Hovering over the "Flag" link with your cursor says "Notify the administrators this posting is problematic," so I think it's a way of tattling on spammers and/or jerks.

...spammers and/or jerks.

I'd suggest a spammer is a jerk, no or about it.

So is it me that decides who my buddies are? Or them? I can't see a 'refuse to be buddy' button. Not that I'm antisocial...

When you hit 'Flag' do you get a chance to explain why you think the post is 'problematic'? And if you get flagged, do you get a black mark, three strikes, that kind of thing?

Man, there's even a flag at the bottom of each person's account.

My New Year's Resolution is Not to flag in haste nor to be flagged. (It's the kind of thing St Francis of Assisi would have gone for if he'd been a typophile.)

When you hit ’Flag’ do you get a chance to explain why you think the post is ’problematic’?

Yes.

Except robots are never jerks.

hhp

It's a Flagged World After All :)