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I marked an answer as not an answer (because it is link only, and it because all it does is recommend a third-party framework, which we are not supposed to do) and got declined by the moderator, with this response:

declined - flags should only be used to make moderators aware of content that requires their intervention

Now, I do not know what flagging as "not an answer" actually does. I am not deliberately summoning the personal intervention of a moderator. But I thought this kind of flag went into some sort of review queue where ordinary users like me can decide whether it is an answer or not. My point is that I don't see any other way to mark the answer as not an answer. What should I have done here? What was wrong with what I did do? It's not like this is the first time I've flagged this sort of non-answer, and I've never been declined for it before - and I've certainly never received a personal rebuke from a moderator like this one.

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  • 3
    I'm pretty sure that was a template response, not a personal rebuke.
    – miradulo
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 18:09
  • 1
    "But I thought this kind of flag went into some sort of review queue where ordinary users like me can decide whether it is an answer or not" It does. Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 18:13
  • "I'm pretty sure that was a template response, not a personal rebuke" So I'm being scolded robotically? I guess that makes me feel better... :)
    – matt
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 18:15
  • @JonasCz Then why am I being scolded for summoning a moderator? Did something go wrong with the review queue process?
    – matt
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 18:16
  • "Then why am I being scolded for summoning a moderator?" Because you should not use custom mod flags if one of the standard ones fit. Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 18:18
  • @matt I don't see how it is scolding at all. It just outlines that it didn't require moderator intervention. Which a moderator here has now supported! Regardless of whether or not the declined flag itself is justifiable, I think the message that came with it was an extremely accurate representation of why the moderator chose to decline it.
    – miradulo
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 18:19
  • Note that as the question is closed, and neither the question nor the answer has a positive score (and remain in this state), and the answer is not accepted (keep an eye on this), in nine days the Roomba will come along and delete the question. Don't worry too much about it. You'll be able to hasten it along in two days by deleting the question (which isn't all that great and would need a significant change to make it on topic). I wouldn't worry too much about the not a good answer on not a good question that is closed and on the way to the shredder already.
    – user289086
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 18:32
  • Note that the ban on tool/library recommendations is for questions, not for answers. Answers that happen to end up requiring some particular download as a crucial component are perfectly OK, as long as they do explain just how it is that that program is applied to the problem at hand. Commented Apr 11, 2015 at 5:49

1 Answer 1

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It is an answer, just a very poor one. Take away the link and it still, just about, answers the question.

In this case down-vote. Hopefully the OP will come back and flesh it out to make it a better answer. If not it can be deleted by 3 20k+ users.

Moderators aren't needed.

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  • 1
    "down-vote" Did so, and someone else did comment that it's link-only, so I'm not the only one who thinks there's a problem. But I still think it should be removed and I thought I was initiating a process that stood a chance of causing that to happen. BTW, I am a 20k+ user and I see no option to delete.
    – matt
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 18:13
  • @matt - I think the answer has to be at -3 for the link to appear.
    – ChrisF Mod
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 18:14
  • 2
    @matt I see the delete link on that answer. It shows up for 20k users as soon as the answer is at -1. If you just cast the downvote yourself, you'll have to refresh the page before the delete link shows up. Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 18:26
  • 2
    So I declined that flag, for the reasons ChrisF described. Beyond that, the framework that Satoshi links to in that answer can actually do what the asker wants. I happened to know this because I wrote something that competes against it. You can't really embed an entire open-source project into an answer, so a link is needed, but they could flesh it out a bit more than that. The project itself may be the answer to their question, though. Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 20:02
  • 1
    @BradLarson Using actual knowledge of the subject when moderating is a conflict of interest. :)))
    – matt
    Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 23:10

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