New personal policy: Flagging all posts tagged `steemit` which are off-topic.steemCreated with Sketch.

in #abuse7 years ago

The amount of attention-seeking on this site via tag abuse is getting pretty high; I encourage you to join me in flagging anyone cross-spamming tags.

Particularly the steem and steemit tags - people seem to think that, because this is steemit.com, every topic under the sun can and should get the steemit tag. Nope!

Please join me in flagging posts that abuse popular tags that are completely off-topic.

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I have a proposal too...

How about we downvote the Steemit, Inc. personnel who spend their time on Steemit.com flagging posts that they think are "improperly tagged" instead of working on fixing/improving their website?

Wait ... there are people "fixing/improving" Steemit.com???

I agree that we should flag any steemit inc personnel who don't spend time working on improving the site. :)

If I find any, I'll let you know.

Happily that one is undone she's now up to 49

I think this is a message for the OP of this post, but i might be wrong.

A shame some people is unable to think before acting...

I just decided i will flag all comments in my post which are not written in pseudo code
:P

Oh, look...a post that's actually about Steem/Steemit that was flagged for using those tags? You're doing great, sneak!

https://steemit.com/sbd-accepted/@shla-rafia/the-cafe-nazare-nazare-is-the-first-cafe-on-the-island-of-faial-to-accept-sbd-steem

He is also improperly tagging posts. What does a mere link has to do with the game tag?

How about we follow that up by going after whales the abuse lower level members and use their power to censor and crush opinions they may not like.. You can cruise the now invisible couple of article on my page for a good example..

The bigger question is ... is using an improper tag really #abuse?

Shouldn't #abuse be reserved for actual real-life abuse cases?

I don't think people come to a social media platform expecting to see whining about people's tags in #abuse or maybe that's just me. It kind of trivializes the word and what those people have been through ... actual #abuse.

Just my 2 STEEM. ;)

OMG! I've been flagged for questioning this post?! #abuse

It's offensive! I can't believe that someone would equate actual abuse with using a tag on the internet. How much of a snowflake does one have to be?

Shame on him...and Steemit, Inc. for employing him.

You know what the real abuse is? Downvoting people for using tags instead of educating them on "proper" tag use...whatever that may be. Perhaps a rule book is necessary so that users know what and what not to do on this free, decentralized, censorship-resistant platform.

Can you write a tag rule book for us, @sneak? Since you have so much free time?

It's not like STINC has the time to put one line of text under the tags bar explaining the proper use of tags and/or how it's frowned upon to abuse tags.

Insert images by dragging & dropping, pasting from the clipboard, or by selecting them.

Oh wait.

One way to scare new users away from the platform who don't know how to use it properly is to flag them for unintentional infractions. If they are delibrately spamming the tag with things that break community guidelines, then sure. But still being a new user myself, I'd rather be corrected in a comment or a dm of some kind than having my posts attacked by a swarm of do-gooders.

The other thing that would be helpful is if more of the veterans of this platform made sure to permanently include information on how to properly participate on here somewhere in their posts. The minnows look to the older members for guidance, and your posts are what I look for when I need info on how to improve how I participate. The last thing any newbie wants is to feel ostracized right off the bat. That's gonna keep Steemit small forever, unless that's your goal, which I don't think it is.

Just some thoughts from a new guy who is probably still using the "wrong" tag now and again.

Also, who defines what is the right and wrong usage of a tag? Tags might start off with an innate definition, but they certainly take on a life of their own. Tags mean different things to different people because words and ideas mean different things to different people, especially across cultures and languages.

Also, who defines what is the right and wrong usage of a tag?

That's an easy answer:

Sneak.

By the way...have you heard that this place is "decentralized" and "censorship-resistant?" I can see how a Steemit, Inc. employee going around flagging people for "not using tags properly" would fit those descriptions. What do you think about that?

Not only do you intend to flag all posts with the steem tag, but also those who comment here pointing out the obvious negatives to doing so?

I was asking in steemit.chat about what happens when flag abuse becomes an issue when the normies start coming here. They all thought it couldn't ever happen! They couldn't have been more wrong, considering Steemit staff are encouraging it.

Hooray! Perceptions!

Isn't it cool knowing that Steemit, Inc. is aware of how their actions are seen by others?

Who defines when it is appropriate to use that tag? When is a post worth to use the steemit tag and when not!? Put it in the rules - otherwise it will only result in anger and confusion when some get flags and others don't - just my 2 cents or 50 cents or my opinion :-)

rules? there's rules? other than the arbitrary ones that some employee dreams up to be a dick?

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@sneak... you have just flagged a young writer @xylee´s first post just because she used #steemit as tag ... she´s still learning the ropes and you didn´t even leave a comment why she was flagged. I bet you didn´t even read her post. Now she is so depressed and discouraged to write on steemit... I mean is that how a steemit whale helps noobs?!

Yeah...100% downvote for a new user.

"Welcome to Steemit! Here's a flag to make your post invisible and to damage your reputation! Learn how to use the platform, stupid newbie spammer!" - Steemit, Inc.

https://steemit.com/travel/@xylee/have-you-heard-of-the-ultralight-plane

I am one of the users who got flagged by you and I support your initiative. Honestly I didn't take flags as anything that mattered much here on steemit, but maybe the reason is just that.

I was using it on auto select so I will stay more conscious about what tags are used, for the good of gaining quality followers and for the good of steemit.

I felt a bid bad when I saw the flag ut I'd like to thank you because this made me think !

All the best <3

Some newbies don't fully understand the use of tags. They may not all be spamming, so please flag with caution.

If they don't understand tags, they won't understand flags.

That's because they are newbies. It takes a while to learn Steemit, which is a complicated social media, and newbies are bound to make mistakes.

I agree with you @drakos!

Hi sneak, I got a 100% downvote on my marketing post. I am sure that you know about it although you didn't reply in the chat to my question why you did it. I thought it was because I sent you a private message but now I think it was because I used the tags steemit and steem. Can you please tell me why you flagged? The cafe is now using steemit for payments. They could also use bitcoin so I think it isn't abuse. I also tagged with steem because they are now in the steem network while they also could have chosen ethereum or bitcoin.

EDIT: I now removed the tags steem and steemit from this post. Could you remove the flag/downvote now?

What about we actually inform users about the original purpose of the tag?

How can we create sustained growth if we go punishing people who is acting out of misinformation, misunderstanding or plain old ignorance?

How can we expect to have adoption if our answer to mistakes is a hammer?

I mean there is abuse or misuse of TAGs yes... But i'm ready to bet that 5% are actual assholes and the other 95% is just people unknowingly following bad advice...

I saw today a user commenting on my post the same exact phrase as Cheetah warning, Guess what?
on his first post he got a warning from her (and since your first 10 minutes in steemit you don't know who cheetah is), he thought it was a good accepted practice to advertise his blog that way...

He apologized and probably wont do it it again...

If we aim to make the platform grow we need to teach and train the user base.

People coming from twitter and facebook have a hard learning curve... Some never learn.. the repeat offenders i agree lets hit them hard, but everyone deserves a first chance to correct and learn from its mistakes.


If i might propose for the Spanish community i will set a bot that tells me when a user posts on both steemit and Spanish tags and check and explain, hell i can make it comment automatically to let them know...

If you want i'll bring you here the list of repeated offenders so you can use your flag hammer... but let people try steemit before making them go away...

Flags aren’t punishment.

this seems like it might work, also.

Oh sorry I had understood that flagging hurted the reputation score and that it was important especially for new users with their 25.

I was wrong about it, maybe i should read more

thanks for letting me know that