# Deletion of "Off-Topic Posts" in Cultura



## Alxmrphi

What!?!? It's an outside scope of understanding the bigger issue surrounding what the topic is about, which helps bring informed opinions on the original topic.
I disagree with the need for those deletions.

Mod Note: This thread has been started from the compilation of several posts in the "Should President Bush Debate President Ahmadinejad?" and is in reaction to the deletion of several posts considered off topic by a moderator.


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## Victoria32

Alex_Murphy said:


> What!?!? It's an outside scope of understanding the bigger issue surrounding what the topic is about, which helps bring informed opinions on the original topic.
> I disagree with the need for those deletions.


Erm, so do I... the deleted posts were background and therefore relevant.


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## .   1

Victoria32 said:


> Erm, so do I... the deleted posts were background and therefore relevant.


The mods have a terrible job to do but they do it as well as they can and as we continue to enjoy this remarkable forum we should cut the mods a little slack.  Deleted posts can be easily reposted if you rephrase them slightly.  You can get away with a staggering amount of chat if you also address the topic in the same post.  Mods seem reluctant to partially delete posts unless there is copyright question.
Lots of the deleted posts were not relevant directly to the debate and it is human nature for mods to me more acutely aware of the rules of debate in a thread about debates.

.,,


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## Alxmrphi

I see what you mean, thank you Victoria for agreeing with me.
I understand why topics have to be consistent in any of the language forums, I can perfectly see that.
But in Cultural "Discussions", how can we always stay on one topic, without developing it and possibly moving on.

If we didn't change it, it wouldn't even be a "discussion", it'd be "Opinion on this topic"..

I have always believed that this forum (CD) should be a lot more relaxed, it's like a break room, from the other forums where rules can be more strict.
It makes sense why the mods might see this as any one of their own forums, but I would like to suggest more relaxation here, because the topics, when discussed, will develop, and lead to other relavent points in the same arguement, that can give scope and context, but then be deleted because it's not strictly on topic.

Just to repeart myself again, the "on topic" rule makes perfect sense actually in the language forums, but makes no sense
As, questions on a topic of language, should be able to be given to someone else who has a question about the topic of another thread, so when they click it, they find only information on what the topic is, good idea. Here, however, it's a place where we chat about how we feel on issues.

I would understand if we totally moved on to a different issue, that makes sense, but to delete posts that are adressing scope and context, and even a few other interesting topics, that is food for thought on the same issue, isn't right. My 2 cents.


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## ireney

Alex Murphy surely this is a discussion for "Comments and suggestions" isn't it? I would love to participate in a discussion on the matter there but here this discussion is 100% off topic


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## maxiogee

Surely the solution to this lies with the person starting the thread.
Wording the opening post in a way which allows for as much 'breadth' to the replies as possible lies in the hands of the thread's "onlie begetter".
Were more people interested in generating real debate in the CD forum, rather than seeking endorsement of their preconceptions, then there might be a chance of it.


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## Víctor Pérez

Sure this is the wrong place to say what I’m going to say. This post will probably been deleted.
 
I’m going to tell you my most recent experiences:
1.- This evening I found *by a chance* that a post I sent to help a member was deleted (because, by mistake, I wrote it in Spanish instead than in French) by a mod from another forum. I didn’t receive any information and the mod did not help the member.
2.- This morning I open a new thread in CD. Some minutes later it was completely deleted. Was it wrong? Was it in the wrong forum? Was it inconvenient? Nobody told me a word yet!
 
I start to begin to think:
1.- Some mods rush too much
2.- There are not enough mods
 
Furthermore, how can we find if the deleted post was really off topic? Can’t mods do mistakes as we do? I think they really can. The solution: before deleting it they should tell us.


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## Alxmrphi

Usually when I get a post deleted, a mod will PM me and tell me.
I'm surprised you were not told.


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## Jana337

To my knowledge, Victor has been told about the Culture thread, but not immediately upon its removal. It's just that we sometimes discuss before making and announcing a decision.

Jana


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## ireney

I've said I take part in the discussion and I better do!

Well, the thing is that you have to see things from the perspective of the mods. Discussions on a matter related to the original question but not directly addressing it are not always deleted. However, when they go on for a fair amount of posts there is always the "danger" if not the certainty that the discussion is going to stray from the original topic before it has been fully discussed.

It is tricky to know when to cut in. In a forum I moderated we had the "5 consecutive -or almost consecutive-" rule but that didn't work all that well either.

The "danger" is higher when it's history that is discussed as a side issue. It's not all that difficult to go back to the troglodytes' times when we start discussing history nor is it hard to make a huge mess out of things by i.e. mentioning WWII and what happened then and start a heated discussion about WWII.


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## Víctor Pérez

Jana337 said:


> To my knowledge, Victor has been told about the Culture thread, but not immediately upon its removal. It's just that we sometimes discuss before making and announcing a decision.


 

JANA, YOU HAVE NOT BEING PROPERLY INFORMED: UP TO NOW, NOBODY TOLD ME YET WHY THE THREAD I OPEN *THIS MORNING* IN CD HAS BEEN DELETED.


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## TrentinaNE

Dear Victor,

First, there is no need to SHOUT.  

Second, you may not be aware, but tomorrow is Labor Day in the U.S., making this weekend the last 3-day holiday of the summer here.  Consequently, several moderators are off having an *actual life* this weekend , and the rest of us are taking up the slack.  Please be patient.

Best wishes,
Elisabetta


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## Víctor Pérez

TrentinaNE said:


> Dear Victor,
> 
> First, there is no need to SHOUT.
> 
> Second, you may not be aware, but tomorrow is Labor Day in the U.S., making this weekend the last 3-day holiday of the summer here. Consequently, several moderators are off having an *actual life* this weekend , and the rest of us are taking up the slack. Please be patient.
> 
> Best wishes,
> Elisabetta


 
Dear Elisabetta,

First, I did not mean at all to shout but just to be CLEAR. *The day I'll umprobably shout, I'll use other tools!!!!*
(sorry to everybody and specially to Jana if I gave that impression)

Second, have a nice long weekend.

Victor


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## cuchuflete

This will surely not please everybody...in fact it will probably cause my PM box to get a few nastigrams...but there is a sticky thread at the top of the CD forum.  It explains very simply what topics do, and what topics do not, fit in the definition of Cultural Discussions, as used in the WR forums.

Those who read that thread typically don't have threads removed, even on a temporary basis.  Those who wrongly assume that "anything goes" in that forum waste their own time, and that of the mod team, posting things that are beyond the scope of the forum.

And then there is personal opinion...rarely has a thread starter acknowledged even the possibility that a thread was outside the scope of the forum....but it has happened a few times.


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