# Replace ability to flag messages with a link to the help email box

**URL:** <https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/replace-ability-to-flag-messages-with-a-link-to-the-help-email-box/4780>\
**Category:** Feature Requests\
**Created:** [July 5, 2019, 9:30pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/replace-ability-to-flag-messages-with-a-link-to-the-help-email-box/4780 "2019-07-05T21:30:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![cmcheatle](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/cmcheatle/32/37_2.png) [@cmcheatle](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/cmcheatle)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2019, 9:30pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/replace-ability-to-flag-messages-with-a-link-to-the-help-email-box/4780/1 "2019-07-05T21:30:58Z")

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Since curators cant see messages, there is nothing they can do to help resolve the flag short of asking the user to either email the help box, or provide a copy of the message (and I am unsure it is appropriate non employees of the site be asking for that), just remove the flagging ability on messages and replace with an email link.

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**Author:** ![tiwane](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/tiwane/32/54612_2.png) [@tiwane](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/tiwane)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/replace-ability-to-flag-messages-with-a-link-to-the-help-email-box/4780/2 "2019-07-08T22:51:50Z")

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I was thinking about this, but it’s also helpful to have a flag there, as a record that anyone can see if they are looking at the user’s history. Then maybe if a message is flagged, that flag can be emailed to help@inat so it doesn’t get lost?

Alternatively, I can check [https://www.inaturalist.org/flags?utf8=✓&flagger\_type=any&flagger\_name=&flagger\_user\_id=&user\_name=&user\_id=&flaggable\_type=Message&flags[]=spam&flags[]=copyright+infringement&flags[]=inappropriate&flags[]=other&reason\_query=&resolved=no&resolver\_name=&resolver\_user\_id=&commit=Filter](https://www.inaturalist.org/flags?utf8=%E2%9C%93&flagger_type=any&flagger_name=&flagger_user_id=&user_name=&user_id=&flaggable_type=Message&flags%5B%5D=spam&flags%5B%5D=copyright+infringement&flags%5B%5D=inappropriate&flags%5B%5D=other&reason_query=&resolved=no&resolver_name=&resolver_user_id=&commit=Filter) much more regularly.

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**Author:** ![tiwane](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/tiwane/32/54612_2.png) [@tiwane](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/tiwane)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 1:36am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/replace-ability-to-flag-messages-with-a-link-to-the-help-email-box/4780/3 "2019-11-21T01:36:33Z")

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I’m now checking flagged messages daily, so I don’t think this is needed and will close this. For what it’s worth, messages are rarely flagged at all, even less so by a human.

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**Author:** ![tiwane](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/tiwane/32/54612_2.png) [@tiwane](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/tiwane)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 1:36am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/replace-ability-to-flag-messages-with-a-link-to-the-help-email-box/4780/4 "2019-11-21T01:36:37Z")

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