Disappearing threads????

[jym626]

Is it my imagination or are threads disappearing?? There was a thread called "Honest question" in the Tulane thread that just vanished. It seemed to be a legit question about rankings/ratings. What happened? When threads disappear with no explanation, it is difficult to understand what is going on

[Lenitus]

Hello jym626, and thanks for your question. Threads are removed if they violate the terms of service or if the moderator has identified a particular thread starter as a problem member due to past issues involving them.

[jym626]

Thanks, Lenitus. Since the thread in question (in the Tulane forum) didn't appear (from the last I saw of it) to have any readily apparent TOS violation, I am surmising that the issue was the latter one that you mention. Without unduly burdening the admins and/or mods, would it ever be possible to put a brief one line explanation if a thread is deleted, as is often done when one is closed? That might help alleviate confusion. Thanks.

[Lenitus]

We probably wouldn't be able to create custom notices as to why a thread was closed, though we might be able to provide a general notice that provides some kind of explanation. Let me pass this along and see what kind of feedback I get. Thanks!

[Roger_Dooley]

While we try to inform members by private message if their post has been edited or a thread they participated in has been removed, sometimes in larger cleanup efforts that isn't possible.

Thanks for understanding.

[jym626]

Thanks, Lenitus.
Frequently a brief line of explanation had been written when a thread was closed (my favorite was "this thread has outlived its usefulness"). When a thread is deleted, however, it becomes more confusing, especially if it looked innocuous and was then suddenly gone.

[alexandrafitzmor]

A lot of the time it makes sense. Unsuspecting CCers might not notice a ban on certain threads (such as QB questions outside the official QB thread), but it is certainly helpful in keeping things organized.

[Lenitus]

We agree that the current message posted when removed threads are visited is not very insightful:

"Invalid Thread specified. If you followed a valid link, please notify the administrator"

Therefore, as way to provide a bit more context, we have updated this notice with the following:

"This thread does not exist. It may have been removed for not complying with our Terms of Service. While we try to notify members by Private Message if any content posted by them has been removed, that is not always possible."

We simply are not able to provide more specific details about why a particular thread was deleted. As Roger mentioned, the thread starter is often contacted regarding the decision, but we don't currently have a way to broadcast such information to every member involved in the thread.

[jym626]

Cool! Thanks, Lenitus,
(And I still love the "this thread hs outlived its usefulness" explanation given by a mod once when a thread was closed. That still makes me smile.)

[Lenitus]

Yep, I have seen that one before. Not sure who started that