Flags and Stars

I am here already for some months, bear with me that i STILL don't have an exact explanation what "stars and flags" actually do?

Do they make a post sticky...give the poster some reputation..or how exactly do stars and flags influence a post or a user?

reply to post by flexy123


Stars and Flags are a measure of your contributions within ATS.

They are awarded by members for content they find relevant, imporant, well researched or something they just plainly agree with.

It's an alternative to just posting " I agree" in thread.

Some people really strive for high numbers, personally I don't think it matters all that much in the long run. It is an easy way to spot our top contributors, you can also look here for a list of our top 50 members.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Flags decide what stories appear on the main page as well as the forum pages and the Fire Hose.

reply to post by tothetenthpower


What is the Fire Hose? I am relatively new to ATS myself, but after reading threads like this, I have learned a lot. The mods are very helpful when you need them.

reply to post by WarminIndy


This linke:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

is for the fire hose, it's a real time updated of all new threads; posts and replies and such. It can be a bit wonky at times, but we are still ironing out the kinks I suppose.

And mods are always here for you guys, you'll notice below in my signature there is a link to contact me, feel free anytime, I'm usually on & off about 8 hours a day and If I don't get back to you right away, I will as soon as I can.

Here are some other links you might find helpfull

General ATS Discussion Etiquette.

Index of Important ATS Related Threads

New Rules for Avatars and Mini-ProfileBackgrounds

Hey new members!! Come here if you need advice

Starting a New Thread ?... Look Here First

ATS Video Tutorials

Signature Guidelines

Terms & Conditions

They don't "do" anything.

What they represent is entirely subjective.

We can only "assume" that members generally add flags to threads, and stars to posts that for some reason strike them as noteworthy. Presumably the reason is positive. A 'non-verbal' way of indicating "Well-said!" or "People should read this!"

There is also an element of "I agree." somewhere in there. But there are no rules regarding how these things are applied by our community. In and of itself, it makes an interesting study...

If you are looking for some definitive answer, I suspect there is none.

I can tell you why I use them; but this is only a personal thing; not board-wide and by no means a 'rule':

Why I might "flag" a thread- Maxmars:

The topic is interesting, intriguing, or important to me.
-or-
The author of the OP (thread + source) has made a well-defined and coherent argument in which the feedback of the community will have relevance to those interested
-or-
The thread is artfully crafted and worthy of note because of the form, and content it delivers
-or-
This thread is "news" in the sense that it adds to the community's body of knowledge, exposes a new perspective, or successfully challenges standing 'commonly accepted' paradigms.

Why I might not flag a thread- Maxmars:

The thread is bait, crafted to start conflict over an unresolvable and otherwise fractious matter of bias.(political, or otherwise)
-or-
The title of the thread was unnecessarily sensational, deliberately offensive, frivolous, or misleading
(however this is no fault of the member if it is a "news" story from which the title must be taken)
-or-
The thread involved little or no effort; youtoob w/one line comments for the OP, a simply declaration of disgust, disdain, joy, or support - with no supporting rationale other than "xxxx suck!s" or "xxxx rocks!"

General comment about Maxmars' flagging: I appreciate an honest approach to topics, no sophism, logic trickery, demagoguery. A balanced journalistic effort is a plus - I think our community excels because of our 'accidental' journalism. I despise the ham-handed threads whose whole purpose id to align people behind a hateful or supportive stance on a matter of opinion. I reject activism in the digital world; it is a burden one member of the community has no business imposing on the entire board.

Why I might "star" a post - Maxmars:

The post is direct, informative, and clearly contributes to the discussion
-or-
The post exposes new perspectives and considerations which amplify or expand the discussion
-or-
The post is clever, and contributes to an interesting debate
-or-
The post offers a substantial rebuttal or affirmation of the thread

Why I might not "star" a post - Maxmars:

The post uses assertions diminishing or denigrating the personal character of the OP or a specific member to whom they are responding.
-or-
The post is off-topic, flippant, crassly rude or provocative, repetitive, or intended only to derail the subject matter via non-sequitor statements, ad-hominem attacks, and other such contrivances of the misinformative and detractors of discussions.
-or-
The post is a unapologetic generalization of bias; a lie, an error, or bait.

This is by no means a comprehensive checklist of things that move me to flag or star.... but you should get the idea what my personal take on this is. You are free to use completely different criteria if you so choose.