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In the 10k user tools users now have the ability to mark an existing flag against a post as invalid.

When this happens moderators see this as a combined flag that looks kind of like:

invalid flag  - [user1] 10 mins ago             [No Action Needed (button)]
too localized - [user2] 30 mins ago

Presuming I understand the flagging mechanisms correctly, the problem here is that no matter what action is taken, both users are either given a bump to their flag weight if I dismiss as valid, or both are penalised if the flag is dismissed as unhelpful.

How do I collapse this flag superposition to the correct state?

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  • Correction: It looks like a user now has the ability to flag all existing flags against a post as invalid (presumably excluding "invalid flag" flags, but who really knows). I haven't seen a way to mark just one. – cHao Jun 7 '11 at 11:46
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When you mark flags as valid, or invalid they are all actioned in a batch.

"Invalid flags" have special treatment, think of them as users hedging a bet that you will mark the "group" of flags as "invalid"

So, back to your example above. If the post is not too localized, mark the "group" invalid. If it is, mark it "valid".

If any flags are marked invalid, no users receive any flag weight changes for that entire batch of flags regardless of how they are handled.

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    This needs to be even more like a market: the flag weight you receive for being right should fluctuate as people flag posts a certain way – Michael Mrozek Jun 8 '11 at 1:44
  • need is a strong word, personally I don't really want to complicate things too much ... I am fine for people to game flags a bit, it means they are looking at them ... which is a good thing – waffles Jun 8 '11 at 2:32
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    Cheers for clearing that up, I was a bit paralysed with posts that had anti-flags on them, but seems so obvious now. :) – Kev Jun 8 '11 at 7:46

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