Is there a way to communicate with moderators ?
I flagged a post and have not heard back.
This is not the first time.
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If you go to your profile over to the right is a box labeled IMPACT. One of the 4 fields in there deals with flags. You can click it and you will see the disposition of flags you have raised.– Organic MarbleCommented Oct 6 at 23:12
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You are referring to this question: askubuntu.com/q/1529144/57576 ? I see a flag raised there 3 hours ago, moderation can often take a little longer than that. Looking at the stats I see that the average time to handle a flag is about 5 hours but this will of course vary according to local time zones of Mods.– andrew.46 ModCommented Oct 6 at 23:45
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Btw I can only see a single flag that you have generated: askubuntu.com/users/flag-summary/1809192 and this was actually dealt within 4 hours of the placement of the flag?– andrew.46 ModCommented Oct 7 at 0:25
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3Welcome to Ask Ubuntu Meta! This is the correct place to communicate with moderators.– stumblebeeCommented Oct 7 at 1:29
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Note that many times when you flag a post moderators will act on things transparently and you will not be contacted directly for any reason. Nor will you see a response. It isn't unusual for a moderator to act on a flag and then not tell you that. Flags aren't designed as a "I need to speak to a moderator" solution/approach. They never have been.– Thomas Ward ModCommented Oct 7 at 2:34
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@Thomas Ward You have helped me in the past. Do you feel that acting transparently is good communication?– Andrew KCommented Oct 7 at 3:10
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1@AndrewK My answer to your question is "It depends on the specific case in question." Like lawyers and law where the answer to any legal question that isn't cut-and-dry is "It Depends", whether a moderator needs to respond to a flag with action, inaction, or a response depends on the specific case. MANY moderation actions take place without needing to engage whoever flagged the content. This is one of those cases, as are numerous others.– Thomas Ward ModCommented Oct 7 at 13:13
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1 Answer
For the most part on Stack Exchange sites the need to directly communicate with elected Moderators is small and not usually encouraged. History has shown that such communication has at times been non-productive, hostile and confrontational.
Having said that there are several ways of communicating directly with the elected Ask Ubuntu Moderators who deal with Flagged questions, answers and comments:
- Using Meta: There is an automatic notification to all elected Mods when a new Meta article has been created. There is not always a need for elected Mods to participate in the subsequent discussion but it is often helpful to have such involvement.
- Using Chat: A smaller number of the elected Mods participate in chat and most of these are happy for discussion as long as the discussion is friendly and non-confrontational. Chat on AU is not what it used to be so I would suggest that the best place to discuss issues is on Raiders of the Lost Downboat.
Your best friend in contacting a Mod directly is patience. Moderating is a volunteer position and most Mods also have jobs, family obligations, take holidays etc and contribute what they can on Ask Ubuntu.
Note: The vast majority of Flags processed by Moderators will be processed without any followup or consultation with the Community member who raised the flag. So direct contact with a Moderator is rarely required...
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There are also a plethora of cases where moderators do not need to respond to a flag and simply can act without contacting the flagger. Flags are not a mechanism to get in touch with moderators.– Thomas Ward ModCommented Oct 7 at 13:16
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