Bugging Moderators ...
Our precious moderators are awe inspiring
But I'm waiting for my box to be stuffed with angry messages. 
For the first time I flagged a question in the forum "For Moderator Attention" simply because I was afraid it would fall through the cracks and not get a proper answer.
If it was one of the SD old hands, I would not have worried, but it was a new user.
And I firmly subscribe to Mark Twain's philosophy of, "better to remain silent and look stupid, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." 
The new user's question contained two posts, both of which were questions he asked.
When we're so dang busy, a question looks pretty simple to us, it looks like it has already been answered -- quite often it's easy to go on to the next 1,000 unanswered questions without opening and reading the "simple answer" one.
If I did the wrong thing, or if someone has a suggestion of something else I might have done, please oh please let me know!! 
11 Answers
Hello Terri Could you please include a link to the particular thread where the offending post was placed so we can view the post you flagged? Or at least add the name of the thread so we can check it out!
On viewing the post we might be better placed to give you some more appropriate advice than we could simply by responding to your concerns above..
Like you, I rarely flag except when I am fairly certain that a post could also be considered offensive by others or at least spam/unwanted information.
If in doubt: write a response in a post in the same thread asking for clarification of the information already posted and by doing so you will allow them the benefit of the doubt. If you are right to be concerned no clarification will be offered but perhaps more gobbledegook/rubbish! If you are wrong and you did not need to flag it an appropriate response should be posted provided that the original person posting the question returned to read your post!
The response has to be taken into account along with the profile information, or what is often a lack of it, combined with poor spelling and either the absence of a question or one that usually makes little or no sense
If many of these signs I have mentione are present and still you have doubts you could try sending an e-mail to one of the administrators expressing your concern and giving any relevant details expliaaning your concern.
I hope this helps
This is a big holiday shopping season, and slow times online here may cause this sort of situation.
The Answers Forum has a link to list "Unanswered" questions, so anyone who wishes to find and answer any questions that may have fallen through the cracks can do so, this way.
However, there is a flaw with this. Some folks answer a question with something quite close to "I don't know" - and from the main listing, the question looks "Answered" when in fact it's effectively not answered.
It's important to reply in comments only, if you're the first answerer, and don't have enough useful information to offer. I don't know how to get the word out, but it seems like common sense, when you think about it.
Hi Terri,
You are a very kind hearted person and I know that you were concerned that a newbie would become discouraged because their question had not been answered. That does happen from time to time. As you said, it is the holiday season and we are all especially busy.
That being said, I think that I would have welcomed the new member ( I still have to check out the link, so I apologize if this was already done). If I didn't have the correct answer, I would assure them that one would probably be on the way. I would then try to PM an administrator with the link or someone who I knew would be able to answer it.
I personally would not have flagged the question. Usually, flagging carries a negative connotation. I don't want you to worry about this. I know you had the best of intentions. That is what the "Unanswered Questions" category is for...so that we can easily see what questions still need attention.
I do think it was wise that you mentioned your reason for flagging the thread and that we could have this discussion. But in general, I would simply PM a moderator while responding in a welcoming way to the person waiting for the answer. Most likely, they will not be upset, as long as they know that their question was read and that someone is looking into it.
Terri:
That's so wonderful that you are looking out for the newbies who have unanswered questions.
I wouldn't use a flag because that, as the others have said, certainly has a negative connotation.
Instead, I like the idea of welcoming the new member and saying "Hopefully, someone will come along and answer your question."
In fact I applaud the fact that you even addressed the issue and cared enough to find out if you had done the right thing.
íEstoy totalmente de acuerdo contigo!
Nicole, you have a way of "criticizing with caresses!!" What a beautiful way to gently, with the utmost kindness, point out the error of my ways! - territurtle 2 mins ago flag
Terri, please, please, please, think of it as guidance or advice. I would never want you to feel criticized for asking a legitimate question!!! 
The truth is, for many of us, this is our first venture into the world of "forums". Before I found this site, I really had no need or interest to become involved in a community like this. So as with anything new, there is a learning curve. It takes time to become acquainted with forum rules and etiquette.
You made the best judgement call you could at the time. Now, with the advice of some of your more "seasoned" forum friends, you understand a bit more about flagging as it pertains to this site. In the future, you can pass this amazing wisdom (jejeje 
) on to another forum member. In fact I applaud the fact that you even addressed the issue and cared enough to find out if you had done the right thing.
So please don't feel "criticized" but rather guided and directed.
Feliz, here's the link: Creo que (yo) vaya / Creo ir
I did not find the post at all offending
Just that it went three hours without a response, and I was afraid it would not be answered. And because it was someone's first post, I hoped someone like you would give the poster a nice welcome.
Three of our best people have answered the post now.
Thanks so much for responding right away to my post.
I really do stand in awe of the work (given with such understanding and kindness) you so generously offer.
OK, simple answer, don't flag just to draw attention the post as that person is going to lose 10 points for nothing and feel even more alienated from the site. I just sorted out 5 flags from one person's stupid remark snowballing into a free for all flagging session. So now it seems people are using it just to get even with someone else. This thread is loaded with good advice, all of it and Terri don't worry about it just don't use the flagging system for that purpose.
Hehe...I actually just sent you a pm regarding the post in question as I was a bit puzzled as to why you had flagged it. In any case, I would advise against flagging in cases like this as it has been my experience that (probably due at least in part to the point system here) many tend to view the use of flags as a hostile action.
As an alternative, I would suggest the following course of action: Should you come across a post that you yourself are unsure how to answer, but are also afraid that it might fall through the cracks, try sending a pm to a member or two who you trust might be able to answer the question adequately, asking if they will have a look at the thread for you. I'm sure that most members, provided they are available, are fairly amenable to such requests, and I have even seen Heidita resort to this tactic in the past on questions that she is unsure of.
In the meantime, in order to reassure the original poster, you might just leave a comment welcoming them to the forum and letting them know that you have called for reinforcements and that with a little bit of patience, in the end they should be able to obtain a fairly qualified answer.
So, you flagged the thread because you thought it would not get any replies?
Having just viewed the post Terri I don't think you need worry since this seems like a genuine question.
The presence of sufficient numbers of correctly written Spanish words in the question and above all the reponses elicited by genuine people such as Cogumela, in particular, should tell you that the post itself is infact genuine! She is a very intelligent and discerning young woman who would not waste her precious time offering help to someone who was likely to be wasting her/our time responding to spammers
I forgot to add to my first post: Look at and evaluate the responses of other native and advanced Spanish speakers including people such as Gekkosan and Julian Chivers respectively If people like Pesta Kiwi-girl, myself and others who are also experienced, are questioning what the person means it could be: a young person (ie a child of perhaps only 14), a person who finds it difficult to spell/type, or a person simply wasting our time.
I hope this also helps
