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Edit: you now can

Another edit: They do nothing, so I've opened another thread for making the red flags function as red flags (now )

Currently, we can flag discussions, which brings it up to the community managers. Moderators only see them when they actually view the post on their own accord (because moderators are not notified of discussion flags). However, with other posts, we can spam and r/a flag posts to automatically bring them down. Why can't we do that with discussions? Now, spammers are realizing that discussions is a way to keep spam up for longer periods of time, as the posts aren't being nuked. I'm not requesting for a bunch of reasons for flagging, but maybe when you click to flag, you have 2 options:

  • Spam or rude/abusive (raises red flag)
  • Another reason (raises regular flag)

Similar to regular posts, these red flags should automatically bring down a post with enough of them, without the need for moderator intervention.

It doesn't need to be like how I described above, I simply want to be able to red flag and automatically bring down discussions. I understand that there are already flag reasons in discussion on another thread, but I am requesting for a temporary (potentially permanent) solution to combat spam.

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    Here are some examples: stackoverflow.com/collectives/nlp/beta/discussions/77626178/… stackoverflow.com/collectives/r-language/beta/discussions/… stackoverflow.com/collectives/r-language/beta/discussions/…
    – Fastnlight
    Commented Dec 8, 2023 at 19:00
  • 1
    Related: meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/426412/… (I won't cast a duplicate vote because this has been pending for too long now)
    – Abdul Aziz Barkat
    Commented Dec 8, 2023 at 19:10
  • I edited my question to make it not a duplicate. I am aware of said other thread, but that thread is talking about a permanent solution. One that will require time to think about and implement. What I am suggesting is a quick and simple temporary solution to combat spam.
    – Fastnlight
    Commented Dec 8, 2023 at 19:15
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    @TylerH "moderators have been expected to moderate discussions" is incorrect. When the Discussions feature was introduced, SO moderators were very explicitly told by the CMs that there was no expectation that moderators would be moderating Discussions and that all moderation would be completely handled by CMs. I'm not trying to disclaim responsibility. I'm just explaining what we've been told. If flagging had been implemented in a manner similar to how it is on posts and comments, the added workload of moderation would have been quite small, so wouldn't have been of much concern.
    – Makyen Mod
    Commented Dec 8, 2023 at 21:01
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    @Makyen Maybe when it was announced, but didn't it end up being moderator-managed once it launched?
    – TylerH
    Commented Dec 8, 2023 at 21:08
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    @TylerH As far as I'm aware, it's still supposed to be entirely handled by CMs. However, flags in Discussions don't get handled all that quickly by the CMs, based on the reports from users of spam and R/A content I've seen here on MSO and in Charcoal HQ. Moderators care about removing spam and R/A content. So, once we found where the delete button was hidden (yes, it's actually hidden on a different page), we delete it when we see it, but we only see it when it's brought to our attention, which flagging doesn't do, as those flags are only shown when we visit the specific flagged discussion.
    – Makyen Mod
    Commented Dec 8, 2023 at 21:19
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    In general, instead of manually bringing such discussions to moderator attention, I, personally, would prefer to see users using the Contact Us page to report such Discussions (in addition to flagging). Doing so should actually bring the Discussion to the CMs attention. It should also have the effect of documenting how much extra effort is having to be expended because SO, for some unknown reason, chose not to continue with the concept of community moderation.
    – Makyen Mod
    Commented Dec 8, 2023 at 21:24

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
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We expect to release the Discussions flag reasons next week. Having the distinct flag reasons, including the red flag scenarios, will allow for automations to be put in place.

The flag reasons release will also include a new moderation page that displays all flagged discussion posts and replies from all collectives, streamlining the process for anyone moderating Discussions.

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    Does this mean that we (regular users) can also see a list of our flags? If so, do you mind posting an answer to this thread as well: meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/427314 ?
    – M--
    Commented Dec 11, 2023 at 15:00
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    To clarify, does "allow for automations to be put in place" mean we get an API endpoint for it? Or does it mean that SE could do that at a later point if they'd like to?
    – cocomac
    Commented Dec 12, 2023 at 4:18
  • @cocomac In the near term, the automations would be like what happens with Q&A, automatic deletion after a specific number of red flags. The different types of flags being available will allow for that. We don't have API endpoints planned for Discussions during the experiment phase.
    – Berthold StaffMod
    Commented Dec 12, 2023 at 20:02
  • @M-- No, there will be no change to flag visibility. I posted an answer on the question you linked.
    – Berthold StaffMod
    Commented Dec 12, 2023 at 20:31
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Quoting Makyen:

In general, instead of manually bringing such discussions to moderator attention, I, personally, would prefer to see users using the Contact Us page to report such Discussions (in addition to flagging). Doing so should actually bring the Discussion to the CMs attention. It should also have the effect of documenting how much extra effort is having to be expended because SO, for some unknown reason, chose not to continue with the concept of community moderation.

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    I'm not sure if Makyen's intent was to implement a new/temporary reporting policy, since their statement was framed as a personal preference. As noted in my answer, we're taking steps to streamline and optimize the moderation process and move toward community moderation. This is an experimental feature, still operating at a relatively small scale, and work continues.
    – Berthold StaffMod
    Commented Dec 9, 2023 at 3:03
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    @Berthold please also consider giving the community editing privileges. Seeing "i am new to codez" and not being able to edit it out of a discussion has had a negative effect on my mental health :D
    – M--
    Commented Dec 11, 2023 at 14:57
  • @M-- This is something we'll look at if Discussions moves beyond the experiment phase. I know your example is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but it's also an interesting case to think about. Q&A is about the question and the answer and so someone being "new" isn't useful context. In a discussion post though, someone might take a different approach to replying if they know the post came from a novice. So while it's your instinct from Q&A curation to edit something like that out, doing so might not be in service of the discussion (grammar concerns aside). We'll want to look more at the use cases.
    – Berthold StaffMod
    Commented Dec 12, 2023 at 20:37
  • @Berthold as you identified, my example was, well, an example at best. While I have a hard time to see when being new adds value, I acknowledge your point about the differences b/w Q&A and Discussions. Putting that aside, typos (as you mentioned), formatting issue, etc. have been a widespread problem with Discussions. Those issues won't go away unless someone edits them properly. Anyway, food for thoughts. Cheers.
    – M--
    Commented Dec 12, 2023 at 20:49

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