This thread has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the request of its author.

[PigInAHouse]

Is this something we can just do now? If we want it removing, we can?

There would need to be extenuating circumstances really, I think.

I've only rarely seen that message, and it has been on threads where it hasn't surprised me that it's been withdrawn.

I’ve just seen it on one where the OP was just annoyed that no one agreed with her, which struck me as odd.

@PigInAHouse @tailinthejam
Your two usernames tell a cute story! 🐖

@RupertCampbellBlacksEgo Mine comes from a remark I made to my cat who was sitting on the arm of the sofa with his tail brushing across my half-eaten jam sandwich. 'You've got your tail in the jam, you idiot'. 😂

Hello

We often get a lot more information off the boards - so worth bearing in mind when a thread has been removed. If something is causing issues in real life or the OP has privacy concerns, we will do our best to help. We don't want to make anyone's life more difficult than it needs to be.

That said, we do try to push back when deleting entire threads. We understand it can be frustrating to commentors when time is spent replying. So deletions aren't something we do without reason.

Thanks @LilyMumsnet . In the particular thread that prompted this there was nothing identifying in the post, and the OP was just having a bit of a hissy fit that people said she was being unreasonable (it took approx 5 ‘yabus’ before she said ‘right I’m deleting this’) but I appreciate that we don’t have access to all the behind the scenes information. It does seem to be happening more and more often recently though.

Posters know that if they cite privacy concerns they'll get their thread deleted. They use it when they don't like the answers they're getting. It makes me more reluctant to respond sometimes because what's the point.

Yes, this is the impression I got from this particular thread and from some others that have been deleted recently. It is frustrating when you engage in good faith.

What does TAAT stand for? I've just seen this anachronism used on a deleted post as the reason why it went

Thread about a thread

@RupertCampbellBlacksEgo thank you fellow Cooper fan

I listened to the first book in the series after watching Rivals, I'm hooked!

Not strictly true. I asked for a thread to be removed as I'd been recognised in real life twice, and MN wouldn't remove it, they just moved it to 30 days only.

I think the situation they are posting about can be identifying. You don't need to say "I'm Joe bloggs from Basingstoke" to be worried you've said too much and people can guess who you are, look at your other threads or even just get some opinions on something that you wouldn't chose to tell them. I know you know all this but I often see "it isn't identifying" commented but to some people it defo will be.

There's identifying and identifying. A woman intending to flee her abuser could have genuine reason to be worried about being identified; a poster on a Bridezilla thread - not so much.

It's frustrating to get the "deleted due to privacy concerns" message but at least it is better than "we are taking a look behind the scenes". So vague, might as well not have a message there at all!

Yeah and this particular post was definitely more the second scenario.

This

if you post about yourself /family /work issues etx then anyone can surely say please take own due to privacy issues

esp if they don’t like the answers

Well we've had one today where the poster didn't like the replies and seemed to be setting out to get it deleted by becoming increasingly abusive to other posters. I'm sure if a poster behaves like that and gets the thread removed their abuse to others is dealt with too.

I'm sure I just responded yesterday to a wind up merchant but the thread is surprisingly still standing...

It's really annoying responding when the thread ends up being pulled.

I think it's fine that threads get taken down.

No one has any rights over someone else's story, and what real difference does it make to anyone else if things are taken down?

Once threads become a pile on I think it's ok for the OP to ask for it to be removed.

I find the desire for a thread to stay up against an OP's wishes quite strange.

And that’s fine, but if that is the policy then MN should make it clear that that’s the case… if you ask for your thread to be taken down, they’ll do it. At the moment there is a disconnect between the policy and what happens in reality.

You’ve always been able to do that. Honestly, I’ve had threads deleted before, years and years ago (like 10+ years ago).

Fab, as long as I know that you just have to ask to have a thread removed if you don’t like how it’s going etc, then all good!

@PigInAHouse Just to clarify, yes, this has always been the case. And it's not quite as simple as 'you just have to ask'. We try not to delete entire threads (as opposed to single posts, which cause less of an issue) unless there's a compelling reason to do so. Often, we're able to find another solution for the poster which works just as well, such as moving a thread or helping them with a failed namechange etc. But we've no wish to make people's lives harder than they already are, so we will delete threads if there's a strong case for it.

It's done on a case-by-case basis really so always worth dropping us a line if you have worries about a thread you've started for any reason and we can have a chat.