I don’t think BB is unusual relative to the other communities I look at in regards to those stats, though I would say there is a bit more hesitancy around flagging.
There is less flagging here than I would personally like, I think because (as I mentioned in the podcast, actually) the Happy Mutant ethos is live and let live, and nobody wants to be seen as a policeman or cop to other people’s Happy Mutant opinions.
However, it’s worth reviewing the guidelines periodically for a refresher:
(For the record, I believe strongly that how you say something matters every bit as much as what you are saying. No matter what the topic is, how morally right you may or may not be, hauling off and punching people in their proverbial noses every tenth post is just as unacceptable as if it happens every time. These are all just opinions, and how we treat each other will be remembered long after others have forgotten how funny/smart/right we were.)
Incidentally the above directly contradicts “tone policing” in some definitions of the term, though that too is a nuanced discussion.
There are a decent number of flags and certainly more than enough to handle the errant spam. And I do think there is less overall hesitancy about flagging now versus, say, 6 or 12 months ago. We’ve also tried to make the flag dialog friendlier and more clear about what is happening over time (note that the flag dialog now explicitly says the flags are private, for example).
Standard disclaimer: I need diagnostic access to this stuff for troubleshooting and advice but I never, ever handle flags here except for extremely obvious spam that should be removed ASAP. I may advise staff and moderators in various ways but it is just my “expert” advice for them to do with whatever they please, including ignoring it altogether. If I have a problem with something I’d flag it just like you would. My posts can get deleted too. All matters of moderation are officially handled by BB staff proper, not me.
