Deleting Threads

Hi5 · Post by **Hi5** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:13 pm

It appears that a recent thread was deleted. I don't know why, so I won't explicitly mention the topic. Perhaps it was the subject matter which caused it to be deleted, and if so I am not trying to undermine the efforts of moderators.

If the thread was deleted because some posts became abusive (which if it happened, took place after I last read the thread) would it not be preferable to delete offending posts and lock the thread rather than deleting an entire thread?

Deleting an entire thread tends to raise the question whether the thread topic itself is offensive rather than perhaps just a few posts on the thread. It would seem to take as much effort to review a thread for the purpose of deletion as it would to dump offensive posts and lock a thread.

The moderators moderate this site with a gentle hand so I don't want this to appear as a bitterly expressed complaint. Our hosts here have allowed a very generous range of topic discussions, so I very much doubt that they would be offended at a question about bow noise. Still, the question is there. Deleting an abusive post and locking a thread would not create this uncertainty.

Thanks for this forum.

sumner4991 · Post by **sumner4991** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:43 pm

Hi5 . .I was a little surprised about that thread too. I thought we were all civil. I'm assuming we are talking about the same thread. There have been two other threads open up on the subject, so it lives on . . .

I know I can be a little over bearing at times . . .but I didn't think that was one of those times. Of course, maybe someone posted something after I looked last too.

sumner4991 · Post by **sumner4991** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:47 pm

Hi5 . . .it may have been the topic . . .could be viewed as a downer . . .the discussion got way off topic, remember?

GaryL · Post by **GaryL** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 3:05 pm

Only one that I am aware of and it sure needed deleted as abusive is taking it lightly. Any others I did not see, and sure thank the Dude for taking it off. Locking one will still leave the bad taste on the forum.

The Dude has been very fair on the matter and I feel he sure has nothing to answer too.

Hi5 · Post by **Hi5** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 3:16 pm

Like I said, our Mods have a very gentle hand. I don't EVER recall a previous instance of strictly requiring that posts be loyal to the original thread topic. Our Mods have better things to do with their time than be "relevancy police"!

My guess (and hope) is that there may have been some abusive posts that disappered with the rest of the thread before we noticed. Still, even if that is the case, deleting only the offensive posts, locking a thread, or barring a poster would seem fairer to the others who were engaged in a civil discussion.

Maybe I should have raised this subject in the form of a Private Message to a Moderator. That's not much of an option, as I don't know who did the deletion so I don't know to whom to direct the message. Besides, if the thread topic sounded too much like a product criticism, we may as well know our boundaries.

Highlander · Post by **Highlander** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 3:16 pm

There were different opinions but I thought everyone acted civilly and with respect....