not to understand why Mumsnet deletes threads?

[bluegreygreen]

I mostly stick to AIBU, with rare forays to other pages.

I thought as a general rule Mumsnet usually only removed threads where the OP was a troll, or where there were a lot of unpleasant personal attacks.

Recently I've been reading a few threads where the thread has then disappeared, with the message 'OP has requested that we remove this', for no very obvious reason.

AIBU not to understand this? In that case, surely any OP could request removal if people weren't agreeing with them?

I was thinking almost exactly the same thing.

In that case, surely any OP could request removal if people weren't agreeing with them?
which is exactly what seems to be happening. And then threads that are obvious trolls/begging/other things are allowed to stand for ages until HQ suddenly decides to "take a look behind the scenes" and it disappears for good.

That's pretty much what does happen nowadays, the op is getting a hard time so they ask for the thread to go.

What used to happen once in a blue moon now happens every day

I find it really annoying. If a thread is attracting offensive remarks, why not just remove the posters concerned?

Even if they think it's not true, does it matter? How much on here isn't true? I bet the best car parking threads are made up but they are massively entertaining.

Maybe some people don't realise what a nest of vipers AIBU can be, before they post. If you're getting personally attacked, (like the lady re the newborn baby being dropped ), I can understand why they would request it gets taken down.

They don’t just remove them - you have to really plead.

People seem to like “outing” people who have changed username because they have been outed.

Glad it's not just me!

I don't mind them being deleted tbh (unless I have just crafted a really well thought-out response and the thread goes before I have time to post).

Perhaps the posters in question are worried about the thread being picked up by real life people they know? Or even silly news articles.

It's that persons life at the end of the day and if they want it removed, then they want it removed.

I think sometimes on threads people stop offering 'advice' and start using it as entrainment, which is fair enough on some threads but on some not so much.
A recent thread I was watching people were writing 'watching for reaction/answer' or whatever and I thought it was a bit shitty TBH considering the context of the original poster.

I agree. Also previously banned posters. The other day there was an interesting thread where OP hadn’t even come back after the original post. 5 or so pages of discussion vanished because OP was a PBP. Why not ban the poster again but leave the thread that people have invested time in?

Plus the removal at OP request when the thread isn’t going how they want is infuriating.

MN is very heavily moderated, feels a bit like users are treated as children sometimes.

Some posters think they are super sleuths here and turn it into a courtroom or bring up previous threads which is also shitty.

How do you know pooleyspooley?

Maybe you had to plead but maybe others simply ask and it's done. No user would know what happens behind the scenes

sometimes most of the threads I have in my watch list are deleted!

It's not been so bad recently, but it does go through phases of folks posting, regretting and threads being deleted as "identifying" when there's no way in the world anything identifying has been posted.

I was reading the thread about the SIL not buying niece a Christmas present then it disappeared!

PattiStanger

Because it’s happened to me.

insertimaginativeusername

That was actually the one that made me post! (though have been thinking about this for a while)

It often happens when it doesn't go the way OPs want. So they get it deleted rather than accept they are unreasonable. MN used to say no. Now they just delete.

I don't think this is so awful. In the new age of MN where any thread can and will be spread around the web, if someone has second thoughts about outing themselves then I'm inclined to cut them a bit of slack. I've done it twice.

Trolls - well they are beyond tiresome and it's a really hard thing to call (from a moderation pov) I believe. There have been threads on here about incontinence in the past couple of days which I'm deeply suspicious of ... but who actually knows?

I wonder why threads can't be locked so no more comments can be made. Far better than deleting it all.

If it gets to the stage when posters are harassing or causing the OP distress (even if the OPs posting style is irritating, or if they ignore the advice given, as they sometimes do), ultimately if it saves them further embarrassment or anxiety, then I think it's right that HQ take the decision to take the thread down. It shouldn't turn into a torture chamber.

It should follow the same ethical principles used for social experiments, ie protection from harm and ensuring no loss of dignity as much as possible. I think HQ do a good job, by and large.

Hello!

We are going to move this thread to Site Stuff in a mo.

Threads get deleted for various reasons. For example, sometimes we have concerns about the poster, sometimes the poster gets concerned they have shared too much, sometimes we feel the thread has stopped being helpful to the people contributing to it, sometimes it breaks our guidelines, sometimes there is a legal reason, and sometimes, but really quite rarely, we just press the wrong button.

Does that help? If you ever have concerns about a thread and think it shouldn't be there just hit report post and we'll try to press the correct button if we agree it should go.

This has irritated me too. People ask aibu but then if the response is yes they don't like it. I'm beginning to think there are a lot of made up posts too. Some strange behaviour to say the least!

I really can’t see what’s wrong with having threads deleted, especially those that descend into a pile-on. I really don’t think MN is heavily moderated at all. In fact I think some of the kicking of posters that takes place is horrific. I would never ask for advise on a truly sensitive issue on here as you just get flamed. These are people’s lives. I think anyone should be able to ask to have anything deleted, for whatever reason.

Esthermumsnet those reasons have always existed but it's only relatively recently that deletions have become commonplace, do you keep data on,for example, number of deletions per month?

I think anyone should be able to ask to have anything deleted, for whatever reason

I agree, which is also an ethical guideline for social research - the ability for a volunteer to withdraw at any time without having to justify it. People can't always anticipate that a thread they start will descend into a pile-in.

There are plenty of times when HQ have come on a thread and reminded people to be kind, remember there is a human being behind the thread, etc. If people ignore that and continue to be spiteful, they have not option but to pull the thread. If people don't get that, it's because they've never been flamed and given an absolute drubbing on AIBU

I agree, @RainbowBriteRules

I don't think that anyone should have to justify why they want a thread to be removed, it should be a simple request and automatic deletion, not reliant on the sympathy of a moderator.