Where did my post go?

July 15, 2011 9:02 AM

My contribution to a thread has disappeared. Why?

I posted a response to a thread earlier today. It was not off-topic, or objectionable in anyway but has now vanished. How does this happen? Should I worry?

posted by epo to Etiquette/Policy at 9:02 AM (95 comments total)

You can always use the contact page to reach a mod and ask about specific deletions.

http://www.metafilter.com/contact/
posted by eyeballkid at 9:02 AM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

If it was in Ask MetaFilter, it probably broke the guidelines in some way (see the FAQ). Ask is moderated more tightly than the other parts of MeFi.
posted by Gator at 9:08 AM on July 15, 2011

Don't worry. It happens to a lot of people, myself included.

Like eyeballkid says, if you want to know why something was deleted, it's always good to ask the moderators; they can tell you. For reference, the moderators are jessamyn, cortex, mathowie, pb, restless_nomad, and sometimes vacapinta. They're the only ones who can delete posts or comments, so it'll be one of them that's responsible.

They're very easygoing, and asking about this stuff is no big deal, so it's worth dropping a line if you're worried about it.
posted by koeselitz at 9:08 AM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

Were you a dick?
posted by h00py at 9:09 AM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

Also, are you certain you actually posted it? There have been instances of distraction and/or friggin' old age when I thought I hit post but never did.
posted by tomswift at 9:09 AM on July 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

Man, I'm the dick. You said that you weren't. Maybe it didn't answer the question?
posted by h00py at 9:09 AM on July 15, 2011

How does this happen? Should I worry?

They come, and feed on your comments. It's the on-topic, unobjectionable ones they love most; the sweet, sweet flavor of constructive conversation is what draws them from the woodwork and into our threads. And with their filth-stained incisors they rip and tear it to shreds, fighting over it like wolves until there is nothing left but punctuation and the occasional HTML tag. And then, when their hunger is still not satiated, they turn toward us, the contributors themselves. And over the copper wires and sattelite beams they find us in our homes and offices and they devour us.

Dear god, what have you done?
posted by griphus at 9:11 AM on July 15, 2011 [40 favorites]

the moderators are jessamyn, cortex, mathowie, pb, restless_nomad, and sometimes vacapinta.

vacapinta: the "y" of the mod team.
posted by mendel at 9:13 AM on July 15, 2011 [116 favorites]

Okay, I just have to say I love the idea of pb secretly being a Ex P.F.C. Wintergreen sort, taking a break from coding and maintaining to randomly delete comments for being too prolix.
posted by griphus at 9:16 AM on July 15, 2011 [6 favorites]

But yeah, I thnk you should worry. They started wth my eyes (that's code).
posted by h00py at 9:16 AM on July 15, 2011

Pedantry: "post" and "comment" are not synonymous.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:17 AM on July 15, 2011 [3 favorites]

If you're using a recent MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or iPad 2, it's likely a problem with the device. Fortunately, I've figured out a fix that allows comments to stay up.

Please send your MacBook or iPad to Admiral Haddock c/o the Hotel Excelsior Bar in Boston, and I will turn my attention to the device promptly.

I apologize in advance if it gets lost in the mail upon my returning it to you, or the seemingly unadulterated box just has an old college textbook in it when it arrives.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 9:19 AM on July 15, 2011 [4 favorites]

shh, it's the mushroom curse...
posted by Ardiril at 9:20 AM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

Should I worry?

No you shouldn't - happens all the time. Also, you shouldn't worry about the lulz that will now follow in this thread. It may look like the regulars are making fun of you for being a noob, but it's mostly people letting off steam, inside jokes, comment performance art and trolling for favorites.
posted by Dr Dracator at 9:22 AM on July 15, 2011 [3 favorites]

There were a couple answers right off that bat in that askme, including but not restricted to yours, that were quick to answer with some variation of "I don't know anything about Australian Customs, but..." when it's a fairly specific question about that domain.

To some extent in those sorts of questions it's a pretty good idea to hold off if you find yourself saying "well, I don't actually know but..." and see what develops; if other folks don't address some aspect of it that you've got an answer for, coming back a bit later and adding that to the pile of advice can work well and get away from the potentially distracting "if you don't know, why are you answering" dynamic of this sort of thing.

So, not a huge deal but also not really the best sort of answer to open up a fairly specifically targeted thread with.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:22 AM on July 15, 2011 [4 favorites]

...taking a break from coding and maintaining to randomly delete comments...

heh, yeah, just to be clear: I never do this. Once in a while I'll remove an obvious double front page post but I never touch comments. On rare occasions I have pitched in when others are out on vacation to help moderate, but even then only a few times over the years.
posted by pb (staff) at 9:22 AM on July 15, 2011

To some extent in those sorts of questions it's a pretty good idea to hold off if you find yourself saying "well, I don't actually know but..." and see what develops; if other folks don't address some aspect of it that you've got an answer for, coming back a bit later and adding that to the pile of advice can work well and get away from the potentially distracting "if you don't know, why are you answering" dynamic of this sort of thing.

I often favorite a thread in this sort of situation and come back to it later. Usually someone else with more direct knowledge answers the question. Sometimes they don't, so I'll put my two cents in after it falls off the front page of AskMe.

In general, if you feel the need to apologize in advance for your post or comment, you should really think twice about whether it is necessary at all, or if it would be better postponed.
posted by grouse at 9:27 AM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

heh, yeah, just to be clear: I never do this.

That's right, folks: he never takes a break from coding.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:27 AM on July 15, 2011 [26 favorites]

Pedantry: "post" and "comment" are not synonymous.

Hmm, around here I thought they were pretty interchangeable. Maybe I've just missed the cues.
posted by Think_Long at 9:27 AM on July 15, 2011

That's right, folks: he never takes a break from coding.

He can't, winter is coming.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:33 AM on July 15, 2011 [25 favorites]

Chrysostom: "Pedantry: "post" and "comment" are not synonymous."

A comment is a post. A front-page post is a post. An AskMe question is a post. See?
posted by mkb at 9:46 AM on July 15, 2011

Contact the authorities. I'll round up a posse. The rest of you, gather up empty bottles, rags and gasoline. They won't get away with this.
posted by Splunge at 9:49 AM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

who? the Mod Squad?
posted by infini at 9:50 AM on July 15, 2011

I don't know about that.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 9:51 AM on July 15, 2011

I personally feel pretty strongly about comments being comments and posts being posts, even if they're both things that you can post. As far as disambiguating stuff in discussion, it can be a useful distinction, as for example when I go to try and find someone's deleted post but they haven't had any posts deleted.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:52 AM on July 15, 2011 [9 favorites]

He can't, winter is coming.

Spoiler alert please!
posted by inigo2 at 9:53 AM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

I put a tagline in an Ask for which I was the OP. It got deleted.
The next morning as I was groggily getting the coffee filter dropped into place, I realized that the only reason I hadn't posted a MeTa that read something like: "Why was my own tagline removed from my own Ask?" was that it wasn't, in my estimation, a very funny tagline.

Realizing that I would have posted such a MeTa if I had happened to believe that my eyeroll-inducing barely-tolerated injoke fetish deserved a snowflake award in this case-- especially since the AskMe guidelines, and maybe the.. uh.. ability to act like a grown-up and minimize MeTa noise (which I have, I swear I do.. at least when it comes to the front page), are plenty reason enough to let it go regardless of how Oscar-worthy it may have been in our wildest fantasies-- made me giggle.
posted by herbplarfegan at 10:35 AM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

SPOILER ALERT: Meanwhile, cortex spends all year writing songs and playing Minecraft, so when winter comes he has to beg pb for bits.
posted by InfidelZombie at 10:39 AM on July 15, 2011 [8 favorites]

Alert the spoilers!
posted by P.o.B. at 11:12 AM on July 15, 2011

so when winter comes he has to beg pb for bits

Nah, he just steals pb's bitbucket. I can has? /walrus
posted by axiom at 11:19 AM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

excuse me but I think you mean bitbukkit tyvm

In related bukkit news, I was resetting someone's email password the other day, and panix informed me that my chosen throwaway password was unacceptable, as it was based upon a dictionary word. The password? LOLRUSBUKKIT.

in conclusion, panix.com is staffed by lolcats.
posted by elizardbits at 11:30 AM on July 15, 2011 [8 favorites]

Alert the spoilers!

"She has a penis" and "it's his father" are drunk, "he's been dead all along" is on vacation and "it was all a dream" is working double shifts at the restaurant.
posted by griphus at 11:43 AM on July 15, 2011 [4 favorites]

No, I will beg pb for bitcoins.

And someone did, no shit, steal my bucket the other day. It's the bucket we use to water our young tree in the front yard median strip; it has holes in the bottom for the water to trickle out of.

Someone stole my bucket that has holes in it.
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:48 AM on July 15, 2011 [25 favorites]

maybe the thieves names were georgie and liza?
posted by nadawi at 11:52 AM on July 15, 2011 [8 favorites]

...and the crime is solved in 4 minutes!
YAY MetaFilter!
posted by Floydd at 11:56 AM on July 15, 2011

He can't, winter is coming.

Spoiler alert please!

[Mouseover for spoilers!]
posted by quin at 12:01 PM on July 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

Someone stole my bucket that has holes in it.

Holey stolen bucket, Batman!
posted by The World Famous at 12:09 PM on July 15, 2011 [14 favorites]

Yes. I would definately let it ruin my Friday if I were you.

How could you? Now we have to wait for the locusts, tsunamis, and rashes that will fall upon ALL of us.

Damn you!!!
posted by stormpooper at 12:37 PM on July 15, 2011

Should I worry?

Only if you keep jumping in on new questions that you have no knowledge about, which I'm sure you wont.

Unless you don't know much about anything, which happens.
posted by longsleeves at 1:44 PM on July 15, 2011

my bucket that has holes in it.

Dear Liza....

damn, so close
posted by edgeways at 1:56 PM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

Spring and summer.
Yes.
Then fall and winter.
Yes.
posted by clavdivs at 2:10 PM on July 15, 2011

Dear Liza.....

I never thought this would happen to me, but
posted by shakespeherian at 2:24 PM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

I await the season of the witch.
posted by The Whelk at 2:25 PM on July 15, 2011

Last season was Spring, Spring
Now it's Summer, Summer
Next it's Fall, Fall
And Winter comes afterwards...
I don't want this year to end
posted by wildcrdj at 2:34 PM on July 15, 2011

Someone stole my bucket that has holes in it.

Dude, you're like this close to having come up with a Zen koan here:

A student was visiting his teacher at the temple when he learned that a thief had made off with the teacher's watering bucket the night before.

"Aren't you upset at the thief?" asked the student. "No, for he is not a thief," replied the teacher. "But he took your watering bucket," he persisted.

The master paused for a bit. "One cannot steal knowledge. Wet feet and an empty bucket makes a far better teacher of Zen than I or anyone else at this temple."

posted by Rhomboid at 2:35 PM on July 15, 2011 [7 favorites]

I like to think that some helpful dog took that bucket, and trotted proudly home with it, handle in his teeth. He happily set it down at his master's feet, who thought: "Aw, shit. Not again. Where did you get that?" And really wished the dog would answer, so he could return that bucket to you.

Cortex, that dog didn't steal your bucket. He found it.
posted by likeso at 2:52 PM on July 15, 2011 [8 favorites]

He just tosses it on the growing pile of slightly damaged hardware.
posted by The Whelk at 2:54 PM on July 15, 2011

Someone stole my bucket that has holes in it.

I so want you to put up flyers all over town, with "Haf u seen mah bukkit?" on them.

And tear strips.
posted by misha at 2:55 PM on July 15, 2011 [4 favorites]

A comment is a post. A front-page post is a post. An AskMe question is a post. See?

What? No! A comment is a comment. A post is a post. A question is a question.

'Front-page post' is a nonsense; all posts go on the front page. 'Original poster' is also a nonsense: there is only one poster, s/he who posted the post.

I have no idea why this stuff gets on my wick so much. It may be some sort of medical condition.
posted by jack_mo at 3:10 PM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

Except of course for the myth of The One True Poster, oh whom we are all but pale reflections of.
posted by The Whelk at 3:13 PM on July 15, 2011

No thread needs spoilers unless it's doing 200 MPH on a track. Otherwise you're just making your thread look stupid.
posted by Splunge at 3:17 PM on July 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

What would be the equivalent of hitting the nitro button on a thread?
posted by The Whelk at 3:20 PM on July 15, 2011

Declawing a cat while circumcising it.
posted by Splunge at 3:22 PM on July 15, 2011

President "Bobby": Mr. Gardner, do you agree with Ben, or do you think that we can stimulate growth through temporary incentives?
[Long pause]
Chance the Gardener: As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. And all will be well in the garden.
President "Bobby": In the garden.
Chance the Gardener: Yes. In the garden, growth has it seasons. First comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And then we get spring and summer again.
President "Bobby": Spring and summer.
Chance the Gardener: Yes.
President "Bobby": Then fall and winter.
Chance the Gardener: Yes.
Benjamin Rand: I think what our insightful young friend is saying is that we welcome the inevitable seasons of nature, but we're upset by the seasons of our economy.
Chance the Gardener: Yes! There will be growth in the spring!
Benjamin Rand: Hmm!
Chance the Gardener: Hmm!
President "Bobby": Hm. Well, Mr. Gardner, I must admit that is one of the most refreshing and optimistic statements I've heard in a very, very long time.
[Benjamin Rand applauds]
President "Bobby": I admire your good, solid sense. That's precisely what we lack on Capitol Hill.
posted by Splunge at 3:23 PM on July 15, 2011 [4 favorites]

I have no idea why this stuff gets on my wick so much. It may be some sort of medical condition.

Does it also cause you to take buckets and transport them across international borders? Oh, and are you a canine?

(still seeing that dog. he's a Golden Lab.)
posted by likeso at 3:25 PM on July 15, 2011

Do you read a lot of Dean Koontz?
posted by Splunge at 3:27 PM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

No, I like to watch.
posted by likeso at 3:28 PM on July 15, 2011

::shiver::
posted by Splunge at 3:30 PM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

Aw, I had hoped for Eve Rand's response...
posted by likeso at 3:33 PM on July 15, 2011

The curious incident of the bucket in the garden.
posted by The Whelk at 3:33 PM on July 15, 2011

To the last visible dog.
posted by likeso at 3:35 PM on July 15, 2011

Aw heck, I totally missed that. -1 internets for me.
posted by Splunge at 3:36 PM on July 15, 2011

Nah, your original reference had you at +2, so you're holding steady at a respectable +1.
Now walk meaningfully on water off into the distance.

[Aaaaaand fade to black. Roll credits.]
posted by likeso at 3:49 PM on July 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

I'm waiting for the fandom character reveal after the credits.
posted by The Whelk at 4:08 PM on July 15, 2011

taking a break from coding and maintaining to randomly delete comments

Silly people, everyone knows that it is the database itself that does this. The poor database administrator is the one who has the nervous breakdown trying to replicate how it happened.

Meanwhile, the database sits on the server, chucking. Databases are mean.
posted by winna at 4:35 PM on July 15, 2011

Once in a while I'll remove an obvious double front page post

And when you do I bet you're all "Fuck yeah! update threads set deleted = 't', reason = 'HA HA HA DOUBLE LOLZ' where id = 123456;"

I'm jealous.
posted by A dead Quaker at 5:22 PM on July 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

Just purchased and downloaded Mother's Milk. I know I have that CD somewhere. But I just had to listen to it right now.

It actually took over an hour to figure out how to do it thru Amazon and sync it thru iTunes.

I was going to kill myself but it eventually worked.

That CD is one of the best in the world. I'm going to listen to it again.

Haters can check themselves or something...
posted by Splunge at 5:53 PM on July 15, 2011

Splunge: "Do you read a lot of Dean Koontz?"

Splunge: "::shiver::"

I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE.

but seriously, Watchers is my faaaaaaavorite.
posted by IndigoRain at 6:00 PM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

Someone stole my bucket that has holes in it.

Keep an eye out for people with wet shoes.
posted by oneirodynia at 6:02 PM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

well, I don't actually know but...

I used to do this, but I have mostly trained myself to stop, delete it, and move on to more familiar pastures.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 8:14 PM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

I shit you not, one of my comments just disappeared from an AskMe as well. I am going to A) sob, B) read this MeTa and see what to do, C) have a beer.
posted by deep thought sunstar at 10:09 PM on July 15, 2011

Someone stole my bucket that has holes in it.

That means cain't neither you nor Hank buy no beer.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 10:10 PM on July 15, 2011

mmmmmm beer
posted by deep thought sunstar at 10:31 PM on July 15, 2011

I.... kind of like where this thread went.

Of course Cortex no longer has a bucket to piss in, but somewhere out there is one confused sand castle builder.
posted by edgeways at 11:12 PM on July 15, 2011

I kidnapped cortex's bucket. I'm holding it ransom for 1000 favorites and two flameouts. If I don't get these by next week I'm going to mix concrete in it and let it cure.

I was going to threaten to punch holes in it but that plan didn't turn out so great.
posted by loquacious at 11:22 PM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

"Help me! Help me!"
"Loquacious has me tied up in the cellar"
posted by hugbucket at 12:50 AM on July 16, 2011 [3 favorites]

"Loquacious has me tied up in the cellar"

Hey, that might be more fun than you think.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 12:53 AM on July 16, 2011

But more expensive.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:27 AM on July 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

20 bucks, same as in Brandon's cellar.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:00 AM on July 16, 2011 [6 favorites]

Should I worry?

Oh, Big Brother no. Smile at the screens. Be doubleplus grateful that your thoughts were corrected in time. Hope that they need not require correction again.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 2:06 AM on July 16, 2011

The comment obviously squeezed its way through the holes in the bucket while it was being carried to the database.

The first few moments must have been exciting, to be out there in the world, free. Then it glanced back and saw all its fellow comments still in the bucket. "Squeeze through!", it shouted. "The holes! You can leave through the holes!". But none of them came.

See they were obese with relevance, fat on actual answers, and the holes in the bucket were oh so tiny. Their fate is to be consigned to the bowels of the database where we can observe them, at least until the next big Memory Module Failure.

And as the newly freed little comment lay there on the grass all alone. It knew there were others like it out there somewhere. And it resolved itself to finding them.
posted by xqwzts at 2:36 AM on July 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

20 bucks, same as in Brandon's cellar.

Pah! You guys would sell your grandma's voicemail for a beer
posted by infini at 3:26 AM on July 16, 2011

"Loquacious has me tied up in the cellar"

God damnit I get this txt like once a week
posted by The Whelk at 6:30 AM on July 16, 2011

Only when I'm drunk!
posted by P.o.B. at 6:48 AM on July 16, 2011

This is my favourite MeTa in recent memory.
posted by Phire at 12:28 PM on July 16, 2011

Wait this is confusing. Bitbucket, right. Someone stole a bucket that has holes in it. So no bits any more, but potential wet feet. No, some helpful dog took that bucket. Wet paws.
No, the holy pitbullbucket got locked up in Loquacious' cellar. Wet floor. Happens once a week. Moldy floor. Costs as much as Brandon's moldy floor. I get that too. Where's the dog now? Probably also drunk. But who is the real culprit?

Honey badger, I'm sure. There must be some logic somewhere.
posted by Namlit at 1:09 PM on July 16, 2011

may cortex and now long gone shmoopy forgive me

its leaking hugs, not water
posted by infini at 1:24 PM on July 16, 2011

Honey badger, I'm sure. There must be some logic somewhere.

Namlit! Are you smoking in class? I hope you brought enough to share with everyone!
posted by loquacious at 1:50 PM on July 16, 2011 [2 favorites]

If we only had an intact bucket, we could put him out.
posted by maryr at 2:09 PM on July 16, 2011

Still getting over a persistent cold. Maybe that's it...
posted by Namlit at 2:41 PM on July 16, 2011

My bucket has a hole in it. No really. When I left it last night it was a bucket in good shape. This morning it had a hole in it.
posted by nola at 7:35 PM on July 16, 2011

Someone desperately needs Metafilters' Buckets....
posted by The Whelk at 8:09 PM on July 16, 2011

If my uncle who's into topology were here, he'd want you to know that all buckets have a hole in them, otherwise you wouldn't be able to pour anything in or out.
posted by nebulawindphone at 6:38 PM on July 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

If my uncle who's into topology were here, he'd want you to know that all buckets have a hole in them, otherwise you wouldn't be able to pour anything in or out.

That's not true at all. A proper bucket has a genus of 0, meaning it as no holes in it. Topologically a bucket has the same number of holes as a flat disk or a sphere - zero.

A coffee cup on the other hand has a genus of 1, like a donut or a garden hose it has one hole. In the handle.
posted by loquacious at 7:52 PM on July 17, 2011

If my uncle who's into topology were here, he'd give me a dirty look and buy loquacious a drink.
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:58 PM on July 17, 2011 [2 favorites]