

Ask HN: What is the correct use of the flag button? - TazeTSchnitzel

Or more specifically: where should I use flag, where should I use downvote?
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tptacek
The right way to think of the comment flag button is as a signal to the
moderators. "This comment is so bad, it demands some of the scarce time and
attention of the moderators".

That's not all the flag button does, but if you think about it that way,
you'll end up flagging the right comments.

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sinak
From
[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html):

 _Please don 't submit comments complaining that a submission is inappropriate
for the site. If you think a story is spam or off-topic, flag it by clicking
on its "flag" link. (Not all users will see this; there is a karma threshold.)
If you think a comment is egregious, click on its timestamp to go to its page,
then click "flag" at the top._

 _If you flag something, please don 't also comment that you did._

I do think more examples of when flagging isn't appropriate would actually be
helpful. And finding the instructions above isn't very easy, I wish they
appeared elsewhere in HN's UI.

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brudgers
I flag stories that produce mean stupid or unproductive discussions or that I
believe will based on experience. On the other hand, a comment has to be vile
enough to justify calling for moderator attention before I flag it.

