AB ed, technical question

[dotjhawkes]

I was wondering how the technical stuff works on here at just after midnight on a Friday to ensure any irrelevant threads are removed quickly. It must be quite a complex and highly intelligent system to be able to pounce so devastatingly fast. Or are there a number of ABers, or one with several IDs able to report the irrelevent threads and remove them?.

I also wondered what their motive/ brief was and how they arrive at the decision to remove the offending post. (No doubt this thread will be remnoved by the powers that be also.)

[Genesis]

I can't see why you're puzzled dot. You sound a little miffed. If the thread is irrelevant, it has every right to be removed by whatever means, surely? And that could be either by AB users using the report facility which was given to them directly as a result of being suggested by the users, or by the AB Ed who makes the decisions anyway.

Plain and simple really. The answer is not to post irrelevancies, and then people won't get upset when they're removed.

[dotjhawkes]

The thread that was removed tonight was from a regular user who had been absent for a short period and simply put a thread up to ask what had happened. That user will now be aware that their enquiry has been reported and removed without explanation, I would get upset in that situation, but that's just me I suppose. A short post on the offending thread by those who feel it is inappropriate for the category, which includes a quick message saying, 'I am reporting your thread for such and such a reason' would perhaps be the way to handle this, as the thread removed earlier was in no way offensive just curious.

[jno]

it was Chat.

[qapmoc]

Just how many users have to report a thread for it to vanish anyway ? , sometimes it seems to me that it is one.
Also it would be usefull for deleted posts or questions to have a list of the reasons given for its removal, at least you would get some idea of what it is that has upset somebody.

[lou 26]

well i agree with you Dot, for someone who wasnt aware of what had happened to cb and was trying to find out where else were they supposed to put the question???? jno, if there was somewhere else to post the question im sure that the "offending" person would have posted it there. and i notice youre quick enough to join in the "chat"

[THECORBYLOON]

From memory, I think it's been said that only three or four reports are needed to automatically remove a post until ABE can see if the reports are justified. It's annoying when it's done for badness but think of all the offensive posts that are removed quickly because of the facility.

[jno]

I wasn't condemning it lou and I didn't report it, I was just identifying why someone else might have done. The question itself wasn't chatty but the answers were. AB Ed might reinstate it on Monday, but as Homer got an answer to his query, I don't suppose there'd be much point.

[AB Editor]

Hi dotjhawkes

When posts have multiple reports against them, they are temporarily suspended until they can be cleared by a moderator.

I cannot answer for people's intentions, unfortunately.

AB Editor