This guide describes what happens when a post is flagged in a Discourse forum. It covers various flag scenarios, including single and multiple flags, along with their impacts on posts and users. This information is particularly relevant for administrators, moderators, and users with a high trust level.
Required user level: All users (Administrators and Moderators for some actions)
Flagging posts is an essential moderation tool in Discourse forums. Flags help maintain community standards by allowing users to report inappropriate content. When a post is flagged, it enters a review process that involves several possible automatic and manual actions.
Summary
This documentation covers:
- The flagging process
- Actions triggered by single and multiple flags
- Impact on trust level 0 users
- How editing flagged posts works
- Automatic topic closure due to multiple flags
- Additional considerations and best practices
Flagging process
When a user flags a post, several actions can occur:
Single flag actions
When a single user flags a post:
- The post appears in the review queue.
- Staff and category moderators can review the flagged content.
- Actions available to the staff include:
- Agreeing with the flag.
- Disagreeing with the flag.
- Ignoring the flag.
- Hiding the post, triggering an automatic private message (PM) to the user encouraging an edit.
- Silencing the user.
- Suspending the user.
- Deleting the post.
Flags from well-trusted users might automatically hide the post based on their trust level and flagging history.
Multiple flag actions
If a post receives multiple flags before staff handles it:
- The post is immediately hidden if “enough” users flag it (e.g., 3 Trust Level 1 users or 2 Trust Level 2 users).
- Different views:
- The post author sees a message indicating the post was flagged by the community.
- The community sees a message that the post is temporarily hidden.
- Staff sees the actual post dimmed to indicate it is hidden for others.
- A friendly PM is sent to the author explaining the next steps, indicating that editing can un-hide the post.
Editing flagged posts
- Author edits flagged post: The post is immediately un-hidden and remains in the review queue for moderation.
- Author does not edit flagged post: The post stays hidden indefinitely unless a moderator intervenes. After 30 days, hidden posts are automatically deleted.
Re-flagging a post
If a post hidden by flags is flagged again after being edited, the flags require manual handling by a moderator. No further automatic editing opportunities are given to the user.
Automatic topic closure
If multiple posts in a topic receive flags from at least 5 unique users, the topic closes automatically for 4 hours, pending moderator review. This helps prevent heated discussions from escalating.
Trust level 0 users and spam flags
- Trust Level 0 users are new and less trusted.
- A post from a Trust Level 0 user receiving 3 spam flags will not only be hidden but will also silence the user, preventing further posting until a moderator reviews the flags.
Best practices
- Encourage users to flag inappropriate content responsibly.
- Regularly review flagged posts to ensure swift and appropriate actions.
- Educate your community about the flagging process to foster a proactive moderation culture.
Common issues and solutions
Q: Do likes affect flags?
A: No, a flagged post will be hidden regardless of the number of likes.
Q: Can users who flag see who else flagged the post?
A: No, only moderators can see who flagged a post. This protects user privacy.
Q: How quickly do flags need to be applied to prevent email notifications?
A: Flags must be applied rapidly to prevent email notifications. This depends on the site’s email notification settings.
FAQs
Q: Can non-moderators retract their flags?
A: No, once a flag is set, only moderators can resolve it.
Q: Does editing flagged posts override admin site settings for minimum trust level to edit?
A: No, flagged posts follow specific flag settings regardless of the site-wide edit settings.
Additional resources
- Discourse Moderation Guide
- Notification to flagger(s) when a flagged post is edited?
- How can you undo a flag?
Last edited by @hugh 2024-06-18T02:42:28Z
Last checked by @hugh 2024-06-18T02:42:35Z
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