While the forum is small it might not be a problem and as it grows you might start seeing people who are just flagging to get the badge. The same way other sites have seen an increase in people cheating just to brag about gaming numbers.
I think it is great that there is a flagging option; it can be very helpful when used correctly and efficiently. I don’t really find any benefit to rewarding people for using it. And I would not want to wear it as a Badge of Honour if I had used it.
I agree that it seems strange to encourage users to look for something to flag. Maybe it can be removed later on if it starts to get abused?
I also feel a little silly not only having the badge, but having it as one of the top three listed when you click my username, like I’m proudly wearing a “Professional Snitch” badge. xD
I can only imagine what is going to happen when someone gets upset if they are flagged and looks at badge list.
No, this is not going to happen. Just because you can imagine a thing doesn’t mean it will happen or is likely.
If it happens it won’t matter anyway, as a flag just means (if enough users or users with a high enough ranking flag a post) that a Memrise staff member will take a look at the post.
This is a tame forum. Don’t worry so much.
I’m not worried. I still think it is stupid think for people to get a badge for.
I don’t necessarily disagree. It’s a standard part of the Discourse software this forum uses and it might be difficult or impossible to remove it.
What I don’t like about this forum, for example, is that everyone can see when someone was online last and how much time they spend on it.
Oh that sounds a bit stalker friendly. I didn’t realize they didn’t get much choice in settings. Hopefully, they will pass some user ideas on to Discourse.
@Arete_Hime - I just about flagged your post just to prove @WildSage 's point.
And by the way, you were just a little contradictory in your post.
If it is not going to happen, then how can it happen?
That wouldn’t have proved their point. To prove their point you would have to point to yourself or someone else flagging a post just to get the flair (and not to prove a point).
And no I was not contradicting myself. I’m not going to write it is ridiculously unlikely just to be technically correct whenever I’m talking about possibilities in a forum like this, I’ll just write it’s not going to happen and be done with it. From context here you can gather that what I really mean is that it is very very unlikely (and won’t matter anyway).
Also, flagging a post isn’t necessarily a black mark against the poster. I flagged a post the other day because, while I believe that this particular course has a right to be here, I wanted also to draw memrise staff attention to an example of a situation where some restrictions around access would be appropriate. Certainly not targeting the poster.
Although, do I want a badge for that - not really. To be viewed as a snitch when in fact I am trying to find a way to have all levels of discussion, perhaps with discretion in the form of moderated access, but not restricting by banning.
@sifushano ~ I agree with your insight about why someone might want to flag a post.
If one looks at the definition of the badge for flagging it states: “Flagging is how we all help keep this a clean, well lit place for everyone. If you notice any posts that require moderator attention for any reason please don’t hesitate to flag.” By that definition, one is not trying to be a “snitch”, but trying to keep things above board, clean, ethical, etc… By that definition, I myself would not hesitate to flag something that I felt needed a second set of eyes or attention.
Flagging is part of this forum. We didn’t create it, it came with all the other tools. Whether we use it or not, is up to the individual, or the situation, or both, I guess.
@Arete_Hime - How would that not have proved @WildSage point? WildSage said: [quote=“WildSage, post:1, topic:2592”]
you might start seeing people who are just flagging to get the badge
[/quote]
And you said: [quote=“Arete_Hime, post:4, topic:2592”]
No, this is not going to happen. Just because you can imagine a thing doesn’t mean it will happen or is likely.
[/quote]
I said: [quote=“jaimebrasil, post:8, topic:2592”]
I just about flagged your post just to prove @WildSage 's point.
[/quote]
How would that not have proved WildSage’s point? Someone could just flag a post willynilly just to get the badge.
And, yes, you were contradictory in your post. Exactly what you said: [quote=“Arete_Hime, post:4, topic:2592”]
No, this is not going to happen. Just because you can imagine a thing doesn’t mean it will happen or is likely.
If it happens it won’t matter anyway, as a flag just means (if enough users or users with a high enough ranking flag a post) that a Memrise staff member will take a look at the post.
[/quote]
How can you tell someone that something is not going to happen … and then say “If it happens”.
How about you just say “very unlikely” instead of “it’s not going to happen”?
With all of this being said, I could still flag your post just to prove WildSage’s point! Do you not get that?
Nope, you can’t 
You would have flagged my post not because you wanted the badge but because you wanted to prove a point. If you had (1) never read this topic and thought to yourself that flag badge looks niiiice, I’ll just flag a random post to get it and then did that, that would have proved WildSage’s point. Or, if (2) now you decide you do want that flag and decide to flag a random post to get it. That would also prove their point.
Taking a step back I think we have 2 questions here: (a) I think it is exceedingly unlikely that someone will randomly flag a post just to get the flair and (b) why do I say No, this is not going to happen when I perhaps mean it is exceedingly unlikely that this is going to happen.
To adequately treat both things would require 2 longish essays, so I’m reluctant to go into that.
But, for your amusement, here’s a start on why I think it is exceedingly unlikely someone will flag a post just to get the flair.
In no particular order:
(1) They haven’t yet: this forum is now 3 months old, there are 1890 users but only 16 people have the flag flair, all of them I think conscientious posters who didn’t flag a post just to get the flair. So the current percentage or promillage is at 0%.
(2a): I think the fear of random flaggers is because of a perceived similarity between that and cheating for points. But they are wholly different. Getting as much points as you can is just a (fun) way to mindlessly while away the time that doesn’t (really) impact anyone (if you don’t really think about it). Lots of games take advantage of this. The games aren’t all that fun, but you keep coming back because you want to increase your score. Memrise also capitalizes on this to a degree. The people who decide to cheat for points are just a little more competitive than usual and don’t mind wasting their time to see themselves on the leaderboards. Also it’s a fun little game to try to find out how to cheat the system. That teaches problem-solving. I’m sometimes tempted to do this myself. I don’t because I don’t want to get banned and I’d rather code something useful.
Flagging to get a badge however is not fun. The first thing you have to think is: fuck this guy, I don’t care about him, I just want this badge. No-one who is on this forum long enough to know about the badge thinks like that. And no-one who isn’t is either.
(2b) Cheaters for points can be ignorant of the effects their actions have on Memrise, or can easily ignore it. Random flaggers can’t, because they are an active part of this community (if they weren’t they wouldn’t care about the flag badge or even know it existed).
(3) Just a rephrasing of the former points: it goes against human psychology; people are mostly good and want to perceive themselves as good. There is no way that I can see that you can flag a random post and perceive that action as good, so I don’t see that happening. You have to have a different reason, like this is a bad post or this is a bad person to still perceive yourself as good.
…I might have some more reasons but can’t think of any now.
Someone randomly flagging a post is going to be such an outlier that you don’t need to think about them when you design your system. When the 1 in 10,000 person shows up who does randomly flag a post, staff can deal with that when they come upon it (which is just to ignore the flag).
Some likelier scenarios I think are (1) people who are too enthusiastically flagging posts and repeatedly flagging posts that shouldn’t be flagged. Thinking they are helping when in reality they aren’t really. And (2) an unpopular poster or a poster that writes in a perhaps more confrontational style than the majority here getting their posts flagged more than necessary.
Flagging any post will not give you the badge 
@Arete_Hime This is my last post. It does not matter what I say, I know that you are that person who needs the last word.
It always amazes me how someone being confrontational feels that they are the only one being non-confrontational.
Have a great life being you.
I wrote a long post for you because the short ones apparently didn’t do. Now you’re making me feel bad for having made the effort. That’s not nice man.
You ask two questions and I try to answer one of them. Were they not really questions? Did you not want me to answer?
It’s logic: people are assumed to sometimes do X because of Z. You say to prove people do X because of Z, you are going to do X because of F (to prove a point). That’s not how that works, you’d also have to do X because of Z.
The source of so many misunderstandings is people jumping to the wrong conclusions and making assumptions. I did not say or mean to imply anything in that quote about you or me.
So is the badge only given if staff confirm the flagging is correct (and also probably remove the offending post)?
Yes, this badge is only awarded for valid flags. 
It isn’t necessarily the case that the post is flagged for the fact it is offensive.
I had never gone into the panel myself - so just had a look now. You are right - there are also choices for spam, off-topic or something else.
I assume the same point applies - the badge is only awarded if the flagging type Is verified by staff.