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I made the experience that flags I place for marking a question (or answer) as low quality gets disputed very often. So I think I must have some sort of a misunderstanding on when to use them.

For example, I marked the question https://stackoverflow.com/questions/21042422/how-we-add-images-to-sprite-while-using-getchildbytag-method-of-ccspritebatchnod as low-quality, which then got disputed.

The question later got closed due to "put on hold as unclear what you're asking", so there was definitely something wrong with this question. However for me it was clear what he was asking; it was just hard to understand what he was doing.

So when should I use them then? If I find a question to be really low quality, but everything seems fine to me, why not use this flag?

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  • @gnat I strongly disagree - linked question is feature request completed in 2012. It's 2014 now - so either they are not related or they are similar, but separate problems, as the source of linked one no longer exist, and source of this one clearly still exists.
    – Mołot
    Commented Jan 15, 2014 at 0:26
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    not a duplicate IMHO because the linked question has status-completed, and the issue exists nowadays
    – Cjxcz Odjcayrwl
    Commented Jan 15, 2014 at 15:45
  • Related: What exactly is considered a “low quality” question?
    – Palec
    Commented Feb 18, 2014 at 1:04

1 Answer 1

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Use Very Low Quality only when it really really fits:

This question has severe formatting or content problems. This question is unlikely to be salvageable through editing, and might need to be removed.

Now, question you linked is formatted properly. It may be salvageable if author would care to provide clarifications. It is a borderline example - and "disputed" status of a flag reflects it nicely.

If question is formatted properly and uses understandable English, it should be closed for another reason -> unclear what you're asking is probably better flag. And if it does not fit, it probably means you shouldn't flag at all - just edit to make it better.

As Bill the Lizard♦ noted below, "... and might need to be removed" is part of the close reason moderators take fairly literally. They really only want to see that flag when something is posted that's basically nonsense and can be safely removed immediately.

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  • 6
    I'll add to this that since the recommended action "... and might need to be removed" is part of the close reason, moderators take it fairly literally. We really only want to see that flag when something is posted that's basically nonsense and can be safely removed immediately.
    – Bill the Lizard
    Commented Jan 14, 2014 at 15:08
  • One more thing - I have earned "disputed" on VLQ today. On a site where I'm 10k user. It simply happens sometimes. Nothing to cry about. what one may see as not salvageable gibberish, others may understand better and successfully save.
    – Mołot
    Commented Jan 14, 2014 at 15:11
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    Bill is spot on, and I'll add by saying that deletion is a pretty serious thing (and should be serious). To remove someone's content summarily without having the community vote on deletion means something really doesn't belong. That's what you're saying when you mark something 'very low quality'. It's a post that no reasonable member of the community would have a problem with being deleted.
    – George Stocker
    Commented Jan 16, 2014 at 3:45

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