How moist is moist?

I have seen all ranges of advice for wetting compost prior to sowing seeds in it, from sitting the pot or tray in water until it is soaked and then draining it until it is not dripping, to just sowing into the compost as it comes out of the bag and just using either a single watering can pass, to just using a fine spray bottle to wet the seed area only and then placing the whole thing in a plastic bag and not watering again until the seeds sprout.

I think most people make the mistake of over rather than under watering, but what are people's views on how moist is moist when it comes to sowing in compost please?

Likewise simonwatson

If the compost in the bag feels damp when I fill the pots - then I don't add more water until they feel dry. If they are going in a placcy bag to germinate then it'll be a while before they need it.

Then it's only a quick squirt from a sport water bottle 

I always go for a damp flannel kind of feeling 

Reminds me of my younger days when I did a lot of poking about in old lead mines which are invariably flooded to varying degrees. We had a scale which went something like:
humid: water up to the knees
moist: water up to the thighs
damp:water up to the waist
wet: water up to the chest

happy days, although I must admit gardening has far more attractions than lead mines nowadays.