Deleting your own posts?!

[MarieDeGournay]

Does anybody else do this? I've just written a post, previewed it, and thought '..hmmm...no' and deleted it. That's the second today!

Sometimes it's because it's a bit pointless on rereading. Sometimes it's because I realise I shouldn't rise to the obvious goady-baity posters. Sometimes I think my knowledge of the topic doesn't justify giving an opinion.
Frequently, it's because it's funny, I can't help spotting the humour situations and responding accordingly. But sometimes on previewing the post I think it's not really the time or place for being silly.

I had a funny post on the Kathleen Stock thread earlier but before I could post it, a couple of really heartfelt serious political ones came in and I quickly deleted my humorous one as being inappropriately flippant.

Is it just me?
I wonder if it's a bit like the letters that you write to your ex after a break-up, never intending to actually send them: you've got it all out of your system, and that's the main thing,,,

Yes quite often OP because some of the things I think shouldn’t even be aired on an anonymous forum😂. I am sometimes envious of those posters who just let rip and secretly agree with some of them at times! I also like a bit of inappropriate humour.

Flippant libra here!

All the time. For the same reasons.

Oh yes. Often.

Sometimes, late at night, I think, hold that thought, and if you still think it's a great idea tomorrow morning, post it then! 😁

Thank you all, so I'm not as weird as I thought I was...well not in this specific instance, anyway

I do it too.

I like the funny posts. Sometimes things are so ridiculous you have to laugh about them. Seeing the humour in this madness is much needed.

Yes.

Sometimes it's because when I read it again, I realise it's just not very good.

Sometimes by the time I've finished typing, the discussion's moved on.

And I always try and remember to ask myself who is going to benefit from my pressing 'Post' and whether it's possible that all it's going to achieve is fuelling a desire for attention.

I recommend it.

I've done it a couple of times, but usually because it is something I thought I haven't expressed clearly.

I started a thread late one night, and on re-reading thought this just isn't adequate and didn't want misunderstandings, and immediately asked for a delete.

But the next time when I tried to phrase it differently because i thought is deserved a thread, it turned out I wasn't able to find a different way of expressing it.

So left the second attempt, and there were misunderstandings.

I think short of insulting someone, I dont think it necessary to delete.

Its not a competition, and as we aren't all online at the same time, it just adds to the confusion to see somethings deleted but no reason given.

Same as posting a comment after the thread has moved on. It still helps in terms of finding out opinions. Its a forum not an article for publication!

But I do think, which has been said before, it would be so much better if the software used by mumsnet allowed threads within threads (I cant rmember what they are called) so if someone wants to have a sub thread that is a more humerous take on the OP it would help others be able to join in. Ditto if (as I always am) coming in late to a thread, but if there were sub threads that I could add my thoughts on an aspect of the OP of the thread.

Those who ask for deletions, is it because you only want your "best" to be on public display?!

But wouldn't it be great if we could get MNHQ to delete all the responses to goady posts. Still dont understand why so many rise to the bait.

I love the multitude of views and modes of expression on FWR and I greatly enjoy sardonic and absurdist humour - I mean, look at the situation we find ourselves in: politicians think actual men can be women. If you didn’t laugh (or vent) you’d cry.

I see FWR as a great form of consciousness raising like the women’s groups of the earlier waves of feminism.

This slightly different, but am thinking more and more now that even though FWR is for those who post and read it, it does have another function.

That because it is an open forum online, and can be read it can have influence or un-intended consequences.

So sometimes someone will start a thread in a chatty way, that for must of us will have some feature that we recognise.

But to the rest of the internet, the search engines it can have unitended consequences. (I said this on the thread itself so hope that OP wont mind.) There was a thread about PoW not appearing to do anything. Which for the OP was true. No info. Apparently no hustings. And for FWR an opportunity to say, have you seens this, or have you tried that?

But to the internet search engines this became the 2nd result in searching for Party of Women, indicating to the casual searching that that PP woman was turning out not to amount to much.

Ditto the thread just let women speak. On FWR that makes complete sense and connections. But not much impact to search engines. So I wondered what would have got their attention?

Trans activists, inc. one on probation, attack women's free speech event while police stand by!

Not for any moment suggested we should tailor what we say or how we say it for search engines, but it is just something I have become more conscious off.

Was thinking of starting threads with sparky tabloid titles to see how search engines reacted. But then realised not only those on FWR would get fed up, but possibly MNHQ would think I was taking a liberty.

But could propose it as a proper "study" to indicate just how high in the search engine hierarch mumsnet is.

That's a very interesting point, @IwantToRetire .

That had never occurred to me Retire. I don't really put much faith in the accuracy or relevance of search engines these days; I know that Google makes value judgements and plays around with the way search results are displayed and that makes me trust them less than I once did.

Its not about how you or I view the reliability of google or any other search engine

It s about those trusting users, and even those trying to find negative information about say KJK, could imply a single line in a list of results from a search proves that .... she's launched a political party and is now doing nothing - and said by her fervent supporters on FWR so must be true.

I started a thread years ago on Amy Hamm, for support and information (years later that case still hasn't been decided!). For a long time, if I googled her name, that thread was the 3rd or 4th hit. But I don't know if that was down to my devices' settings, cookies, whatnot.

When I start a thread I try to write a title that just says what it is, if only to try to prevent duplicate threads.