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fixer1234
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Moderator Flag Etiquette?

I often come across "bad" answers ("not an answer" or LQ answer), that already have a canned comment. Those comments typically come from:

  • The LQP review queue, where you can select a canned comment when you vote to recommend deletion.

  • The Auto-Comment browser add-in, which allows you to add a similar comment to any post. People sometimes use it in conjunction with a moderator flag, and sometimes use it just to advise the poster about a problem.

When you see these answers, sometimes it's a good bet that it has already been voted or flagged. Other times, it isn't clear.

Considerations

  • If the comment was received in the LQP review queue, the answer is already on a path to the 20K queue, where users other than moderators can deal with it.

    Do moderator flags on those answers get treated as additional votes to send it to the 20K queue, or do they pull the answer into the moderator queue (losing the benefit of the 20K queue)?

  • In the moderator queue, do multiple flags add value (for example, a higher priority, or an indication that it might be a fast disposition), or is it no different from a single flag?

It appears that mod-flagging answers that are already in the review system might provide no benefit and may even create additional work for the moderators. Bottom line, should I mod-flag a commented answer that is probably already in the review-for-deletion process?

fixer1234
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