Psychology of Flagging Threads

Why do people flag threads? I used to think it was done simply to alert others to content posters considered important but I now feel that is a naive belief. Here are some questions that I believe shed light on this topic:

Why do posters flag threads without starring the original post?

I think this is a sign that a person is trying to draw more attention to a particular thread but they don't agree with the original poster's opinion(s) on the topic. I think that's totally legitimate and it's probably exactly the kind of thing the flagging system was created for.

Why do posters star an original post without flagging the accompanying thread?

It seems to me this means that the poster thinks the original post is good but the topic isn't worthy of more attention. I have some theories about what that behavior could mean:

1. The poster found the original post to be valuable but they have an agenda to try to suppress certain topics.

2. The poster thinks a particular original post was valuable but they don't think the topic of the thread is worth promoting. Question: If you feel like the original post transcended the significance that the topic has inherently, wouldn't that make the thread flag-worthy?

3. The poster doesn't care about others enough to flag threads.

Why do posters spend a lot of time contributing to a thread without flagging it?

For instance, if you're going to take the time to write a manifesto on a topic like we sometimes see on this site, why not flag the thread that you put so much effort into? I think that could be a sign of an inferiority complex. Don't you want to alert people to the content that you put so much time and effort into writing? Don't you think that's significant? If you don't, why did you write it in the first place?

Sometimes it seems like those manifestos are meant to derail threads. If that's the intention, the poster's agenda(s) and/or bias(es) would explain why they wouldn't flag the thread.

Why do people flag threads?

I've come to the conclusion that many posters use flags as a way to push their agendas and biases, not as a way to promote a search for truth. That's the bottom line as I see it and it's disappointed me a lot to find that.

Another option for starring the first post and not flagging the thread:
The reader thinks the original post was well written, and clearly defined the poster's views or questions about the subject, but isn't particularly interested in the nature of the conversation or maybe the topic.

I'm more interested in the personality traits of those who obsess over stars and flags...

a reply to: Profusion

I don't think it always has to be about promoting or supressing an agenda. I personally have no agendas regarding this site whatsoever. So if I flag and star, or just do either one and not the other, it's simply a reflection of my opinion. Not what I do or don't want others to read. I have absolutely no desire to influence that.

a reply to: Jefferton

I personally don't care whether any of my posts or comments get 1 or 1 million stars and flags. But others do, so I participate in doing it for their posts.

a reply to: Profusion
Sometimes I just forget to give flags and stars because I get caught up in reading the topic at hand.

Peace.

a reply to: Profusion

I usually flag thread that I want to keep as a place holder so I can go back to them later...sometimes years later. Also I never look at stars ever...I look at karma score. For example you have a great karma score...that immidiately tells me whatever you say the general ats community appreciates it. Sometimes I want to argue with someone and I check their karma score and see that it is really low...I just realize then that that guy is a moron...and thats how the community views him/her as well.

People with high flag count tells me they are at least making threads and that is important but I dont think we have a karma score for threads. For example karma is some formula of stars divided by posts or something giving you 15 points for a 1 ratio....30 points for 2...so if you have 2 stars per post you get a 30 karma score.....but for flags we don't know how many threads they have made so its hard to judge if they are a quality contributor.

So for me its not a ranking system but the karma score helps me know if this is a decent person im talking with to some extent.

originally posted by: Lichter daraus
a reply to: Profusion
Sometimes I just forget to give flags and stars because I get caught up in reading the topic at hand.

Peace.

Me too.. I will usually flag any thread I post in unless I think its just stupid and I made a silly comment.

Some people just do not care about stars and flags.

I post threads and check my flag count alot, but I couldnt care any less about stars.

a reply to: Profusion

I can only speak for myself and the reason I haven't flagged anything is because I'm new to this site and have no clue what the significance of flagging a thread is? Why bother? That's not sarcasm, I'm really curious.
I've started a thread or two and interacted on others, so why flag???

a reply to: Profusion

I've come to the conclusion that many posters use flags as a way to push their agendas and biases, not as a way to promote a search for truth. That's the bottom line as I see it and it's disappointed me a lot to find that.

Surprise ?

People think their bias IS the truth.

I flag things I don't like sometimes, if I think it's something people should see, even if my bias wants me to not let other people see it. I go against myself a lot on here, and I know it confuses people to no end. But what can I do but challenge myself, when other's don't always do the trick?

I flag if thread needs to be seen.
I star particular posts.. IF I star an opening post I flagged it too.. If I flag an opening post I didn't necessarily star it.

I treat flags just like stars. If I find your opening post to be noteworthy, I'll flag it, but that means I'll also star the OP as well. If I find your thread to be disagreeable, I probably won't flag or star it.

Then there are other times where I'd have every intention of S&Fing the flag, but for whatever reason I forgot.

To be honest, everyone has their own personal criteria for S&Fing that is probably vastly different from person to person. This is why I wouldn't worry so much about S&F counts. I know this may look a bit hypocritical coming from me as someone with high counts for both of those things, but I truly try not to care about those them.

More often than not, if I click on a thread it's because I consider it a worthy topic of discussion, so I also flag it, whether I agree with the premise or not. I don't always star the initial post however, if I'm not impressed by the OP's presentation of the information and/or personal opinion.

But I often star posts that totally disagree with my own position if they are well presented. Or funny. (I'm a sucker for a laugh!) I just want the poster to know their posts are appreciated for whatever reason.

And sometimes i want to star/flag but I just plain forget!

You've got to be kidding. You can't cash those in when retirement rolls around, you know....a reply to: Profusion

I flag when I think the post is an important topic that I want to see discussed. I star for someone making an effort to make a strong OP. Sometimes these things aren't part of the same thread. It isn't very complicated (at least for me).

If I find a thread interesting, I flag it.

If I participate in it, I will usually flag it.

Sometimes I just flag them after reading them with no comment.

As for stars, I'll star if I like a post, or if it is a response to something I said, so that the person responding knows I read it.

originally posted by: Darkblade71

As for stars, I'll star if I like a post, or if it is a response to something I said, so that the person responding knows I read it.

I appreciate that one a lot when it's just a few people.. And the other person doesn't say something directly back to you, but you know they starred you, so they read it. It's nice to know.

a reply to: Profusion

I S&F almost all things i read. To keep an eye on it, to be friendly and to encourage to keep thinking and writing. Pretty uncritical actually. Is it really such a big deal to you?

a reply to: Lichter daraus

I do that sometimes, but if I catch it later, I will go back and s&f it.

a reply to: NaughtyLibrarian

I'll flag sometimes because I know the person worked hard on the thread, even if I don't like or agree with them, their effort will earn a flag from me.

I guess I'm not thinking about this very deep.

If I like a thread, I flag it.
If I like a post, I star it.