In this case, I'm going to go one step further and invite you to practice.
Flags are our tool to fight abuse and bad actors.
This profile is using other people's pictures and stories and voting it up with bots.
We do not have to flag this post to zero, just a few more flags to ensure the post is not profitable will be enough.
A reminder: Steem simulates the Wisdom of the Crowd.
20 people see your post, 10 view it and like it, they upvote it, 5 ignore it and 5 flag it... At the end of the week you get to pocket whatever is left over...
Simple Explanation of how the reward system works:
Each day the Steem Blockchain creates new Steem
That Steem is distributed via our votes
The more stake you hold the more your votes are worth
When you post (or comment) the community has 3 options
- upvote
- downvote/flag
- no action
A post is active for 7 days. When that week is over you get to claim whatever the balance is.
Flags can be overdone, but if more people used them we would have way less garbage.
If you feel the need to remind me that flagging does pay, go ahead, but I happen to think that is one of the dumbest and most immature lines I've I've ever heard. it is just a cost of doing business.
Restaurants don't get paid to clean, they clean because no one wants to eat in a dirty restaurant.
@whatsup,
This is me flagging lol :D So I didn't :D
Cheers~
I just left this comment at @lukestoke's post, but I'll just copypaste it here since it's the same topic:
Upvotes and downvotes are tools to allocate stake. They are the same action, just opposite of each other.
This is the way I've tried to explain it in the past:
If a user feels a post is under-rewarded, he will upvote.
If a user feels a post is over-rewarded, he will downvote.
There's nothing more to it than that. It's a huge double standard that people feel people have the "right" to upvote their content with their full stake, allocating them STEEM, but somehow lack the right to use that same stake to allocate STEEM away to other users.
There have been several members who have enjoyed the regular - sometimes automatic - support of heavy-stake users for every post. They've said nothing. But as soon as another big user has noticed this, and countered with a downvote, all of a sudden it's a huge problem that one user has this much power of the post payouts.
But one user upvoting the posts to big payouts was never a problem. Go figure.
That's the whole point of STEEM power: a say in that particular portion of the reward pool.
Payouts are not your money until the voting window closes. I think this is the biggest hangup a lot of people have.
They are potential payouts, subject to community consensus.
I've tried my damnest to say this so many times. In so many ways.
I see posts that I consider over rewarded, but only flag if I think the votes were not legitimate, e.g. bought by that user when the post didn't justify it, or if the content is illegitimate. I risk retaliation, but I want what's best for Steem.
Agreed. I also saw luke's post and agreed with it as well!
"nods."
Thanks for bringing this to our attention! Maybe this should be a @whatsup series! I'll help flag abusers any day.
Flags are as valid for curation as votes in that they affect rewards and we don't want them going to junk that gives this platform a bad reputation.
The so-called bid bots may choose to take some responsibility for what they vote on. I saw at least one retracted their vote from this user and I've seen others add bad actors to a blacklist thanks to the efforts of those who look for junk. Do the others care about anything apart from a quick profit?
I only flag what's bad for Steem.
I don't mind the idea of the bidbots, but I do agree it would be nice if they helped clean up after themselves.
In any case, we just have to ensure those who abuse with bots aren't profitable and then they will think twice.
'She' didnt do 'herself' any favours by that post. Many of us saw it and flagged it yesterday including myself.
I say 'she' as its likely not someone who looks anyone like the free-to-use image portrayed.
I'm surprised the account hasnt been destroyed yet by @steemcleaners or @spaminator. I think its coming.
maria99 Funds was transferred thru by @blocktrades
It can comes from anywhere ... legally or from Phished Accounts.
This Account @maria99 Funds are from Hacked Funds I believe.
No one in this Platform do have so much Fund unless they are funded by a whale.
The mention Account , should be Destroy!
Will a person know if someone has flagged his/her post, because my problem with downvotes was people often get back to take revenge which obviously wouldn't be in anyone's interest.
Haha, I also just read and commented on @lukestokes's article, so thanks to you as well for bringing this to all our attention. Curation consists of liking and disliking stuff, and it seemingly works well on Amazon, Quora, Reddit etc. but not on Steem. Funny to have your mind blown :-)
Posted using Partiko Android
I think you meant to say that flagging doesn't pay...
Maybe the whole concept of upvoting is wrong. There should be only downvoting. He who gets the least downvotes gets the most. It would eliminate a lot of crap that's being posted.
That's kind of a genius idea to be honest
Interesting... Inflation gets distributed to those without flags. :)
Flagging does pay? Please, tell me more @whatsup preferably in less ambiguous terms. I'm not sure what you are talking about but think I might have an idea. Is you dispute against anyone trying to incentivize flags?
Do you think the upvote / downvote system is so balanced that such a thing is extraneous? If so, can point me to any flag that you got curation rewards from? I think that is a part of the problem. The inherent imbalance in the system where people must forego personal profit to keep things clear.
If you are one to flag, you care about the bigger picture but you know as well as I that the protocol is indifferent to this but should it pay like positive curation? Why shouldn't it? If everybody thinks only a handful of people should be cleaning the metephorical tables, they got it wrong. It's a a shared responsibility.
I don't care if it holds curation. I'm not looking for fast pennies, I want Steem to hold value.
If you really care about that, think you need to reevaluate your inclination towards lone wolf flagging.
Stray flags here and there are demonstrably less likely to curb behavior and that should be the goal with any abuser. It's the analogous difference between pulling the weed at the root or not.
Focused and coordinated flagging team work is much more effective. Also, I would not underestimate the value of the community providing incentives for flagging in a manner that is more effective. Some people just don't understand or really care enough about long term sustainability. This kind may need a little nudge.
Should we have to pay people to do the right thing? Of course not but this is the reality we have been dealt so best we work with the cards we have.
It’s crazy how many of us *including me just put our head in the sand and ignore blatant plagiarism and bot abuse.
I used to be so passionate about fixing what’s wrong on steemit, but I realized my voice won’t be heard until I have a large stake, which is why I’m keeping my head low and building up sp before the rush of new users come back during the bull run
Posted using Partiko iOS
I don't like flags because I'm always scared of them. I think my fear comes from my time using bid bots. What if I invested 20% of my wallet on a bot's vote and somebody decided to flag that post to 0? Wow, the thought still makes me shudder! My income was barely 10% of what I put there, so it took me weeks to earn each batch of money that I would then forward back to bidbots to repeat the cycle.
I didn't give much thought to the Steem ecosystem by then. Now that I do and I stopped using harmful bots altogether, I still keep my fear and dislike for flags. They're like giants that come to chip away my hard-earned Steemsies with their zombie-like teeth.
Posted using Partiko Android
Interesting... @partiko doesn't allow me to flag. Ill jump on it tomo!
Posted using Partiko Android
Saw you shared this on Discord my friend, will get on browser later and act on it. For now a resteem would do!
Posted using Partiko Android
Although I agree with you about most things I'm not with you on this - why? - because most of the flagging I see on Steemit or have experienced myself is from totally non-productive nobodies flagging people with less wallet than them because they disagree.
In some cases flagging every single post on an account until the person gives up and quits.
I've seen this happen several times over the past few years...
Here is an example going on right now with one of the most entertaining accounts on Steemit being flagged by someone who never even does any posts...
https://steemit.com/@caladium
This is the prevalent form of flagging because the culture currently doesn't lend itself to neutral flagging. I will say flagging someone over a disagreement, instead of opting for actual discussion is not a very mature thing. Just because the code allows for something, doesn't mean it's exactly desirable. The code allows for me to post pictures of my dick. And while it is indeed a majestic, masculine, beautiful to look at dick, I would still consider it rather childish and not altogether constructive in regards to the overall development of Steemit as a platform.
But just because there is a trend of people using flags in a stupid way, doesn't mean the flag itself as a tool is completely dismissable.
Let's remember: people use the upvote function in ways that can be considered harmful, as well.
And surely we can agree that the upvote function has its place.
I think flags should be downvotes and have the same value as the average of all the upvotes - so if some whale upvoted themself $50, and that was their only upvote, the first downvote would be worth $50 as well.
I always post a pic of my dick as my signature :)
hahahaha
I agree there are abusive or stupid flags, that are harmful, but mostly I lean towards we do not flag enough.
We can disagree on a few topics and still be friends I guess. ;)
Unless you start flagging me! :)
Higly unlikely...
I know, and don't worry, I don't mean you, but I am kind of serious about hating flagging and anyone who flags me has probably made an enemy for life on Steemit - although I'm unlikely to do much, sometimes one day, things have a way of working out!
And that is why I never flag.
Grrr it is so sad to see people trying to play the system taking advantage of other people hard work... Grrr
Posted using Partiko Android
I have seen how some people use flags indiscriminately, just for the simple fact of feeling more powerful and demonstrating that they have the power to make others invisible. Others, because they didn't like the content of a post or someone's comment, punish cruelly. Obviously I don't agree with this! I understand that there must be a control and a cleanliness of the garbage content that is created daily, but it is also true that there are unintelligent people who, when they see themselves with power, go crazy. There are even presidents! Thank you for sharing.
Sure there are people who take things too far. It's just the way of people.
Hi @whatsup!
Your post was upvoted by @steem-ua, new Steem dApp, using UserAuthority for algorithmic post curation!
Your UA account score is currently 6.242 which ranks you at #231 across all Steem accounts.
Your rank has improved 6 places in the last three days (old rank 237).
In our last Algorithmic Curation Round, consisting of 275 contributions, your post is ranked at #4.
Evaluation of your UA score:
Feel free to join our @steem-ua Discord server
Incredibly alluring :)
See how this valuable insight was flagged because some libtards took offense?