Quote:
Originally Posted by carl n susan
At least in the history of the MOC forum, mass deletion has never been an issue. I am not sure what a mass deletion is. A poster can only delete their post(s) AFAIK. It would take all the posters working in concert to reach anything approaching "mass deletion".
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Here are some reasons deletions can be a problem...
1. If there is a long discussion thread and one person posts several times and then deletes their posts it really messes up the continuity of that discussion. It also means that anyone who responded to that poster may have a post that is now makes no sense. As an example, if you deleted all of the 2300 posts you have made, imagine how that affect threads you had posted to.
2. When the first post of a thread is deleted it deletes the entire thread regardless of how many responses there have been. This is a software artifact and the result is that one person has the power to delete other peoples posts.
3. Accounts that are hacked or used without permission. While this may not have happened here - yet, but there is always this risk and I have seen this happen several times with various underlying scenarios.
- an account left open on a device that was then posted to by a kid or grandkid for "fun"
- an account where an angry spouse or 'friend' logs in to mess up things on purpose
- an account that is hacked (usually because a computer is infected) and the account is used to post ads - replacing existing post text with ads for cheap nikes, cell phones and offshore meds.
I have seen all these things happen over the years and this is the main reason for the prohibition long term post deletions.
Right now you can edit your post for 3 hours - which should be enough to make most corrections. If edits are needed for a longer period of time - the site team can help.
