, I feel it is better to report to @steemcleaners for example than to take it on yourself and start flagging.
There will always be toxic people who want nothing more than to get a rise out of you. Don't feed the trolls and keep your dignity by not falling into their trap. Remember that everything you do or say will remain on the blockchain for as long as there is a blockchain (hopefully for a very long time).
Wiping the slate clean
You can always remove a flag. If for some reason you flagged someone either by accident or on purpose and the reason for the flag has been resolved clicking on the flag will effectively remove the flag. The question is if by removing the flag you have also repaired the damage. You will not gain friends or followers by flagging them.
Why?
So that raises the question "why is there is an option to flag someone?". Well, in the hands of a Whale, a flag is like a nuclear bomb. It can completely destroy someone's reputation and payouts.
I believe that the flag should be treated just like a nuclear bomb, as a deterrent. If someone was acting inappropriately, it would be better to point out to that person that his behavior is not acceptable. If the person continues to misbehave, point out the effect the flag will have on them and let him/her know that if they continue that behavior that it will eventually result in a flag.
There are always exceptions
I know what a lot of you will say in the comment section. And yes there are exceptions but it is best to let those with the big guns take care of it.
Avoiding Flags
If you want to avoid flags, learn about Steemit etiquette and behave accordingly. Here is a great post about Steemit etiquette with nice illustrations, credits to @thecryptofiend.
Also avoid the obvious don'ts. Don't steal other people's work and pass it off as your own, don't impersonate other people, don't insult other people, don't scam (you get the gist).
The Takeaway
If you are a minnow stay clear of flags, no good will come of it and also stay clear of flag wars. Familiarize yourself with the people who deal with misbehavior on Steemit and report the misdeed instead of flagging the post.
Muting is a good way of dealing with annoying trolls, just use that mute button to drown out the noise.
"Check yourself before you wreck yourself" as my man Ice Cube likes to say
What is your opinion about the Flag, good thing or bad? Have you ever flagged someone and why? Let me know in the comment section.
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@steemcleaners is over-burdened by the recent rise in plagiarism, impersonation and spam
Flagging is a feature for a good reason, it needs a community effort to protect the reward pool from people abusing it to extract value from the platform!
please think about your stance on this!
@sherlockholmes
Yes, this!
It is a communal effort. Steamcleaners is not capable of handling every abuse case. And if my steam power is 50 and theirs 25 and it IS AN OBVIOUS abuse, a quick polite comment on my part, possibly with a flag, will cure the issue faster and cleaner than bothering steamcleaners with it.
I have done both. BUT I AM VERY cautious about flagging. I have had one new user try and revenge flag three of my posts. Their flags didnt take away even a penny. And that caused them to use their resource.
So, no big deal.
Thanks for commenting, I agree with your clarification!!
I don't disapprove flagging but I do think that minnows should think twice about flagging. I do believe that the community should come together and fight the increasing misbehavior. Pointing out misbehavior and confronting the author might be more productive than just flagging a post. Perhaps the steemian is not aware that he is doing something wrong. If the person is intentionally breaking the rules then we have to do something about it. I am seeing some flag wars taking place at the moment and it is not a pretty sight. If minnows also start flagging each other then this would do more harm than good. I think more whales should get involved in keeping the peace instead of fighting amongs themselves. Steemit is what made them and they should take more care of it. With great power comes great responsibility. You can't ask the minnows to fight this by themselves, especially because they lack the power and are quite vulnerable.
PS. I love your work, keep it up. I love reading your posts.
Yes, I get what you are pointing at, flagging must be used with caution and reason.
But we shouldn't hesitate when we are convinced of our reasons. It's just a vote after all, albeit a negative one. The same rules apply.
P.S.: thanks for the flowers!
Even if someone reverts back his/her flag, damage done by him/her is not easily vanished because that contribution is permanently written on Steemit blockchain. By the way thanks for sharing, it was informational as a whole.
Thank you, I had not considered that the flagging would stay visible on the blockchain. Good catch, thanks for pointing that out.
You are always welcome :)
I didn't know flagging decreased your voting power, interesting. Yes, I guess it's probably good to report it to someone like a witness or @steemcleaners. I've only used a couple.
Luckily (more likely intentionally) flagging decreases your voting power, this way it can't be abused. I believe in reporting wrong doings. I have never flagged someone (yet), but I have been tempted on occasion.
Good things to know. Thanks for the post! Upvoted, resteemed and followed!
Thank you, it is a rather touchy subject here on Steemit, but I felt that I had to post my feelings about it.
I agree with muting the person instead of flagging. I have yet come across a vile post that would cause me to flag someone.
Thanks for sharing this information
Thank you. For me muting has also been enough to avoid the trolls. For the most part people here on Steemit are nice and friendly. I have been tempted to use the flag once or twice but until now I have been able to resist and take the high ground.
Same here, I have made some great connections with people and bypass the posts that are of no interests. I even have the NSFW (I think it's called) on my account. I'm not here for such nonsense.
Sometimes the high ground and road are the hardest to take
I know :) But I believe in Karma and that in the long run we will be rewarded for it.
Same here about karma- all things happen for a reason
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Mute is a good option and solution sometimes, but in my opinion, it wouldn't do the thing when it comes to more serious spammers, scammers and constant abuse of the platform (this way or another).
By muting we would only avoid seeing the content and/or comments by the author we are annoyed with, and that's all. In other words, the account owner would continue to farm the reward pool without any consequences as there would always be hundred of others who wouldn't think twice even less check before they would give their vote to such member/account.
When there is a Flag, things, however, start to change a bit.
Therefore, I think only waiting for somebody else to do the "police work" for and instead of us (just to stay on the safe side), it's not the best solution either.
As @sherlockholmes already said, @steemcleaners is overburdened, and the flagging is, in fact, a downvoting option given to us for a good reason. The only thing we should take care of is not to abuse it. In other words, use it for a good reason and with caution.
Caution being the keyword, and I also think that we should confront the Steeminan and try to talk some sense into him/her, letting them no that if they don't stop that it will result in a flag. If this doesn't help then a flag is a viable option. But always check the Steem Power of the person you are flagging.
Where can we report the abuse of flagging?
There are a number of places, minnowsupport project pal (discord). Steemcleaners, sherlock holmes or you could ask a fellow steemian with some decent steem power for help. Why do you ask? are you being flagged?
Thank you for the quick response. Yes, I've been flagged by this one account @adm on my most recent post. Apparently, this account goes around flagging "spam" posts and I believe mine was wrongfully flagged. It is a great abuse of power with him having over 350K of SP which wiped out a $12 post out of sight in an instant. IMO this makes it even worse than facebook which I've completely replaced with this platform. This is the memo I've sent him :
Sorry for the long post, I'm just a bit angry at this. It's not about the money as such but I wouldn't like to see this happen again in the future after having invested my own time and money on a post. Thank you for your help.
Weird, I was also thinking about doing a follow up on WCX because it is an interesting coin and idea. I don't know if it is a scam or not (nobody knows for sure) but I do hope that it is legit. Hasn't @adm given a reason for the flag?I am very curious why he flagged you because I see nothing wrong with your post.
He left no reason. I'm waiting to hear from them if they don't respond by end of today then I'll reach out to the people you suggested.