Deleted posts?

ADS

murphydog77

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Hi. Reported posts are locked/deleted at the discretion of the admin/mods. If content is considered inappropriate for a particular forum, the post may be deleted without notice. Today has been a busy day on the forums--full moon and such ;) .
 

Admin

Admin - Webmaster
There were a few threads regarding a sensational news story that I believe were merged into a single thread in the SCM forum where such content is appropriate. Beyond that, I haven't been around much today but If you know the title of the thread I can look into it.
 

southpawboston

New member
When I read this thread I knew exactly what was probably deleted, went and looked, and sure enough.

I don't know why but it was immediately apparent.

i'm going to guess it (and a string of others preceding it) was deleted because a mod deemed the composition to be inappropriate, but it would have been nice to have been given the option of rewording it instead. :whistle:
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
i'm going to guess it (and a string of others preceding it) was deleted because a mod deemed the composition to be inappropriate, but it would have been nice to have been given the option of rewording it instead. :whistle:

I know that seems like a reasonable request, but you have to understand the logistics make it extremely unwieldy.

Threads are not merged, deleted, or locked for questionable content simply because one mod decides it's breaking the guidelines, unless it's a really obvious violation. There's nearly always a discussion first.

Even that causes problems, because such discussions take time, and while we're discussing, people are still reporting the thread/post and wondering why something they consider report-worthy doesn't appear to have had anything done with it.

If we were to throw in the extra steps required in PMing the OPs and offering the opportunity to edit their post, the time and effort required to deal with each reported post would about double. We'd still need to give the mods time to chime in, then wait for the OP to reply, possibly go through numerous PMs with them, and still possibly end up needing to lock/move/delete the thread anyway. All while other people were still complaining about *whatever it was* that was still staring them in the face every time they logged in.

Seeing as how none of us is getting paid to do this, we have to keep things as simple as possible. :)
 

murphydog77

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I know that seems like a reasonable request, but you have to understand the logistics make it extremely unwieldy.

Threads are not merged, deleted, or locked for questionable content simply because one mod decides it's breaking the guidelines, unless it's a really obvious violation. There's nearly always a discussion first.

Even that causes problems, because such discussions take time, and while we're discussing, people are still reporting the thread/post and wondering why something they consider report-worthy doesn't appear to have had anything done with it.

If we were to throw in the extra steps required in PMing the OPs and offering the opportunity to edit their post, the time and effort required to deal with each reported post would about double. We'd still need to give the mods time to chime in, then wait for the OP to reply, possibly go through numerous PMs with them, and still possibly end up needing to lock/move/delete the thread anyway. All while other people were still complaining about *whatever it was* that was still staring them in the face every time they logged in.

Seeing as how none of us is getting paid to do this, we have to keep things as simple as possible. :)

Thanks, Debbie, for explaining the process. As you can see if you compare the time stamps on this post vs. my previous post, we're not always at our computers to participate in the forums and handle reported posts, just as you aren't always at your computer participating in our forums here. We do discuss reported posts--a lot sometimes--but that also involves us being around to discuss them. Then to add to the time involved in PMing the member who wrote the "offending" post, well, sometimes it can be upwards of several hours to over a day before something is done about said post.

We try to be fair but we are human. :love:
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
Thanks, Debbie, for explaining the process. As you can see if you compare the time stamps on this post vs. my previous post, we're not always at our computers to participate in the forums and handle reported posts, just as you aren't always at your computer participating in our forums here. We do discuss reported posts--a lot sometimes--but that also involves us being around to discuss them. Then to add to the time involved in PMing the member who wrote the "offending" post, well, sometimes it can be upwards of several hours to over a day before something is done about said post.

We try to be fair but we are human. :love:

This also means that things won't always be handled the same way from one post or one day to the next. It depends a lot on who responds to the reported post, how much time they have, how they interpret what is being said and a number of other variables. We try to be fair, but it simply isn't possible to handle similar posts in the exact same way every time without a dedicated, trained and paid full time staff. If you have an issue with a post that was treated differently than yours, do what everyone else does and report it and we will consider it. If you think your post was handled unfairly, please send one of the admins or moderators a private message. We can't guarantee a change but we will usually at least discuss it. We do make mistakes, too, and those we try to correct.
 

southpawboston

New member
If you think your post was handled unfairly, please send one of the admins or moderators a private message. We can't guarantee a change but we will usually at least discuss it. We do make mistakes, too, and those we try to correct.

darren, i did PM you about it. :whistle:

you know, another option for a mod who is considering deleting a post is to copy the text of the post and PM it back to the OP with suggestions as to how to edit it and recycle it. that would give the OP the opportunity to re-edit it and feed it back into the thread if they felt it appropriate. i happened to give a lot of thought into what i had written and to see it vaporized was pretty disappointing. i would have been perfectly obliging to do a major revision of it, but it's not worth the effort of recomposing it from scratch.

another alternative is to temporarily lock a thread, with a comment from the mod that the thread is locked pending investigation. then reopen the thread after a discussion with the posters has taken place and an agreement to edit has been made.

hey, i was a mod at a car forum (in fact i was the first mod) with roughly the same number of members as here, and i'm aware of the issues that mods face. we had similar discussions, but we only ever deleted posts when they contained open or veiled threats, personal attacks, or obscenities. we routinely employed the two ideas i presented above. but to delete a post not meeting any of those criteria was sacrilege. on the other hand, locking threads was common. sure, every forum is different and has it own policies, but i thought the deletion of my post was too harsh.
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
darren, i did PM you about it. :whistle:

And I even replied in regard to some issues you posted here anyway ;-P

you know, another option for a mod who is considering deleting a post is to copy the text of the post and PM it back to the OP with suggestions as to how to edit it and recycle it. that would give the OP the opportunity to re-edit it and feed it back into the thread if they felt it appropriate. i happened to give a lot of thought into what i had written and to see it vaporized was pretty disappointing. i would have been perfectly obliging to do a major revision of it, but it's not worth the effort of recomposing it from scratch.

another alternative is to temporarily lock a thread, with a comment from the mod that the thread is locked pending investigation. then reopen the thread after a discussion with the posters has taken place and an agreement to edit has been made.

These are alternatives that are done in many cases. It didn't happen this time. Had it been another day, time or person dealing with it, then it might have resulted differently (for better or worse!).

hey, i was a mod at a car forum (in fact i was the first mod) with roughly the same number of members as here, and i'm aware of the issues that mods face. we had similar discussions, but we only ever deleted posts when they contained open or veiled threats, personal attacks, or obscenities. we routinely employed the two ideas i presented above. but to delete a post not meeting any of those criteria was sacrilege. on the other hand, locking threads was common. sure, every forum is different and has it own policies, but i thought the deletion of my post was too harsh.

Ideally, I don't like deletion or censorship of posts, either. Sometimes it is warranted and necessary. Other times it is up to the discretion of whoever responds to a reported post. Even worse to me than deletion of posts is being a volunteer moderator and having to walk the fine line of trying to figure out what to do with a problem and what is going to send the owner/admin into a fit. There's simply no pleasing everyone, unfortunately.

On the plus side, posts are rarely deleted permanently from the database, except for the periodic purges in the community forums. I can probably find the text of your post if you would like it back for an edit.
 

southpawboston

New member
On the plus side, posts are rarely deleted permanently from the database, except for the periodic purges in the community forums. I can probably find the text of your post if you would like it back for an edit.

interesting, i didn't know that! :thumbsup: but i think at this point i'm ready to put it to rest.
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,656
Messages
2,196,896
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top