Can you stop deleting threads?

[IKbentim]

What is this? Is this some kind of Kim Jong Il fan forum where we can only praise the dear leader?

Stop deleting threads! If they are against policy close them with a message why the thread is closed. Otherwise people will never learn what is allowed and what's not allowed.

Some thread about this site being slow has been deleted, some thread with an apology letter has been deleted. Every form of criticism against BHW is being deleted. I think some criticism is fair because a lot of members are paying for this site in different ways (JR Vip/ Donor / BST threads / Clicking banners).

Please close threads with a reason why the thread is closed so people can learn from it next time.

[oxonbeef]

Starting a thread by attacking the owner, admin and mods isn't going go to
get you far either.

[dankerman666]

Ding Ding

Who wants to hear people complain about their problems anyway?

[Nookie Monster]

A forum is not a democracy. If the powers that be find the thread to be undesirable then I guess it's their right to do what ever.

I come here to learn and interact with the community. Not to gripe and complain.

[abysse]

Every form of criticism against BHW is being deleted

And this is why your account will be deleted

[proxygo]

i think what the guy was trying to say was..
if for some reason a thread is locked would it
be possible for some1 to let users no why it was
done - it serves as a warning not to do so again
rather than repeat that mistake and get an infraction
for it.. did that sound better

[davids355]

I do sort of agree with OP, ProxyGo put it in a much nicer way though regardless of the subject matter, IF its a real person behind the post, then a bit of communication doesn't hurt - that way they know what not to do next time

[fun4uoc]

Stop deleting threads! If they are against policy close them with a message why the thread is closed. Otherwise people will never learn what is allowed and what's not allowed.

Do you even have any clue has to how many threads mods have to delete everyday???

Being a mod is not a paid position, and they are here to make money, just like anyone else. I highly doubt that mods want to spend the time explaining why a thread was deleted.

In short, if you don't like it, GTFO!!!

[BigBuddy]

Everyday, we are closing and deleting many threads. We will post in the thread before closing, if it seems fit.

The threads related to spam, indirect selling will be removed without any explanation.

Criticizing threads related to BHW or BHW staff members will also get removed. If you have issues, you can pm any mods and we are happy to help you.

Btw, I checked and did nt see any threads been posted criticizing BHW for the past 1 week.

So, be clear about the threads you are pointing out.

[meathead1234]

Do you have any evidence to back up "people will learn from closing threads"?

They don't. They just carry on doing the same as before.

I tried it in the site flipping section for a while (even though it's a lot more work than just deleting stupid threads) and people carry on breaking the rules/posting in the wrong section etc. People (on average) don't read and they don't learn. It simply doesn't work.

Plus it just opens mods up to being questioned by everyone else. You'd be surprised how nasty and aggressive some people are if you close/delete their thread. As mods, we do not owe anyone an explanation why a decision has been made. None of us get paid and we all have our own businesses to run rather than worrying about petty forum arguments.

Regarding your specific issues:

- DD has made a few announcements regarding forum upgrades/downtime etc., so it makes no sense for threads to remain if they are asking the same questions that have already been answered.

- Apology letter thread. Is it really necessary for someone to open a thread apologising to two random Jr VIPs? It's a nice gesture, but a private apology is all that is needed. This is not a celeb gossip forum.

Peace.

[IKbentim]

Everyday, we are closing and deleting many threads. We will post in the thread before closing, if it seems fit.

The threads related to spam, indirect selling will be removed without any explanation.

Criticizing threads related to BHW or BHW staff members will also get removed. If you have issues, you can pm any mods and we are happy to help you.

Btw, I checked and did nt see any threads been posted criticizing BHW for the past 1 week.

So, be clear about the threads you are pointing out.

Well i can't link the thread since it was removed.. however it was criticizing BHW and it was from this morning. I can't remember the exact title.

I can get behind deleting threads that contain spam or libelous things about someone. But someone apologizing to another member or someone asking why BHW is slow shouldn't (IMO) be deleted.

If i was a new member or a member that isn't so active and i would make a thread that was then deleted i would really wonder what happened and possibly make a new thread. If you just leave a little not like 'were closing this because of X' that would help more.

[IKbentim]

Do you have any evidence to back up "people will learn from closing threads"?

They don't. They just carry on doing the same as before.

Obviously i don't have evidence of that. I just think that if you delete a thread without a message people will end up with more questions than if you close it with a reason why it's closed.

Recently i made a thread about Megaupload being closed and after a while the discussion derailed so a moderator closed it with a message saying the thread derailed. If it was deleted i would have a lot of questions but in this case i knew what happened.

But it was just a suggestion and everyone here is taking it as an attack. I know you guys love your forums but criticism isn't necessarily a bad thing.

[meathead1234]

Obviously i don't have evidence of that. I just think that if you delete a thread without a message people will end up with more questions than if you close it with a reason why it's closed.

Recently i made a thread about Megaupload being closed and after a while the discussion derailed so a moderator closed it with a message saying the thread derailed. If it was deleted i would have a lot of questions but in this case i knew what happened.

But it was just a suggestion and everyone here is taking it as an attack. I know you guys love your forums but criticism isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I've already told you I tested that idea in the site flipping section and it didn't work. If you have examples of forums where it has worked, I'd love to see it. Decisions here are made with good reason, they are not made to censor information or anything like that. It's actually a very open forum in that respect.

Having a thread derailed is a good reason to close a thread. Threads that break rules, are just fluff or generally pointless should be deleted. Closing EVERY thread with a reason takes way too much time, especially if they are against the rules or duplicates of others (such as a forum announcement).

I didn't take it as an attack. I addressed your points, gave the reasoning behind it and gave reasoning for both thread deletions.

[davids355]

^^ Thats a pretty reasonable answer

[seoquickheal]

For me BHW is For far better than warrior forum, there they will delete our account if we give advise or idea to user's post

[mohitjmehta]

isnt it hard to keep 25.5k+ family members happy?

[demongerbil]

The ironic side effect of not deleting threads complaining about the forum being slow and posting explanations/locking the thread is the forum would become slower as a result (database getting clogged up with all the closed threads).

That's not even mentioning the drain on mods' time to have to write up an explanation for every thread closed (and therefore taking time away from other mod tasks that improve/speed up the forum as a whole).

[IKbentim]

I've already told you I tested that idea in the site flipping section and it didn't work. If you have examples of forums where it has worked, I'd love to see it. Decisions here are made with good reason, they are not made to censor information or anything like that. It's actually a very open forum in that respect.

Having a thread derailed is a good reason to close a thread. Threads that break rules, are just fluff or generally pointless should be deleted. Closing EVERY thread with a reason takes way too much time, especially if they are against the rules or duplicates of others (such as a forum announcement).

I didn't take it as an attack. I addressed your points, gave the reasoning behind it and gave reasoning for both thread deletions.

I've never been in the flipping section before but that's very specific to site flipping so i don't think people will open general SEO threads and threads random threads about their lives in the site flipping section.

I was actually more focusing on the more broad sub forums like Lounge.

I just think there's a big difference between a pointless thread and a thread with content that is against the rules. Lets say talking about flipping porn sites is forbidden in your section. If someone opens a thread with 'i want to flip my porn site' if you then delete it because it isn't allowed that person might not know why is thread is deleted. If you leave a message saying 'you can't discuss flipping porn sites here' the person will know and other people will know as well.

Now lets say someone opens a site with 'i want to flip my mom' thats a pointless thread and should be deleted of course.

Thanks for your explanation, i appreciate it.

[beaglejuice]

I remember the apology thread. I think it was directed to kickflip and winchester. But from what I can recall some replies were hostile in manner. So from what I can surmise, it was deleted to prevent anymore incitement. Good call by the mods.

Now a complaint about bhw being slow or bad hosting should be addressed appropriately to admins or mods. But that thread from what I can also recall was more geared towards insult than solution so merited deletion.

Other notes: If you click the report button, you'll see this message:

Note: This is ONLY to be used to report spam, advertising messages, and problematic (harassment, fighting, or rude) posts.

So, if any posts are found in violation thereof I think will be deleted.

[BigBuddy]

Well i can't link the thread since it was removed.. however it was criticizing BHW and it was from this morning. I can't remember the exact title.

I recognized the thread now. The thread poster did nt post positive criticize. Its a direct attack on one of our admins.

[artizhay]

They paid (a lot) for the forum software. They pay for hosting and everything associated with running a site. Just because it's a forum rather than a static site doesn't mean you have a right to control what content goes on the site that they own.

If this were a site run by one guy posting articles about SEO rather than being a forum-based site, you would agree that he has a right to control whatever content goes on his site. Any business or website owner has the right to decide what content goes on their site. Just because it's a forum doesn't mean you are given authority to control the content.

You can argue that you paid for your membership here, but you also pay for things in retail stores. Do you control what time that store opens? Do you control what products they buy for resale and where those products go? Do you control who runs that store or how they run their business? No. You have no right to.

[ericsson]

I remember when the article marketing robot tips for everyone thread was removed.

And after posting alot of replies in that thread.. I had 10-15 guys asking me why on my skype, aim for over a weeks time.. but noone knewed why it was shut down. - Just saying.

[IKbentim]

They paid (a lot) for the forum software. They pay for hosting and everything associated with running a site. Just because it's a forum rather than a static site doesn't mean you have a right to control what content goes on the site that they own.

If this were a site run by one guy posting articles about SEO rather than being a forum-based site, you would agree that he has a right to control whatever content goes on his site. Any business or website owner has the right to decide what content goes on their site. Just because it's a forum doesn't mean you are given authority to control the content.

You can argue that you paid for your membership here, but you also pay for things in retail stores. Do you control what time that store opens? Do you control what products they buy for resale and where those products go? Do you control who runs that store or how they run their business? No. You have no right to.

Sorry your arguments make no sense to me. Yes they paid a lot for the forums yes they spend a lot of time on it and yes i like it here. This sub forum is called 'Forum feedback & suggestion' and i wanted to give some feedback/suggestion on the way they're currently doing it.

[oxonbeef]

What is this? Is this some kind of Kim Jong Il fan forum where we can only praise the dear leader?

This sub forum is called 'Forum feedback & suggestion' and i wanted to give some feedback/suggestion on the way they're currently doing it.

It's not called the disrespect the management sub forum then?

[M.A.D]

So do you want me to undelete the personal info wrangler was posting about you tim?
I mean we don't want to look like a Kim Jong Il fan forum.

[IKbentim]

It's not called the disrespect the management sub forum then?

Wellll that was obviously a joke/icebreaker to show i'm not attacking you guys. Come on you think i'm seriously comparing diamond damien to kim jong il? you can't be serious.

[artizhay]

Lol that's always the closing argument isn't it? "I didn't really mean it!"

[oxonbeef]

Wellll that was obviously a joke/icebreaker to show i'm not attacking you guys. Come on you think i'm seriously comparing diamond damien to kim jong il? you can't be serious.

How was that obvious? Seemed like you thought you was big Charlie potatoes calling the shots round here for a minute.

[IKbentim]

So do you want me to undelete the personal info wrangler was posting about you tim?

Completely irrelevant. My thread was mostly about threads suddenly disappearing.. if you edited those posts with 'its not allowed to post personal data' it also would've be fine.

Like i've said before it's not an attack. Just wanted to start a discussion about deleting threads and people not knowing why their thread was deleted.

[beaglejuice]

Joke or not, you should take responsibility for your statement.

Wellll that was obviously a joke/icebreaker to show i'm not attacking you guys. Come on you think i'm seriously comparing diamond damien to kim jong il? you can't be serious.

[IKbentim]

How was that obvious? Seemed like you thought you was big Charlie potatoes calling the shots round here for a minute.

Alright, wasn't intended like that. I stand behind my message suggestion/feedback and i'm glad it got a big response (negative and positive).

I was just a bit sick of seeing all the N/A in my rep thing. And i do think people can learn from closed/archived threads.

[CoyoteAssassin]

You know it's a good thread when the big guys (mods) post comments to your questions. :-)

As much as I too hate when some threads are deleted, I have to remind myself that I do not own the site and as a capitalist, I firmly believe that the owner has the ability to run the site in any way they want.

There are many examples of this in the real world and at times, this drives people away, and at times, this drives people to the company/forum. There has to be a good mixture of both.

So, unless we go off and start our own, we have to live and play by the rules of those that own the system. It's a beautiful thing when you think about it.

Having said all of that, I have had threads deleted and I have PMed the Mod and asked for an explanation and in pretty much all (few) cases, I have been given a reasonable and teachable answer.

PS - I hope no one reads that the wrong way as it was not an attack on BHW, mods, or any other business.

[M.A.D]

Completely irrelevant. My thread was mostly about threads suddenly disappearing.. if you edited those posts with 'its not allowed to post personal data' it also would've be fine.

Like i've said before it's not an attack. Just wanted to start a discussion about deleting threads and people not knowing why their thread was deleted.

The business here is content. Why would we delete business.

• If we delete a thread it's because it's poppycock.
• It may well be that a thread is deleted because the member is banned and gets all their posts deleted. (so it doesn't have to be about the content a thread contains)

If you feel a mod is trying to shove things under the carpet you go to Damien or Pofecker and them alone.

[IKbentim]

You know it's a good thread when the big guys (mods) post comments to your questions. :-)

As much as I too hate when some threads are deleted, I have to remind myself that I do not own the site and as a capitalist, I firmly believe that the owner has the ability to run the site in any way they want.

.[/I]

Of course they can do what they want. They can change my avatar to a a .gif from meatspin if they want. But there is a feedback/suggestion forum so i think people should be able to offer feedback and suggestions.

I think the thread has served its purpose, i still feel people learn more from closing a thread with the reason and a link to the rules/faq than deleted i can also see a point in saving database space.

I'm glad a lot of moderators responded. But i don't appreciate people threatening me with putting my private details back on these forums just because i'm being critic about this site.

[IKbentim]

The business here is content. Why would we delete business.

• If we delete a thread it's because it's poppycock.
• It may well be that a thread is deleted because the member is banned and gets all their posts deleted. (so it doesn't have to be about the content a thread contains)

If you feel a mod is trying to shove things under the carpet you go to Damien or Pofecker and them alone.

I didn't know someones complete history gets deleted when they get a ban. That explains a lot.

And i don't feel like people are trying to sweep things under the rug, it's not like i'm having some big conspiracy theory. I just thought in some cases people can learn more from a closing post by a moderator.

[CoyoteAssassin]

I agree with the private details. We all assume that our private information will be kept private and only shared with BHW Administrator and those we do business with.

If there isn't a feedback section, it would be good to have one or have it emailed directly to the mods.

Having said that, the Earth in the BHW logo still shows a reflection under the word Forum (at the right angle). I can't remember which Mod it was that mentioned it was going to be fixed a year or so ago. No big issue but it always stands out now that I know it is there.

Yeah... as you said... the thread served its purpose.

[fun4uoc]

But i don't appreciate people threatening me with putting my private details back on these forums just because i'm being critic about this site.

There you go, talking out of your ass again.

I didn't see you complaining when your personal details were taken down.

[artizhay]

Having said that, the Earth in the BHW logo still shows a reflection under the word Forum (at the right angle). I can't remember which Mod it was that mentioned it was going to be fixed a year or so ago. No big issue but it always stands out now that I know it is there.

I think this really is the most important issue at hand here.

[wrangler]

What is this? Is this some kind of Kim Jong Il fan forum where we can only praise the dear leader?

On the other hand, if you believe this is some kind of democracy or utopian haven, you're kidding yourself. That's not a criticism but simply a statement of fact.