Help! - Someone Easily Pressing Just One Silent Flagging Button to Make Fellow Postcrossers Feel Small ?! :(

Postcrossing Help!
1

Hello,

Today I got the automated notice message regarding one of my posts in a certain serious discussion. It was suddenly silently flagged by someone as off-topic.

I rarely flag people ’ s posts myself but I have flagged once, actually, so I know that whenever you flag, you are automatically asked how you see the posts you flag, like, offensive or off-topic and so on.

If the moderators and/or the administrators find the post offensive, it is most likely to be deleted very soon.

My post, this time, was seen off-topic by certain Postcrosser, not offensive at all, so, fortunately, I had a right to edit the post and it is not flagged anymore, which is good and a good relief for me.

You know how flagged posts look publicly - they do not look good at all, as if people who are flagged made a serious mistake on Postcrossing. Flagged posts say : View ignored content,

My point, in short, is why can certain Postcrossers flag certain other Postcrossers ’ s posts anonymously, silently and so easily, without thinking twice at least, just to make the flagged posts to be deleted somehow just because they disagree ?! Or only to make certain fellow Postcrossers feel small ?!

Again, my post is no longer flagged because I now edited it. Then, now, what is the real use of flagging ???

I just come to think that apparently certain Postcrossers are pressing the flagging button so soon and so easily, with no friendly, polite or respectful comment in the thread where they flag.

I think such act of flagging itself is against the Postcrossing guidelines.

Thank you, I hope I made myself clear…

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I understand your concerns. I’ve been flagged a couple of times. I can’t honestly say those actions were justified. Rather than edit what I felt were honest (if perhaps an unpalatable comments), I just deleted them. I’m not going to be a hypocrite to please someone else.

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I was also flagged when I just started on the forum.
My response was to a discussion about folded cards. Some, especially members who have been doing postcrossing for a long time, reacted quite fiercely to this. Then I made a joke about it and I was immediately flagged.
While the rather strong opinions of others were allowed by the moderator.
Dissenting opinions and humor are not always appreciated on the forum.
I don’t reply to topics as often anymore.

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When I first started using this Forum, I made a couple of “dry” humor jokes in my comments. They were not received well and it made me realize I have to be careful how my comments will translate (literally). I feel very lucky that English is used as the primary language and I’m grateful that so many people are willing to communicate in what is my native language. Now I’m more careful with my humor! There’s a saying, probably in many languages, “Know your audience.”

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Some people (both those that post and those that flag) can be over sensitive at times. I have seen posts get flagged that to me were nothing offensive. Then again there are posts that I do consider offensive that are allowed to stay. It’s just the product of people from many backgrounds coming together I think. Different cultural norms, different personalities and life experiences, and of course that good old language barrier.

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Yes, humour pointed towards the one who has different opinion, or humour towards their opinion easily looks like not giving value or respect to this person and their opinion. Especially if you don’t know this person.

But it has happened, someone writes “humourously” and it’s ok. But replies to this, with same humorous tone are not and get flagged.

Sometimes I think, one shouldn’t only look what is flagged, but to what it is reply to.

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Hello,

Thank you all so far for your comments, really.

@cliffside
@cindycrazycatlady
@tpuchalski

Thank you so much for sharing your own experience as well in this thread, just like I did above.

I know that there are so many people on Postcrossing who like to read. But there are times when I think that there are quite many people who are actually just skimming on Postcrossing without taking much time, not reading with consideration and a caring heart, really.

They may think they are reading posts, but they probaly are missing out lots of points here and there. And therefore, it relates to a very pointless and no-real-use flagging over and over again towards certain other people.

It is anonymously done when they flag posts by other fellow Postcrossers, but I cannot stop thinking it is actually them who are breaking the basic Postcrossing rules and guidelines.

Are they really friendly, polite and respectful ??? I doubt it…

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It’s interesting seeing people’s perspectives on these things. I’m curious what is recommended for topics/posts that have gotten off topic, if flags are not appreciated.

Obviously moderators step in occasionally, but I assume they are alerted by flags, and they cannot be everywhere. Interested to hear others’ thoughts!

Edited to add: doesn’t it require multiple flags for a post to be hidden?

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I was flagged once as off topic, replying to someone about the exact thing they were posting about. It’s definitely a cowardly response to someone disagreeing with your opinion, but I found it funny. It amazes me that people have forgotten how to have a conversation and learn from each other.

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@pcronn

I just wonder why Postcrossers in general cannot just simply chime in in any threads quickly with a super simple and kind sentence to let other fellow Postcrossers know when they are going rather off-topic ??

The sentence can be something like this with a smiling face emoji, if possible :

Hi ! I think you are going a bit off-topic now. The point of this topic is X, by the way :slight_smile:

Obviously, some or more Postcrossers just watch and love to flag other innocent posts by fellow Postcrossers quickly, than to have a simple and basic communication / conversation.

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I never heard of flagging before but it’s sad that some people cannot go into normal conversations…we have something called free speech and it’s sad that some people don’t agree with normal human rights :woman_shrugging:t2: i hope you can laugh about it in the future

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I was flagged which baffled me, so I deleted one word, got a bunch of likes and a badge for a good response.

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In general, and in my eyes it’s always not “fair” flagging, and even not fair treatment to each flagged post. Some get public notification that a moderator will edit/edited the post, some need to do it themselves, and still it can end up deleted, even when asked what is against the rules, what needs editing.

It has happened a post is flagged, but when I comment there is nothing wrong, it gets back.

One member’s post were flagged and hidden what others wondered understandingly is maybe done “just in case” because earlier this had written too many post with someone. (Not recently). (Just like some other members did with another member, and these were not flagged.) That is not how anyone should flag, in my opinion. And they didn’t unflag those posts, when it turned out there was nothing wrong, and there didn’t appear too many messages. It is not friendly at all, or welcoming, to somewhat new member. To me it strongly seems some members think they decide. Normal messages flagged and hidden, it’s more like bullying. Looks to me they don’t want new member talking in “their” thread.

With same mentality I could flag all posts of members who made off topic notes about me? Better even the messages of those members should be monitored before publishing, because if flagging just in case is ok, you never know when they write their analysis of a person. So any message written by such, is risk, and should be read before publishing :slight_smile: (but no, I’m not doing so).

I think there can be a group of members who don’t like someones and try to silent some members, or just can’t handle a different opinion.

I mainly flag a post when there is address visible, or something “illegal” like I think one video could be copyright violation, and I suspect the member muted me so they didn’t see my question about it, but it’s still visible, in another language than English (which is strange already) so I can’t tell if it really is. What if a moderator doesn’t know this language?

But I also understand, there are many moderators, they don’t think the same with each others, of course. Sometimes, if it’s their friend who is flagged, maybe it’s ok they edit the post instead of the writer.

And of course, the flaggers can be a teenagers, someone who don’t know how to deal their own feelings better, don’t know how to disagree. It’s easy to be anonymous and flag, rather than discuss about a topic.

(I often think, if for a month this would turn fully anonymous, so no one knew who writes, how would posts be reacted :slight_smile: And, if you only could flag with your name, would the same flagging happen?)

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The “like” action can be as confusing as the flagging.
Some of my posts with many likes were flagged.
Sometimes off topic and negative personal attacks are liked many times.

Already in the start, when I saw there is this like option, I was a little worried will this turn into situation, where someone has imaginary belief, that who has more likes, is more right. (When of course isn’t.)

I think some members quickly read, like all posts by their “friend”, and flag posts they don’t want to for some reason read.

Personally I think, sometimes posts that are seen off topic, are posts where a member tries to explain the background and reasons for their thinking, and this makes it easier to understand why they think/feel so. So it’s linked to the topic. I would then let the “off topicers” write a little time, and then it will turn back to topic eventually.

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I wonder if some people use the flagging option as a kind of “dislike” button? Not necessarily trying to get the person in trouble (edit: since a lot of social media sites have the option to either “like” or “dislike” a post).

For me, flagging means a serious offence, such as bullying, racism, spam, etc…

I really don’t think there’s a reason to flag for someone going off-topic. Actually, I don’t see going off-topic as a bad thing. Sometimes the conversation bleeds into other similar topics or has over-lapping with other ideas. Sometimes the conversation returns back to the original topic naturally. Other cases, I think it’s ultimately the job of the mods or other members if they see that a topic will not naturally return to the original topic.

Maybe mods need to check to see if it really is a certain person always flagging another certain person.
Otherwise, maybe the use of flagging needs to be better explained?

But I wouldn’t take it too seriously. From what I have seen, most posts get reinstated and others can still see what you wrote (I always read flagged posts because I think if it was really bad, it would be taken down). It still is frustrating though if it keeps happening to you.

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@KolmeNoitaa

Good points!
I really dislike nearly all the social media ’ s dislike buttons. In fact, personally, I am not interested in most of social media online. And I do not have time for it, really.

At least, I appreciate it there are no dislike buttons on Postcrossing.

But there are flagging buttons on Postcrossing for better or worse. Frankly, it has been tiring more or less for me because this is not the first time my post was flagged… but fortunately, my profile itself on Postcrossing remains here safely. I have been on Postcrossing on 12 years now.

Personally, in short, I would rather receive the whole opposite believes or total disagreements by other Postcrossers through private messages because I would be happy to respond to them when I can.

I am intested in communication itself rather than receiving sudden automated notice messages of flags by all the anonymous judgemental Postcrossers who would not even dare to type at all to express themselves publicly in an international platform like Postcrossing.

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So you knew, what was off topic in your post! Why did you provoke to be flagged by writing something off topic?

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Why should they let you know what you already know, at least when you read the topic of the thread before you reply to it.

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Last year I was happy that the hateful posts in the numerous threads about the Ukraine war could be flagged instead of fuelling the hatred by replying to them and instead of letting them get through by not reacting at all.

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This forum is friendlier, more fair and relaxed than many other forums just because the moderators look out to keep it friendly and polite here. As they cannot be everywhere flagging is a possibility to imform them that somebody is of the opinion that things might get out of hand or is not along the rules. The same job some blackcladded guys have to do at soccer games. Everybody who doesnt like the rules doesnt have to play.

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