On Helium.com, members of the community are given the power to make the site a better place by helping to weed out unacceptable articles. Not many other user-generated Web sites can say the same. So as Helium members, we should take advantage of the flagging tool. Doing so will not only make the staff's jobs easier, but will inform other authors on how to write articles better suited for the site.

Users can use the flagging tool in two ways. The first is through ratings. At the bottom of each article being rated, there is a tab that says "Flag this article". It will then give you your flagging options. The second way is to click the "User Tools" icon at the top of any page on the Helium Web site. This will give the reader the option to either flag for plagiarism or inappropriate content.

Plagiarism, as defined by Helium guidelines, is the act of copying the work of another person and claiming it as your own. This means that writers should not use the exact wording of another member's article or the work of an outside source without citing it.

Under the Inappropriate tab there are a number of different criteria. They include:
Plagiarism
Adult
Profane
Illegal
Limited
Off topic
ALL CAPS
Spelling
Grammar
Formatting
Other

Plagiarism was already discussed, so we'll move on to "Adult"..

Adult: Flagging for adult content means that there is subject matter not appropriate for children. The biggest indicator here is pornographic material. Helium allows users as young as 13 years old here, so the community should remain respectable at all times.

Profane: The profane option goes hand-in-hand with adult, and is self-explanatory. Swear words or hate speech is not permissible on Helium.com, period.

Illegal: Any content promoting illegal acts is not tolerated. This includes the endorsement of using drugs, violence, theft, etc. If you see a writer supporting anything that is against the law, flag the content right away.

Limited: Helium's User Guide says it best. "Helium articles must be a minimum of 2,100 characters or roughly 350 words - you cannot publish an article of less than 2,100 characters (except for poetry, songs and recipes). However, in an effort to constantly improve Helium.com and an author's writing, the writing standards strongly suggest a minimum of 400 words. Save your one-liners for awkward silences."

Off topic: Reading an article that has nothing to do with the title? Flag it. Articles that are off topic are getting

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