Minor update on how we delete posts

JustV

Just a small update on something we're trying out when deleting posts.

So up until now, we've always hard-deleted posts and threads. That means if you tried to view it, you simply wouldn't see it, or any sign it was ever there.

There are a few issues with this. Firstly, it can make the flow of conversations feel weird if pieces of it are suddenly missing. Replies to those posts can also then make less sense. Secondly, if we delete a whole discussion on request, the input from other members gets lost. There are two impacts of this: the amazing support someone might put a lot of thought into is removed, and any lurkers who might have benefited from reading the support in that discussion now can't see it. And finally, hard-deleting posts messes with people's post counts and statistical data. That's arguably less important, but still worth us considering.

The solution we've decided to try out is deleting the content of posts rather than deleting them outright. So when we need to delete something, we'll simply edit the post and replace it with [deleted post]. 

We may not do this all the time. For example, there will be occasions where we need to delete a long chain of posts, in which case deleting them outright is much tidier. And if we're deleting argumentative posts, we might consider hard-deleting so we don't leave any bad vibes in the discussion.

If you would like a thread deleted, once we've deleted the content of the main post, we're also open to editing responses to that thread if those responses contain details you'd like us to remove. For example, if your main post talked about something personal like the medication you're taking and responses also mention it, we could edit that out if you like.

The key thing is that you have control over your own content, and we want to make sure that's protected while also protecting the input of others and the natural flow of discussions.

independent_

My only concern about this is that, as someone who had several of my old discussions deleted a while ago, sometimes people are just more comfortable having things properly deleted, as I was. In my case it was a few quite personal reasons and even the responses to my threads gave away what it was about.

I think it could work, but that was just my first thought when I read this.

JustV

It's a really valid point @independent_. The option of deleting the post entirely will always be there for us to discuss, particularly if (as you said) the responses give away what the post is about.

This change is mainly for our 'general rule'. It's fairly rare someone asks for discussions to be deleted completely and, when that happens, we're very open to hard-deleting it if that's strongly preferred.

independent_

Thank you @Mike that’s really good to know actually and somewhat reassuring. 

I guess it depends on the discussion. I can see where it would be good where one or 2 posts are deleted within a longer discussion, but if the original post in a discussion is deleted in this way it could get more confusing / the OP might have very good reasons for not wanting the post or the responses to be public anymore. 

JustV

Completely agree with you @independent_ We're mindful that this community is a bit different to most, in that what's being discussed is usually pretty personal. It's not like a tech forum, for example, where posts can remain there forever and nobody's going to think twice about it. Oftentimes this is the only place someone can share their feelings, which is really significant.

Your control over your content is paramount and these things are always a discussion rather than just a decision from the moderation team. Ultimately, if you really wanted something fully deleted, it's tough to envision a world where we wouldn't do that or find a workaround that suited you.   

Former Member

Sorry should this be pinned? Just so users who aren't as active as others see it?

Just worried it will get lost and people will be confused!
@Mike