I have noticed a disturbing trend on Steemit among some users. I have witnessed a few cases where users of higher SP or reputation would flag lower level users. Flagging can definitely be a good tool to prevent inappropriate content, but it should be used with great care!
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
When is it ok to flag:
Something is NSFW and not marked NSFW
Something is illegal
Basically, some shit is REALLY wrong.
Obvious spam
Why should you be so careful with flagging?
Steemit involves money. This means that when you flag a user you are potentially jeopardizing their source of income. If they are doing something terribly wrong, that is fine, but it cannot be something like they have a different opinion or world view.
When to warn:
WHENEVER YOU CAN. Give them a chance to fix their action.
Plagiarized, not properly sourced.
Spammy, but not quite.
Abusing Power Is Bad For Everyone
If person is powerful on Steemit, it means they have a lot of SP. Which also means that they are invested in making Steemit better. Therefore, it is counter productive to abuse power in such a way that will turn people away from using Steemit.
@unprovoked