When you delete a thread, for whatever reason . .

[winmod21]

. . How about efforting a whole 5-10 seconds... by messaging members who have just posted on the thread... briefly why it, including their post, was deleted!

 

[B. Diddy]

If the thread was started by a spammer, that can cause the entire thread to disappear when we do a spam ban. Depending on how many threads the spammer may have started, there might be some collateral damage in terms of responses. Can you tell us what the thread was about?

 

[winmod21]

If the thread was started by a spammer, that can cause the entire thread to disappear when we do a spam ban. Depending on how many threads the spammer may have started, there might be some collateral damage in terms of responses. Can you tell us what the thread was about?

Hiya B-Diddy-o Thx for replying.

The thread was about (paraphrased): "Where's the best place to buy a refurbished phone".
And I simply replied that I see them for sale most often @ BestBuy & Amazon, and that if purchased via amazon.... it's best/highly recommended to purchase as 'Sold by:' amazon, instead of a third-party seller.

But shortly after I posted . . . the entire thread vanished 'into thin air'! Of course, with no explanation as to why. Which would've taken all of 5~10 seconds to briefly message me re why. Thx

 

[Bla1ze]

Hiya B-Diddy-o Thx for replying.

The thread was about (paraphrased): "Where's the best place to buy a refurbished phone".
And I simply replied that I see them for sale most often @ BestBuy & Amazon, and that if purchased via amazon.... it's best/highly recommended to purchase as 'Sold by:' amazon, instead of a third-party seller.

But shortly after I posted . . . the entire thread vanished 'into thin air'! Of course, with no explanation as to why. Which would've taken all of 5~10 seconds to briefly message me re why. Thx

The post was spam and the user was banned. As B.Diddy stated, your post also went with it as collateral damage. I understand your reasoning for being wanting to be advised, but if we did that for every spam post and every person who replied when we caught spam, we'd constantly be in replies. To say nothing of the people who wouldn't even notice and wonder why the heck we were messaging them. If a thread you replied to disappears, it's pretty safe to assume there was a valid reason for it and move along.

 

[winmod21]

The post was spam and the user was banned. As B.Diddy stated, your post also went with it as collateral damage. I understand your reasoning for being wanting to be advised, but if we did that for every spam post and every person who replied when we caught spam, we'd constantly be in replies. To say nothing of the people who wouldn't even notice and wonder why the heck we were messaging them. If a thread you replied to disappears, it's pretty safe to assume there was a valid reason for it and move along.

Thanks for the explanation.
Well that's odd, if it was spam, as it sure didn't look like a spam thread to me. Rather it just looked like a normal thread - of somebody asking about the best places to purchase refurnished phones! Hmmm.
Yeah, if you've spent time reading, considering, and then taking the time to reply to someone's 'question' thread . . only to later see that it's vanished . . it'd be nice to know why.
Some discussion forms simply lock the thread, with a brief reason why, then let it sink off into etheric obscurity. And /or then delete the thread after days or a week or etc.
As, to the contrary, when it comes to discussion forums, there's not always "a valid reason for it".

 

[B. Diddy]

It's a function of the moderators' Spam Clean option, which automatically wipes out any post the spammer created (and if they started a thread, that entire thread is deleted since the original post gets killed). Oftentimes, a spammer will have already posted a few times, so that may affect multiple threads. And a spammer may also have other associated accounts, which will also be purged.

Some spammers will be sneaky and post things that seem legit at first, but then will bust out later with their spammy garbage. So that might be what happened with the thread you posted in.

We get rid of spam, rather than locking threads -- if the thread is locked, whatever useless (and possibly harmful) junk they were hawking would still be visible on the forums.

 

[winmod21]

It's a function of the moderators' Spam Clean option, which automatically wipes out any post the spammer created (and if they started a thread, that entire thread is deleted since the original post gets killed). Oftentimes, a spammer will have already posted a few times, so that may affect multiple threads. And a spammer may also have other associated accounts, which will also be purged.
Some spammers will be sneaky and post things that seem legit at first, but then will bust out later with their spammy garbage. So that might be what happened with the thread you posted in.

Ahhh, well maybe that was it. As the thread looked normal to me. Thanks B. Diddy !;-)

We get rid of spam, rather than locking threads -- if the thread is locked, whatever useless (and possibly harmful) junk they were hawking would still be visible on the forums.

. . and your above referenced: "moderators' Spam Clean option, which automatically wipes out any post the spammer created ~" . . explains why individual posts or threads, the spammer may have created, aren't just selectively deleted, in a normal looking thread. Thanks for that further explanation !;-)

 

[Bla1ze]

Ahhh, well maybe that was it. As the thread looked normal to me. Thanks B. Diddy !;-)

. . and your above referenced: "moderators' Spam Clean option, which automatically wipes out any post the spammer created ~" . . explains why individual posts or threads, the spammer may have created, aren't just selectively deleted, in a normal looking thread. Thanks for that further explanation !;-)

The system also considers where that post was as well. Meaning, if it was the first post in a thread, ALL the posts that come after it in the same thread disappear as well. If it's a spam post but it's NOT the first post in the thread, deleting it has no effect on the other replies.

 

[winmod21]

The system also considers where that post was as well. Meaning, if it was the first post in a thread, ALL the posts that come after it in the same thread disappear as well. If it's a spam post but it's NOT the first post in the thread, deleting it has no effect on the other replies.

Thanks Bla1ze, for that further info.

PS — Though again, nothing about the thread seemed or looked like spam, as I recall. Not obsessing in any way, but it'd be interesting to see the thread again.

 

[B. Diddy]

Thanks Bla1ze, for that further info.

PS — Though again, nothing about the thread seemed or looked like spam, as I recall. Not obsessing in any way, but it'd be interesting to see the thread again.

Right -- I mentioned above that some spammers are a bit sneakier and seem legit at first with their first few posts, then bust out the garbage. We've been moderating long enough that we tend to have a sixth sense about certain new members and their intentions, so some of these culprits raise a red flag almost immediately (based on their username, or the subjects they write about, or even their style of writing).

 

[winmod21]

Right -- I mentioned above that some spammers are a bit sneakier and seem legit at first with their first few posts, then bust out the garbage. We've been moderating long enough that we tend to have a sixth sense about certain new members and their intentions, so some of these culprits raise a red flag almost immediately (based on their username, or the subjects they write about, or even their style of writing).

Ahhh, makes total sense now. Thanks again !;-)

 

[mustang7757]

Ahhh, makes total sense now. Thanks again !;-)

Not only that when we get rid of a post that was spammed they can make multiple accounts in a row and spam in the same post that's why it's often axed. Unless it was made by a member then the spammer just goes.

Hope u get a clearer picture of why things happen.