To be sick of threads being removed ‘at the request of the author’

YABU. When I was going through the worst mental health episode of my life, a few years ago, I posted a very clear medication question asking for help from any pharmacists specifically. I got over 500 responses from nasty, uninformed people who had no medical qualifications just denigrating my parenting, at a time when I was actively suicidal and needed just the advice I had asked for (which I never got because if it was ever posted, it was drowned out by the deluge of judgemental uninformed comments). I asked MN to take the thread down because I kept getting notifications from tags/quotes and I was in a very bad state and needed to stay on MN to read random property threads etc for my own sanity. The alternative would have been to delete my account. To say the whole forum shouldn’t exist because people can get threads removed is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

YABU. Anyone should be able to remove anything about themselves off the Internet at any time for any reason. Mumsnet is one of the few places that you can't do this yourself. I find it bizarre that anyone would think otherwise.

This comes up every now and then and it’s usually because someone is sorry that the hilarious/fascinating pile on has come to an end. What do you mean “what‘s the point of a forum” if threads can be deleted?? Your verbal conversations happen once and then are gone - why does it matter to you if a thread is deleted?

I was once the victim in the most ridiculous pile on over a very common parenting issue I had posted about. It got so ridiculous that it end up being shared on social media and crappy news sites, and I was worried that one of the people involved might see it, so I asked for it to be deleted. Perfectly reasonable that MN admin agreed to do so. On that occasion my words had been twisted by other posters and repeated to the extent that no matter how many times I tried to correct the misunderstanding, everyone was convinced that I was of a particular opinion. It was upsetting and embarrassing and largely based on untruths. What’s the point of letting that carry on?

People post for opinions and should be able to delete when achieved that . Why be so invested in someone else’s issues?. You are welcome to start your own trend like this one.

Can you not see that, sometimes, a thread gets derailed? It is not just that the OP doesn't like the responses, but that there is a pile-on rather than a mix of voices? Or some responders get into a head-on-head on a tangential matter and won't let go? Or the MRAs ( or TRAs, same thing) arrrive?

I am one such recent poster.

I started a thread about Waitrose pushing tje Progressive Pride flag as a background to their mobile app.

The thread got taken over by TRAs.

People start threads to discuss a specific thing. If they suffer a derail, or a pile-on, then I think they're right to ask the thread to be pulled.

I think we should be able to delete threads and posts like most other places tbh

Some of the comments here can be vicious and nasty verging on bullying ( just my opinion )so I understand when OP have had enough character assassination

It’s also often posters pestering for updates and then making up wild scenarios when they don’t get replies - that’s what happened to me on a very personal and stressful relationship thread, I’d had some great supportive messages and then had a lot to deal with and wasn’t online.

I had loads of notifications from people accusing me of ignoring good advice/having invented the whole thing/putting up with all kinds of crap when all I was doing was not being online at their beck and call updating every 5mins.

So I asked MN to take the thread down, I didn’t need to keep getting notifications, if people hadn’t behaved in that way I wouldn’t have done!

Nothing that anyone says on here is really that important. You sound over invested if your responses on a forum being deleted bothers you that much. Time and energy? You don’t have to post and as mumsnet always say, don’t give more in any way than you can manage. I’d suggest you step away.

And yet

Here we are

It’s text on a screen.

This!

That's funny 🤣

If you want closure to your gossip and drama, watch a soap opera.

OPs on MN don't owe you anything.

Of course the option should be available to remove a post for many reasons.
It might be identifying or an onslaught of bullying or harassment.

Is this in response to the poster who was moaning about her ‘friend’ with MH issues claiming benefits? She got really pissed off because some people (including me) were suggesting she was being unreasonable and she didn’t like it at all.

Seemed a bit petty to have the thread removed. It was actually quite an interesting thread.

I don’t mind people being able to remove their posts in fact I think people should be able to delete it themselves, this is one of the only sites I can think of where people can’t delete their own posts. It’s weird.

Quite - I've had loads of weirdos people get really antsy with me over a thread I posted on the genealogy area of the site. And honestly, some posters have been really spiteful, patronising and - at best - downright rude - I didn't ask for it to be taken down. I just took it all on the chin and reminded myself that it is just the opinions of people who I don't know and who don't know me. I didn't run away, I just responded. I didn't do anything remotely wrong but some people are just hysterical and bizarre! And to this day it continues..! We have to be up for confrontation, it's the modern world, be it online or anywhere else. Surely the whole point of posting on a forum is to get a range of replies... even if some of them are literally barking unlike yourself!

Time and energy is a bit of a stretch, but I agree overall.

So why should they leave it up for poster after poster to pile on? I wouldn’t.

MN can refuse to remove threads. Take it up with them if you have a problem with it.

100%!!!

😄😄 my genuine reaction to some of the attacking posts I see ^^ - NOT REAL, AI