3 FAQ tagged with deleted


If a thread has been deleted, can I still find it someplace?

Sometimes. Most threads will still show up at their old URLs with the reasons for deletion written in, but they no longer show up any other place on the site. They are also closed to new comments.

IRL threads and some Ask Metafilter threads, once deleted, are no longer accessible at all. If you have questions about a thread you think was deleted on these subsites, please contact us and we can clarify. Also, threads on other subsites are sometimes completely removed due to privacy reasons.

If your post was deleted, check your Mefi Mail. If you received a Mefi Mail automatic reminder message when your post went up, that message will have the URL of your post. Go to that URL and you will be able to see the post and a brief note about why it was deleted.

If you have questions about a deleted or missing post, please use the contact form to ask a moderator directly.
(tags: ) March 6, 2006 - permalink - back to questions

If a comment has been deleted, can I still find it someplace?

No. Deleted comments are unviewable, though they still exist in the database. cortex explains the nuances of what does or doesn't exist where in the realm of deleted stuff in this comment.
(tags: ) March 6, 2006 - permalink - back to questions

Why was my MetaFilter comment deleted?

MetaFilter is a moderated site. There are some types of comments that are either toxic to discussion or disallowed on the site entirely that may get removed by moderators. Some reasons comments may be removed are described here, and in more detail in the Metafilter Community Guidelines and its supplementary page about Microaggressions and making space for everyone.

- Racist or otherwise hateful comments. This includes misgendering and slurs. It also includes ironic racism/sexism/homophobia/transphobia; people who sarcastically put on a racist voice to make a point about racism, or who make hateful comments ironically (assuming everyone should know they're joking) cause derails and make discussion difficult.
- Spamming. Adding off-topic, context-free, or SEO-laden comments with undisclosed links to your own or others' sites.
- Threats against oneself or others. If you're feeling suicidal or self-harming, please reach out to someone to talk one on one; Mefites have compiled a list of hotlines. Violent fantasies or "someone should assassinate that guy" type comments create problems for the site.
- Making a thread all about another user; attacks on or interrogation of other users, "fuck you"s or namecalling. This includes doxxing or outing of personal information from profile pages or other sites.
- Making a thread all about you. MetaFilter is a large community and discussion threads are for everyone. Please don't make a thread all about your own opinions and ideas at the expense of other people trying to have a discussion.
- Trolling (saying something you don't mean just to rile people up or start a fight) is not okay here. If your behavior is indistinguishable from trolling, your comment may be treated accordingly.
- Dismissive or "Who cares" comments, especially if early in a thread - these add nothing to the discussion. Just skip the thread and find one you're more interested in.
- Comments about moderation. It's fine to ask questions or disagree with moderation, but those discussions happen in MetaTalk (for a public discussion) or sent through the contact form (to discuss privately with the mods), they do not belong in threads on other parts of the site. This includes metadiscussion of flagging, comment deletions, and whether a post should be deleted or not.

Occasionally a comment will be removed which then leaves several comments responding to it just hanging there, responding to nothing. Historically, the responses would usually be removed to avoid confusion for readers and to curtail derails. More recently, due to community feedback the moderators have shifted toward more often leaving such responses in place even if the original comment is deleted, generally with an explanatory note.

Mods use their own discretion and the input of flags or other contacts from members to help guide those decisions. If you have a question about a comment removal, please use the contact form to ask about it. The MetaFilter comment deletion rate is about 1%. Most people never have a comment deleted.
(tags: ) March 5, 2012 - permalink - back to questions