Supportviewinternal

From SupportWiki

A support privilege that allows you to see internal comments in a specific category. As with most support privileges, unarged supportviewinternal allows you to see internal comments in any public category. This privilege is granted as part of the I2 package in all categories except Web, Entries, Syndication, Scrapbook, and Mobile, which grant it at I1.

Supportviewinternal also allows access to certain information about the requester's account, such as the ability to view their S1 overrides.

Use of supportviewinternal

The main benefit of supportviewinternal is that supporthelps will often leave ICs about how answers can be improved or things that need to be dealt with in a request. Every so often supporthelps will leave ICs (known as 'I2 bait') about what they think the problem or possible issues are on a request. They do this in the hope that some eager I2 who otherwise might not have been able to do the request will find them. If a screened answer is close but needs a small change to make it approvable, a supporthelp might post an IC explaining what needs to be changed.

An important thing to keep in mind that an IC is not a rule. It is not binding. They are there to help and guide. But just because a supporthelp says - this looks like FOO problem, doesn't mean the supporthelp is right. Just because a supporthelp says, the answer needs to mention BLAH, doesn't mean it does. Usually following them is a good idea, but if you have a good reason not to, that's okay. And you may see supporthelps doing things that blatantly contradict previous ICs. That's okay.

Finally, I2's can benefit from being able to see approval comments. Often, when approving an answer, a supporthelp will include a brief comment explaining why they chose the answer they did, or why an earlier answer was not approvable. An approval comment might also say something like "this answer is approvable, but would have been even better if it explained this other thing." Looking back over answered requests and reading this feedback is an excellent way to improve your answering skills.

Confidentiality

All the information that is not public on a request is to remain confidential in support communities or IRC channels where mixed priv levels are present.

This includes especially the following cases:

• The quality of screened answers on the request, and who's left screened answers
• The name of the approving supporthelp
• Any sensitive information about the request posted in ICs

What can be shared about the ICs and screened answers?

• If you are a supporthelp, you can share in learn_support the approving priv's rationale for approving the answer they did.
• You can verify that ICs are present on a request. Not the content of such ICs, but their existence. (such as in the case of "Has everyone forgotten Request #FOO?" "There are touches to that request as late as 5 hours ago.")
• Your own ICs and screened answers, if you feel it's appropriate.

There may be other acceptable instances, but please leave those instances to the discretion of a supporthelp.