Rules on deleting and moderating posts

(this thread was moved from Deleting my posts)

Maria Barnes said:Trivial stuff, off-topic chatter, random chat posts—they get deleted regularly. Honestly, there's no reason to be surprised, and certainly no need to worry about whether they were actually like that. 😉 I guess almost nobody is immune to that kind of thing.

Besides that, entire threads get wiped if they're just trivial, silly, or just pure chat... If you were part of those, well, your post count takes a hit too. Old threads get cleared out as well.

Anyway, by cleaning things up every now and then, we're just trying to raise the quality of Reddit, and even the individual subreddits.

Best regards, 😉

🤣 🤣

Maria, honey, what about closing the whole Big Brother subreddit, for instance? I see there are 67 users online right now... how much is that worth in actual dollars? 😍 😍 Come on, go ahead and raise the quality level. 😍 😍

Then again, if I recall correctly, the quality of a forum actually goes up when it starts crashing :emoji: 🙂

Tyler Grant76 said:Maria Barnes, honey, you want to shut down the Big Brother subreddit? I see 67 users online right now—what does that even translate to in dollars? 😍 😍 Come on, why don't you try raising the bar instead?

And why, dear? 😍 Did you not notice how many of those 67 users are unregistered lurkers who just show up to read? That’s the vast majority. It would seem to me they find the subreddit perfectly fine.

Big Brother might be a trivial phenomenon, but that doesn't mean we're going to tolerate trivial, stupid posts there once we start actually moderating. 😉

How much money is that? Why do you even care? Since you asked, though, you might notice we don't even have a header banner at the top; we forgot to add it when we launched the subreddit and were too lazy to fix it. There's your profit margin. Seriously, stop talking nonsense. 😘

Maria Barnes said:How much is that actually worth in dollars? And honestly, why does it even matter to you? But, since you’re asking—you might notice we don't even have a header banner up there; we just forgot to add it when this Reddit community first launched and, well, we've been too lazy to fix it since. There's your answer. I mean, seriously—don't just talk nonsense. 😘

Yeah... I guess that little lemon of yours doesn't really have anything to do with the fact that everyone who actually matters from that sub-thread has already moved over to the cafe 🤣 🤣 🤣

Act shocked that Maria Barnes even bothered to show up in this thread: 😁

Maria Barnes said:But why, dear? 😍 Didn't you notice how many of those 67 users were unregistered—you know, the ones who just lurk and read? That’s the vast majority right there. I guess it seems like they find this subforum perfectly fine.

One would assume that when you refresh, those bits travel over to the lurkers too 😁
But whatever. If you're actually making money off this site, all I can say is: props to you. 🙂 I only mentioned them to point out how, well, let's call it—easy 😬 you are.

Big Brother might be a trivial phenomenon, but that doesn't mean we're going to tolerate trivial or stupid posts there once we start moderating. 😉

Big Brother is just an example showing that this site, by its very nature, encourages chat and trivial, mindless posts, regardless of what you claim (or maybe hope) otherwise.
If someone actually wanted to improve the quality and flow of discussion here, they'd hire moderators who actually know how to moderate: you know, redirecting posts to stay on topic, moving or deleting off-topic entries (which requires being able to recognize them 😁), and actually... moderating. As it stands, the whole moderator institution just feels like an ego trip for a few people who spend their time in some private corner bickering about whether gender labels should be next to usernames. By the way, do you guys clear the chat from the moderator lounge? 😁

Anyway, you can't really control the quality of discussion on a massive site like this with the current moderation system; it wouldn't even be worth it. So, I'm just rolling my eyes at your repetitive comments on the subject. The upside of having such high volume is that even amidst a mountain of chatty, trivial, and dumb posts, you still get a decent amount of great content. Without that critical mass, it wouldn't exist. Elitist forums don't survive. So, just hush and enjoy the win 🙂

Tyler Grant76 said:If someone actually wants to improve the quality and pace of discussion here...

I’m being dead serious, so laugh all you want. What active users fail to realize is that for every registered Redditor, ten non-registered people show up daily (3,000 vs. 30,000). People come here primarily to read. Plus, most registered users don't even post, making the ratio of posters to readers roughly 1:30. That's why maintaining the quality of this Reddit is a constant goal, no matter how impossible it seems.

Tyler Grant76 said:Enivej, you can't control the quality of discussions on a massive Reddit like this with the current moderation system; it wouldn't even be worth it. So, I'm just trolling your repeated posts about it.

The number of new threads doubled from 100 to over 200 in a very short window, while post counts tripled from 3,000 to nearly 10,000—all while the moderator count stayed basically the same. But look, moderating a huge Reddit can be simplified significantly by focusing heavily on new threads and opening posts. It's easier to manage 200 threads than 10,000 individual posts. Well-structured new threads can mostly moderate themselves. And starting a topic properly is an art form that doesn't require being a moderator, right? Stupid threads should just be deleted, and it's better not to engage them with serious posts.

You probably know as well as I do that if you start writing seriously, both the tone and direction of the debate will shift. Even the typical internet idiots know how to change their tone. The writers create the tone of the discussion, not the moderators. Moderators can only save it if there's actually something left to save. We can keep this thread going in either a coherent or a trivial tone. Whatever.

Maria Barnes said:Look, I’m being dead serious here, so laugh if you want. What the regular users don't really grasp is that for every one registered member on Reddit, there are ten lurkers watching every day (that's 3,000 versus 30,000). Basically, people come here primarily to read. Plus, most of the registered folks who show up don't actually post anything, so the ratio of posters to readers is roughly 1:30. That's why maintaining the quality of the site is a constant goal, even if it feels impossible.

I'll be brief; I have to head to work.

Does your response mean that the Inquisitor's improper handling of policy will actually be stopped? I mean, people are watching 😁. Or are you going to tell me he stays on as a moderator just because nobody else wants the job?

Tyler Grant76 said:Keeping this brief, I've got work to get to.

Same here. 😉

All moderators need to stick to the same rulebook. Sure, there’s room for personal judgment. You have every right to flag any deviations, and we'll look into them. But let's be real: just because a moderator holds different political views doesn't mean they're doing a bad job.

Anyway, since the big boss is hanging around, I wanted to bring up the whole thing about deleting posts and threads. 😳

Why don't we just set an auto-delete rule? Like on some other Reddit communities I used to hang out in where everything stays pretty clean—if a thread goes inactive for a certain amount of time (maybe three months, a year, whatever), it just gets cleared out automatically.

Maria Barnes said:Me too. 😉

All moderators have to follow the exact same rulebook. Sure, there's room for some personal judgment. If there are any deviations, you've got every right to flag them, issue warnings, and we'll look into it. Just remember, a moderator with different political views isn't automatically a bad moderator.

aaaaaaaa, wow, such profound wisdom. Since you've finally started showing up on the football forum, maybe you could check why two out of the four mods on this sub don't even show up at the same time. Look, I reacted and warned, but you and the rest of them will look into it my ass.

Maria Barnes said:Me too! 😉

Every single moderator has to follow the exact same rulebook, obviously, though there’s always room for some individual judgment call here and there. You guys absolutely have the right to jump in and react to any deviations or issue warnings, and then we’ll step in to review everything. We just have to keep in mind that a moderator with a different political leaning isn't necessarily going to be a bad moderator.

Well, I don't really *have* to say anything, but I'll give you my two cents anyway.

I totally agree with those first three sentences, even if they sound a bit like textbook accounting definitions... kind of like saying "it's a general principle" or something super synthetic. Honestly, it's hard not to agree with them if we're actually acknowledging things like... the rules of the game or authority. Any criticism you throw out here has to be three times more logical just to prove a point, and even when you finally nail it, people just fall back on Rule 1. It's honestly impossible to talk about anything when terms like... objectivity, criticism, and logic... are treated like they're obsolete or just being nitpicky... or annoying? Whatever, just petty. And yet, at the same time, everyone keeps insisting on using those exact terms!
But hey, that's just how life works, not just on this Reddit thread.

And man, I completely, 100% agree with that last sentence. To put it in Reddit terms, I'm signing my name to it...
...I've always maintained that someone having a different sexual orientation—let's say a professor had one that was, I don't know, even something as extreme as pedophilia—that doesn't automatically mean that professor can't be an excellent ethics professor. 🙂 ...In fact, they might even be better at it...🙂

Maria Moore4 said:Why not just set a rule—like on another Reddit community I used to post in where everything works fine—to automatically delete threads once they go inactive for a certain period (three months, a year, whatever)?

That’s nonsense. It’s probably a server capacity thing. We're actually moving toward a new policy where we emphasize that your posts (the ones that pass moderation, anyway) will never be deleted and will always stay searchable. To me, that's a vital feature for Reddit. If you write something serious or funny—something that isn't just trivial garbage—would you really want it wiped out? Imagine if your personal blog deleted everything older than three months.

We're actually getting ready to bring those ancient posts from before December 2002 back into the light. There is gold in there. Plus, there's the sentimental value. 😉 Not to mention the educational, aesthetic, and social value...

Jacob Allen said:Honestly, how can anyone have a conversation here when terms like objectivity, criticism, or logic are treated as if they're obsolete or just being pedantic? It's all just petty nonsense.

Objectivity, criticism, and logic aren't outdated. And they sure as hell aren't "pedantic." But maybe people would actually listen if they stopped leading with insults—which happens way too often. I only stepped in because someone posted a decent point instead of shouting "you morons" at me for why I'm being moderated.

Maria Barnes said:...................

The boss has arrived. Greetings, 👋
.
On these rare occasions when you visit this Reddit sub (this is my first time meeting you), I simply must take the opportunity to point out an interesting discussion that took place on this subroom some time ago (in this thread).

I would particularly enjoy hearing your thoughts on one specific post of mine (you can actually read all my posts in that thread, in fact 😉) which I wrote a while back (some moderators viewed it as a constructive suggestion). If you have a moment of free time online, it would be great to hear your direct response. To get straight to the point,

You MUST read this post/suggestion—it might pique your interest.

And who knows, it might even help you out!

😉

Maria Barnes said:All moderators need to follow the same rulebook. Of course, there’s room for some subjective judgment. You have every right to step in or issue warnings regarding any deviations, and we'll look into it.

Maybe moderators should probably start by actually following the Reddit rules. People have reacted, so maybe just ask someone to catch you up. 😉

Keep in mind that a moderator with different political views isn't necessarily a bad moderator.

Well, obviously not. But, I'll say it again: just to clear things up, I'm not saying Inquisitor's freedom of speech should be limited by anything other than the site rules. As a user, no matter how much I might dislike his take—he’s an intelligent, articulate, and honestly pretty funny guy. He just needs a moderator 😁 who doesn't use their position to delete anyone with a different opinion, allow one-sided insults or threats, or shut down entire threads just to distort the truth. That... I guess that's just awful to me.

And as long as nobody—not the admins or you as the owner—takes action, I'll just assume you're okay with that style of moderation.

Look, Tyler Grant76, you don't need some official moderator badge to act on what you wrote in your own post over the next few hours; honestly, you could just delete the whole thing if you wanted to.

Besides, even a mod can only edit posts within their own subreddit, not someone else's territory.

But yeah, point taken—I’m certainly no moderator here on this subreddit.
Once the timer runs out, you'll get a notification, so there's really no reason to hit a like on something you don't actually agree with.

nimblewalker58 said:Hey Tyler Grant76, you don't need to be a moderator to edit your post settings for the next 30 minutes—you can even just delete the whole thing.

Or change it.

Look, nimblewalker58, I think anyone with half a brain realizes that isn't what I was getting at.

nimblewalker58 said:Hey Tyler Grant76, you don't need to be a moderator to apply your own post settings for the next 300 minutes—you can even just delete the whole thing if you want.

And honestly, a mod can only edit posts within their own subreddit, not someone else's.

🤣 🤣 Well, you definitely gave me an example there, haha. 😍 🙏

Anyway, I guess you might have gotten a bit mixed up while typing, but this Reddit is actually Maria Barnes's. And the subreddits? They belong to her. 😁 😁

Come on, give it a rest and try not to be so paranoid; just take a look at what’s happening up there. 🙂

nimblewalker58 said:Come on, try not to be so paranoid. Just look above. 🙂

What paranoia? I guess you just don't get what I'm saying, or maybe you're just not listening?

Sila said:Paranoia? Do you actually get what I'm saying here or what?

I hear you, really, but you're just swinging at thin air. You went after him on two different threads where he couldn't possibly be doing what you claim, and honestly, you just tanked your own credibility. My bad. If he were actually messing with the site policies, the admins would have stepped in—there would be a whole commotion about it, but there's nothing.

You’re acting like Medea. 😛