Moderating comments

[Mainefiddleheads]

I've noticed on some stories that comments I make are placed into moderation before being posted. Is this a new and common feature or have I been a bad man somewhere?

 

[AlinaX]

For the past few months, it happens always for me.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I believe that the site has done this for a very long time, perhaps from the beginning.

I've never had a comment altered or rejected. Usually they get posted within twenty-four hours.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Comment moderation started a year or so ago, in response to repeated spam attacks on the Comment files. It's a process less interested in moderation as such, more a tool to get rid of spam and untrustworthy hyperlinks. From what we can see, it's a batch process, we assume with some automation, that takes anywhere from fifteen minutes to several hours. All comments are moderated, and the time taken probably depends on the size and timing of the next batch.

It's unlikely human eyes are checking each comment, and hostile comments will still go through. Hate crime and racist comments will be removed by the site (this has always happened), but otherwise it remains up to each author to look after their front lawn. Some writers keep every comment, others get rid of junk - it's completely up to each writer to police the comments they receive. There are no "rules" about that, you decide - there used to be folk who tried to shame those authors who did delete comments, but thankfully they have moved on.

Comments can suddenly disappear - that's because Laurel does run patrols, or comments get reported, or an Account gets banned. If an account is deleted, their comments get deleted too.

Hope this helps. Other denizens of the AH might remember other key points, but that's the short history.