Hidden Posts / Threads

[grendel]

I would like to advise members that when a thread disappears it may return later

there are several reasons threads get hidden, some are due to the moderator team wishing to discuss whether the thread or post has broken any terms of service, generally if we temporarily take a thread down, its to discuss some aspect of it. we generally pm a member when this happens to let them know.

it can also get taken down through automatic moderation when it has been reported, in this case we dont usually know straight away that it has been taken down, so it may be some time before a moderator team member can assess the reason and pm the member. 

please remember that the moderator team members are all volunteers, and though it sometimes might appear to the contrary we dont spend every waking hour on the forum (and some sleeping ones too) some of us also have to fit the forum around work (while also fitting work around the forum) so response times can vary, its unlikely that you will get instant notification that a post has been removed or hidden for discussion.

we then have to give the moderators time to actually discuss the post and decide on the best course of action, bearing in mind we have to protect vulnerable individuals, children and the forum itself as part of our discussions, we will never act on just one moderators opinion (unless the matter is clear cut and urgent, ie someone posts spam links etc) so we need to have time for many of the team to input their thoughts and come to an agreement over a course of action.

in the jokes area of the forum, if we take down a joke, it may be that it has crossed the line of decency, or some other reason, in the joke area unless we feel you need reminding what isnt acceptable, we generally wont pm you with a reason or notification

[Maxwellian]

Thanks Grendel.

just to reiterate, Moderators will try to contact the OP, but this might not happen straight away. Rather than sarcastic comments please exercise patience. As Peter said all of our moderators are volunteers, most have jobs or others interests that mean we often take a while to inform or discuss.

thank you all. Your moderators do a great job and we are very grateful for the time and effort they put in.