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I came across this answer (10k+ only) when curating new answers to old questions. I initially flagged it as library-only (VLQ).

Besides of the problem,i want to say I have found a plugin for cloud debugging. This plugin may be helpful for debugging on real devices: [link]

Then I realized that the answerer had posted the same answer 4 times (all within a few minutes of each other: 2, 3, 4, 10k+ link), and that the library was actually a product of their company.

Since the answer was presented as a "found" library, I retracted my VLQ flag and flagged all 4 of them as spam. All answers were rapidly deleted.

Even though this case was relatively straightforward, this inspired a short discussion in the SO close vote reviewers chat about the more general case and the ideal way to handle multiple link-only/library-only answers that are also self-promotion. By using multiple spam flags, each successful deletion will trigger a -100 reputation penalty, and potentially other limitations. Assuming potential good faith of the answerer, a multiple penalty could be too harsh. Therefore the points of discussion would be:

  • should multiple spam-flags be used on self-promotion?
  • should a single custom-flag be preferred?

Keeping in mind that a custom-flag adds an extra load of work to the moderators, I would tend to favor multiple flagging, which raises another question:

  • in the event good faith of the answerer can be argued, can the penalty be canceled somehow? is there a defined procedure?

Related:

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    You could've mod flagged it and explained it there. I saw your reports today and I think they were OK. I would've done the same. :)
    – Cow
    Commented Jun 3 at 11:07
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    in the event good faith of the answerer can be argued, can the penalty be canceled somehow? is there a defined procedure? A moderator can clear a spam flag on a post. That would also reverse the -100 rep penalty.
    – rene
    Commented Jun 3 at 11:20
  • Thanks @rene, this is important information. This reinforces my idea that flagging all answers for spam without adding an extra custom-flag to the stack is probably fine, if really this was a good faith error, the penalty can be canceled.
    – mozway
    Commented Jun 3 at 11:38

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There's some nuance to be had here. Here's a general rundown.

Spam flags need to be obvious

For moderators especially, we don't get any additional context (especially in the pattern department). When you raise a spam flag, it has to be obvious it's spam. The posts you linked all look like Not-An-Answer(NAA) at first glance. I would give you even money that, seen in isolation, they would be removed. Speaking for myself, I do sometimes decline the flag and delete it, with a comment about it being NAA.

Spam removed by the community has no inherent followup

If four users spam flag a post, the post (and, if it's a question, any answers) is deleted and the user gets a -100 rep penalty (plus various rate limiting kicks in). But moderators will not see that post. If a user is doing lots of posting, and the community at large is efficient in removing them, it's basically invisible to us.

Moderator flags are necessary for patterns

If a user is making lots of posts, understand that moderators work on a post-by-post basis. Sometimes you'll get lucky. I've come into the console and seen a large number of spam flags pending and realized they are all for the same user. Do not rely on that. Moderator flags tell us what we need to be looking for, and they are the only reliable way to alert us to patterns. A lot of us are active in the Charcoal project, and links to MetaSmoke (where the patterns can be easily laid bare) are always welcome. Last, but not least, moderator flags survive post deletion (even if the post is removed by the Community user via flags).

Don't spam-flag single NAA instances lacking disclosure

To reiterate, we're talking marginally useful content, not true spam. I see this too often, where someone thinks "I wrote a useful library that answers this question" and they make a minimal post to link to it (almost always without disclosing that they are the author). Another user then comes and hard-applies the non-disclosure rule and flags it as spam. Please don't do that.

If the user is new, please explain the rules to them and flag it as NAA (link-only answers are subject to deletion). I tend to view three instances (or more) of this sort of thing as spammy, and I have fewer problems with red flags in that sort of case. But, ideally, you want a moderator to intervene in such circumstances. We have some messages we send that explain this all in detail (and emphasize the disclosure part). If you feel a user is posting too many non-disclosed links, please mod flag for investigation.

Can a spam penalty be reversed?

Yes. Moderators have an option to clear red flags (spam or rude/abusive), which removes all associated penalties. If you feel a post was removed incorrectly, you can moderator flag that post directly (10k+ only), or raise a moderator flag on any post with a link to it and an explanation of why you feel it was done in error. Alternatively, you can come to Meta and post a link to it (less precise, but we do try to keep tabs on Meta). If the community agrees, it tends to become more visible as it gets upvoted.

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    Thanks a lot for clarifying those points, the fact that custom-flags give you more information/history than spam-flags was really not obvious to me. I (incorrectly) thought that flag-spams were more desirable since they are specific and would avoid cluttering the custom-flag queue. It's also important to make it clear that spam flags should be avoided for first time occurrences of undisclosed self-promotion.
    – mozway
    Commented Jun 3 at 13:05
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    I think it's important to note also, that a custom mod flag, might take a lot of time, before it gets processed. Just a FYI.
    – Cow
    Commented Jun 3 at 13:11
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    @Cow Yes and no. A single person mod flagging a post might not get seen for a bit (we do try to work the newest end of the queue for that reason). But the more people flag a post, the more visibility it gets in the mod console.
    – Machavity Mod
    Commented Jun 3 at 13:15
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    part of the difficulty is evaluating whether something is "obvious spam" meta.stackoverflow.com/q/427337/11107541
    – starball
    Commented Jun 3 at 16:58

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