What Happened to the Quitting the Site Thread?

[Voboy]

Simple. Logical.

Trust me most still won't accept that lol.

I mean, "conspiratorial" is so much more fun.

 

[Erozetta]

I meant from her point of view.

It's still not instantaneous. I essentially watched my account get deleted in real time. took about 3-5 minutes if I recall correctly.

 

[SimonDoom]

The onus is on the post puller to manage their own content, and that includes threads they start but no longer want.

Why should the site act as curator?

In this instance, the "no obviously good reason" was the OP taking their bat and ball and going home, and taking their commentarista along with them. Who really cares, except people caring on principle?

I don't think the site should be a curator, but I don't think a contributor should be able to unilaterally delete a thread they started. They can delete their post or anonymize their name, but it seems unfortunate that everyone else who has contributed has their own content deleted as well.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I don't think the site should be a curator, but I don't think a contributor should be able to unilaterally delete a thread they started. They can delete their post or anonymize their name, but it seems unfortunate that everyone else who has contributed has their own content deleted as well.

That's a bit like saying our content is always golden, but the really aggrieved person who has left the site, their rights are mud.

You and I are okay though. There's no way if I get the shits that badly, that I'm going to trawl my post history and delete it all. There's a moral here - be careful what you write on the internet, because one day you might change your mind.

 

[AG31]

The FAQs clearly say that if you want your forum content removed, you have to go through and do that yourself BEFORE you ask for your account to be deleted.

I don't see any option to delete any thread I created?

It's up the top somewhere, around the first post.

I'm going to post a new thread titled "Test to see if I can delete this." I'll do it right now, because in the past I've just edited a post with "deleted" in the subject and body.

 

[AG31]

I'm going to post a new thread titled "Test to see if I can delete this." I'll do it right now, because in the past I've just edited a post with "deleted" in the subject and body.

Well, I can't see any way to delete it. Just to edit it.

 

[Bamagan]

I think the forum software used here allows for deactivation of accounts as well deletion. In the former case, the content is preserved but scrubbed of any account-related details, leaving things like 'Guest' comments, with the potential to be restored someday. Deletion would be a total purge.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

It's up the top somewhere, around the first post. I recall doing it once, when I raised a new thread and changed my mind half an hour later.

I started this thread and I can't find a 'delete thread' button on it.

Who really cares, except people caring on principle?

Another member should not be able to delete my (or your) posts unilaterally.

There is no way that this should have happened.

If the thread was deleted as content of a deleted account, then that is either a bug or a terrible setting option that the admin needs to change.

If the thread was deleted on request by the owner of deleted account, then the admin should not have granted it. That's careless, bad modding. If the leaving member wanted content deleted, she should have done it herself before she hit delete, but only her own posts, even if that means editing the text of posts to "..."

If the thread was deleted because someone said something over the top nasty, then only that post should have been modded, not the entire thread.

Either way ... MAJOR fuck up! And not just a simple oops, either. This is something that anyone with one-quarter of a brain and a little forum experience should handle easily in their sleep. Very unimpressed, I have to say. : /

 

[pink_silk_glove]

That's a bit like saying our content is always golden, but the really aggrieved person who has left the site, their rights are mud.

Their rights to what? Their rights to delete other people's content? They have a right to leave. They have a right to edit away their own posts. they have a right to delete their account and info. none of that was violated. The (former) member's rights were upheld 100%. It's OUR right to not have our posts snuffed out by someone who is having a tantrum snit. Amber can take her ball and go home (and she did) but she can't take our ball too (but somehow she did!). It's a black mark on the admin for sure.

 

[lovecraft68]

I don't think the site should be a curator, but I don't think a contributor should be able to unilaterally delete a thread they started. They can delete their post or anonymize their name, but it seems unfortunate that everyone else who has contributed has their own content deleted as well.

FFS no one can delete a thread other than Laurel/Manu. Mods cannot delete a thread. The OP cannot delete a thread.

They can ask that the site do it, and at that point its up to the site.

And what is this BS about "your content" shouldn't be deleted? What content? Your opinions expressed in posts? That's content now?

Trust me, whatever anyone said in that thread is something they've said 100 times already and will say another 100 times.

The hubris here is only exceeded by butthurt.

Maybe you should see if Lit has an HR department.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I think the forum software used here allows for deactivation of accounts as well deletion. In the former case, the content is preserved but scrubbed of any account-related details, leaving things like 'Guest' comments, with the potential to be restored someday. Deletion would be a total purge.

That's what I'm thinking of, "Guest".

I think in my case, I purged my first post, then reported my own thread asking for it to be deleted. It was gone within a day.

I remember now, what and when it was - several months ago in the Visual Artists' Corner, I raised a thread to start posting drawings, then changed my mind. I removed the content, and either the Mod or the Site removed the empty thread.

 

[Cacatua_Galerita]

Damn. It’s 9am here, so I missed the last 12 hours of that thread; everything that came after I posted.

Sorry for anyone who replied that I was right/wrong/righteous/retarded, I would like to have seen your views.

- -

Having noticed all the holes in the “Misquote the person above you” chain of posts, it is evident that the forum does remove all the user’s posts when their ID is deleted. If a post happens to be the OP of a thread, then it seems the whole thread disappears.

I know the Lit FAQ explains how to leave stories available when an author account is deleted but I'm unsure if the forum side has such an option. The default seems to be removal.

 

[MelissaBaby]

FFS no one can delete a thread other than Laurel/Manu. Mods cannot delete a thread. The OP cannot delete a thread.

They can ask that the site do it, and at that point its up to the site.

And what is this BS about "your content" shouldn't be deleted? What content? Your opinions expressed in posts? That's content now?

Trust me, whatever anyone said in that thread is something they've said 100 times already and will say another 100 times.

The hubris here is only exceeded by butthurt.

Maybe you should see if Lit has an HR department.

Just think of all the Yahoo groups that got wiped, and all the Tumblr pages that were purged.

Oh, the humanity!

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Usually if someone deletes their account the thread stays but you'll see the name "guest" instead of the former user handle.

I've seen the same, but can it be that it happens only when the forum account gets deleted/banned, but not the story side one? In AmberSolis' case, both accounts were deleted. Or is it maybe that a user can request total deletion of their threads together with their account - done by the admin in that case?

I've seen more than enough post deletions to think highly of admins here, but in this case, it could be linked to this complete account nukage, who knows?

 

[SimonDoom]

All I can say is, if @TarnishedPenny leaves and they delete the limerick thread, I'm going to be pissed.

 

[Cacatua_Galerita]

I still have pages 1 & 2 of the Quitting thread open in other tabs.

How do I monetize this?

(I’ll let you peek for a nickel.)

 

[lovecraft68]

There's a long history in this forum of people coming here because they're upset they feel their story was unfairly booted (and often times it was true) or accused of AI unfairly, or their story has been pending for weeks, etc...and at some point if those people have the nerve to be unhappy about it, they are told tough shit, their site their rules, don't like it leave.

Now some of the same people are crying over their precious posts being deleted 'unfairly'

So, how does it feel?

The OP left because of what they felt like was the unfair way some stories are treated here by readers in a certain (and oh so special category) then of course, the thread filled with the aforementioned people who think everyone should just choose to put up with what they feel is bullshit. The OP then, upset over pretty much having the unsupportive readership backed up by forum members circling the wagons and defending things here and making that person feel bad they bothered posting anything, (may have) asked to have the thread deleted

And now they're still being abused.

Good job everyone.

I'm considered a troll here on occasions, but the lynch mob mentality here continues to raise its head.

That thread was about someone's feelings they took seriously, and now we have a splinter thread full of people whining about THEIR feelings over having their self-important posts removed.

This is the definition of first world problems. I wish my life was so drama free a deleted post would be something I'd care about.

 

[Voboy]

There's a long history in this forum of people coming here because they're upset they feel their story was unfairly booted (and often times it was true) or accused of AI unfairly, or their story has been pending for weeks, etc...and at some point if those people have the nerve to be unhappy about it, they are told tough shit, their site their rules, don't like it leave.

Now some of the same people are crying over their precious posts being deleted 'unfairly'

So, how does it feel?

The OP left because of what they felt like was the unfair way some stories are treated here by readers in a certain (and oh so special category) then of course, the thread filled with the aforementioned people who think everyone should just choose to put up with what they feel is bullshit. The OP then, upset over pretty much having the unsupportive readership backed up by forum members circling the wagons and defending things here and making that person feel bad they bothered posting anything, (may have) asked to have the thread deleted

And now they're still being abused.

Good job everyone.

I'm considered a troll here on occasions, but the lynch mob mentality here continues to raise its head.

That thread was about someone's feelings they took seriously, and now we have a splinter thread full of people whining about THEIR feelings over having their self-important posts removed.

This is the definition of first world problems. I wish my life was so drama free a deleted post would be something I'd care about.

You're a contrarian. We get it.

That thread was going in interesting and constructive directions. It was a conversation many of us were enjoying. If you weren't into it, that's cool; there's no need, in that case, for you to come over here and virtue-signal about how special you are because you don't mind having your posts nuked.

And yet? Here you are.

 

[SimonDoom]

That's a bit like saying our content is always golden, but the really aggrieved person who has left the site, their rights are mud.

I see it a bit differently.

I think someone should have the option of deleting their posts and their name if they want to. But I've also always believed that nobody "owns" a thread just because they started it. You start a thread with the understanding that once it has begun, nobody owns it. Threads take off in unexpected directions. People offer different perspectives. That's a good thing. Threads may give rise to useful conversations even if after a point they no longer serve the purpose intended by the OP. I don't see it as disrespectful to the OP that a thread should continue just because the OP doesn't want it to. We are all authors of this thread. We all have a stake in it.

Is it a really big deal? Of course not. But I think it's fair to be chagrined, a little, when the site makes a thread that many found interesting and useful vanish just because its originator wanted it to.

I won't lose sleep over it, but those are my two cents.

 

[SinclairGroupLLP]

It’s kind of surprising to me that we have folks in here who have been on this site for twenty years and nobody seems to actually know how these forums work and none of the site staff who do are willing to explain it.

Kind of head scratching.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

There's a long history in this forum of people coming here because they're upset they feel their story was unfairly booted (and often times it was true) or accused of AI unfairly, or their story has been pending for weeks, etc...and at some point if those people have the nerve to be unhappy about it, they are told tough shit, their site their rules, don't like it leave.

Now some of the same people are crying over their precious posts being deleted 'unfairly'

So, how does it feel?

The OP left because of what they felt like was the unfair way some stories are treated here by readers in a certain (and oh so special category) then of course, the thread filled with the aforementioned people who think everyone should just choose to put up with what they feel is bullshit. The OP then, upset over pretty much having the unsupportive readership backed up by forum members circling the wagons and defending things here and making that person feel bad they bothered posting anything, (may have) asked to have the thread deleted

And now they're still being abused.

Good job everyone.

I'm considered a troll here on occasions, but the lynch mob mentality here continues to raise its head.

That thread was about someone's feelings they took seriously, and now we have a splinter thread full of people whining about THEIR feelings over having their self-important posts removed.

This is the definition of first world problems. I wish my life was so drama free a deleted post would be something I'd care about.

Tbf I wasn't replying on that thread because anyone, in any online community, is entitled to leave whenever they want, regardless of their reasons. What got me invested was the diverse viewpoints that people here have on writing. It was an interesting conversation, which quite frankly was really concerning how abrupt it ended.

Be that as it may, I don't really care about who deleted that thread. Whether it was Laurel/Manu, or the OP requesting it, matters not to me because the only opinion they care about it is their own. Nevertheless, the mere existence of this thread just confirms to me how many people who have been here since I was a tween still don't know shit about Internet culture, let alone that forum threads can be just as volatile as imageboard threads. Well, not exactly as volatile, but they certainly can be just as dramatic.

But I'll be good this time and put myself on your side because the solution could've been as simple as making another thread to carry on with that discussion; a fresh start!

 

[Cacatua_Galerita]

It’s kind of surprising to me that we have folks in here who have been on this site for twenty years and nobody seems to actually know how these forums work and none of the site staff who do are willing to explain it.

Kind of head scratching.

Deleting accounts doesn’t happen that often. At least, not while they have an active thread on the go.

I was aware that forum posts disappear, along with the deleted accounts, because I see it happen in the “Misquote the person above” game. (E.g. Here’s Tio_Narratore citing a post by Freewives (deleted account) – the citation still exists but the earlier post is 404’d.)

Few of us realized the effect this erasure has on entire threads, when the originating post gets deleted. I’m sure AmberSolis did not know this would happen. Why make a departing post about why you are quitting if that post will disappear as you quit? (I think it took a day for the account removal to actually happen, that’s why we got a chance to see and respond to her thread.)

So there was no censorship, no retaliation, no inappropriate posts. People are reading too much emotion into this. The disappearing thread was normal site behavior for when a user deletes their own account and they are the originator of a thread. The clean-up was automatically enacted by a computer, without any emotions being involved.

However, like a blue-screen-of-death that steals away your cogitated email draft, people are going to be upset that their freshly posted opinions got blown away unexpectedly. Even AmberSolis might be upset that her parting message is now (probably unintentionally) gone, because I don’t think she knew that deleting her account will delete all her posts (and thus, zap the parting thread she created).

 

[lovecraft68]

I messaged the mod and received confirmation that it was Laurel who removed the thread. Now that it's easier to do with the new software this will be standard practice, so no more removal of stories but forum threads remaining. No more "guest' threads.

This means if someone who has been here for some time decides to ask for their account to be banned a lot of threads are going to go up in smoke. I imagine any post quoted in a thread the former member did not start will remain, but anything they generated will not.

Now that you know it was the site (some of us knew this anyway) you can stop abusing the OP on their way out the door and let's see if the righteous indignation continues now that it has to be directed at the owner of the site.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

On threads in which people have posted full stories or fragments I've read sometimes the advice to keep a copy of the posted work somewhere else in case/before it gets nuked. It might be time to follow your own advice for some of the threads that you might be concerned about their deletion. The Limerick one was mentioned.

 

[AG31]

I wish the admins had a policy of explaining why they delete threads, so we could learn from experience. In this and an earlier conversation about a deleted thread, no one really knew the reason for it.