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The 10k tools (review/tools) are, as the name implies, only available to users with 10k of rep. But one of these tools is a page that shows questions with recent close and reopen votes. On sites where I have the 10k priv (and am not a moderator) I use that page (and its deletion counterpart) regularly to see where help might be needed. Yes, there's also the review queue, I know, but the tool lets me see everything -- and also tells me at a glance how many votes have been cast.

This question asked why these tools require 10k. The answers there were good for their time, but these tools have changed since then. Most notably, there is no longer a 10k flags page at all (and flags were a particular concern in answers). When that change was being discussed there was mention of reworking these tools, but flags were getting in the way, hence let's remove the flags.

So now, 4.5 years after the original question and with the problematic flags page gone, I'm here to request that people who have the reputation to cast close/reopen votes be granted access to this tool. I see current needs for this on two sites, one where a cleanup effort is under way and another where scope discussions are causing people to look at past and currently active closures. I'd like the users who can cast those votes to have access to a tool that will help them in their deliberations. I'd also like to make it easier for the community to review those actions in the aggregate (here are questions that have some close votes, etc).

The page exists, so it seems I'm not the only person who sees it as filling a need beyond what the review queues provide. Given that it exists, please make it available to all the users who can act on what they see there, not just those who've reached 10k.

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    Also would be nice to filter out things you have voted for, I stopped using it since I almost always had already voted to delete and the page was pretty useless as a result.
    – enderland
    Commented Sep 5, 2014 at 17:10
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    @enderland agreed.
    – Monica Cellio
    Commented Sep 5, 2014 at 17:56
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    Meh. I think the page was created because it used to (attempt to) fill a need, before the review queues existed, but in only exists now because it happens to still work. That pages sucks big time even on smaller sites, and is useless on SO since it can show something like 0.1% of the pending closures.
    – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil'
    Commented Sep 5, 2014 at 18:54
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    SO is different. I'm mostly active on smaller sites where this page (and its deletion counterpart) are pretty useful.
    – Monica Cellio
    Commented Sep 5, 2014 at 19:00

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I disagree that this would be a useful feature to expose.

When users first earn the VtC privilege, the last thing we need them doing is going on a mass voting spree with it. If you give them a list of all pending votes, the tendency for a many users is going to be to go through and flex their new found powers a bit. Since they will have just joined the ranks, their judgment is likely to be less refined than somebody who has had the privilege for a while.

Instead, having the power to VtC but use it in the context of their normal routine of questions they run across in their normal browsing process seems like a much better way for them to learn how it works and when it's good to use. After they have some experience with it (i.e. 10k) then throwing the doors open to spend time specifically doing moderator style janitorial work makes more sense.

As it is I think the review queue system presents would-be closers with a better way to be exposed to a few questions that could use the extra eyes while at the same time giving them a framework and guidance to use the power well.

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  • If access to the newly-privileged would cause a flood of bad votes, we should expect to see this with the delete-votes page, where you get the privilege and the tool access at the same time. Further, it would be worse with delete votes, which don't age out and require fewer voters to act. I'm not aware of that actually being a problem; are you?
    – Monica Cellio
    Commented Sep 7, 2014 at 1:44
  • If it takes 3k to learn how to use the site (including VtC), does it really take another 7k to learn how to use that vote responsibly? If it does, the privilege thresholds might need to be re-evaluated. (I haven't seen a problem on the sites I frequent. It's usually too hard, not too easy, to get five people to vote to close.)
    – Monica Cellio
    Commented Sep 7, 2014 at 1:46
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    @MonicaCellio Abusable levels of VtD privs come at a much higher rep level and hence aren't much of a concern. And 10k seems about right for privs that require responsible use.
    – Caleb
    Commented Sep 7, 2014 at 4:34
  • But.. but... I like to have fun with my shinny-new chains... cough close votes. Why you don't want me to have fun!?
    – Braiam
    Commented Sep 7, 2014 at 13:10
  • @Caleb, we are talking about questions that at least one other person has already voted on (usually within the past few days), that require five people to act, and we're talking about people with 3k rep, which in my experience tends to come with substantial participation. Are you aware of cases where this would have been a problem, or are you speculating? Speculation is fine, but I'd like to know which we're doing here. I know of cases where having 3k users have access to this tool would have helped.
    – Monica Cellio
    Commented Sep 7, 2014 at 16:16
  • @MonicaCellio In my experience, you get no opportunity to use your VtD privilege for another 10k after earning it, because the 2 day delay is enough for everything to be deleted by the time you can take a crack at it. So the lack of problem there may be mitigated by that.
    – Y     e     z
    Commented Sep 7, 2014 at 18:19
  • @YEZ that may depend on the site. I've definitely used my 10k VtD on smaller sites that don't have a lot of users with the priv in the first place.
    – Monica Cellio
    Commented Sep 7, 2014 at 18:26
  • @Monica I was suggesting this off of real observed issues. On beta sites I could see the point of a different arrangement but for example we've had some trouble on CSE with VtC/VtO trolling that I believe would be greatly exasserbated if they were exposed to eachother and others. The review queues have a huge advantage over the pages you are talking about in that a couple sane folks going through it can bounce bad calls out of it without taking action so even though the votes take a while to age out nobody has to see (or argue over) them once a couple no action reviews are collected.
    – Caleb
    Commented Sep 9, 2014 at 6:21

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