Flag for “Duplicate Post” declined… now I'm puzzled?

Question

I'd like to query the policy on flagging posts here on Robotics...

Generally on Stack Exchange, where there is a duplicate post, one flags it, as It doesn't belong here --> It is an Exact Duplicate

I did so for Connecting Raspberry Pi B to wireless network? - which was a duplicate

But I've got the response:

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

Now there's a comment from Jivings saying just "Stop flagging, just Vote To Close"

That's all well and good, except mere mortals cannot Vote To Close - you need 500 reputation (3000 once out of private beta)

Fair enough, in an ideal world we all have super-powers and do everything ourselves, but here in the real world we have to work within our permissions. And I've never yet had that response on any of the other SE sites I'm active on.

I want to be able to help, not hinder...

So here's the question:

As a mere mortal, should I use the Flag system the same way as I do on other SE sites, or can someone give me a run down of the Rules on this site?

Thanks,

Andrew

Answer 1

Sorry about the poor user experience. I was a bit tired that day. Here's how my response should have read;

Flags are useful when the nature of content is obvious, such as an exact duplicate, off topic or innoppropriate content. Some of the posts flagged recently have been suggestions or subjective statements. For example I felt that the post you flagged was a potential duplicate, but I by no means wished to make the decision alone, especially since there were no other votes. In those situations I would rather see how the community reacts, as I would rather we are here to guide but not to lead.

I hope that makes some sense, thanks for bringing this up.