# Are threads ever held for moderator review before they are posted? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 12, 2019, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090 "2019-09-12T03:38:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/1 "2019-09-12T03:38:30Z")
In the current Pit thread about Ilhan Omar, the OP returned after a hiatus and posted this: > [@Ilhan Omar - A thread about her marriage and immigration history.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ilhan-omar-a-thread-about-her-marriage-and-immigration-history/837347/516): > > Thought I was pretty clear. Went to post this thread a few weeks ago, hit “post thread” button, a box came up saying the thread needed some kind of approval and/or review by moderation. Checked back a few times over a few days and never saw the thread and gave up. Haven’t checked back until today, where I discovered it’s eleven pages. {…} I was not aware that threads were held for review. Does this happen? What would cause this to happen? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/2 "2019-09-12T03:45:34Z")
I’ve been posting here for almost 20 years, and I don’t recall ever having seen that. I’ve seen people post in this forum to ask if certain thread topics were acceptable. But not what you’re describing. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/3 "2019-09-12T03:52:11Z")
Yes it happens, but it’s invisible to users. There are various flags that can cause a post to held for review. It’s not common - I see it about once a month or less. Probably less. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/4 "2019-09-12T03:53:16Z")
I’ve never seen it either. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/5 "2019-09-12T04:24:31Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > Yes it happens, but it’s invisible to users. There are various flags that can cause a post to held for review. It’s not common - I see it about once a month or less. Probably less. Care to expose to us plebeians what these flags might be? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/6 "2019-09-12T04:33:41Z")
^^I don’t think I wanna know. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/7 "2019-09-12T04:34:30Z")
Actually we get a handful of these every day. Almost all of them are spams. About once every couple of months or so we’ll get one that isn’t a spam. Since this relates to how we block spam around here, we are not going to give out details about exactly what triggers the filter. We don’t want to make it any easier for the folks in Spambladesh. Our admin can also flag posts for moderator review, though she rarely does so. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/8 "2019-09-12T04:36:57Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Care to expose to us plebeians what these flags might be? No, I don’t think I will.\* \*Movie reference. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/9 "2019-09-12T04:48:19Z")
Perhaps the post was about $100,000,000 he had to move out of Nigeria. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/10 "2019-09-12T04:56:10Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > No, I don’t think I will.\* Can you try? (he said that in real life too, the scene in the movie is fairly close to the actual Senate hearings) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/11 "2019-09-12T05:09:38Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > (he said that in real life too, the scene in the movie is fairly close to the actual Senate hearings) [Captain America?](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/497/040/471.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/12 "2019-09-12T05:12:38Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > [Captain America?](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/497/040/471.jpg) I was thinking more Spruce Goose than Captain America. Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: …we would like him to reappear. Would you ask him to return? Howard Hughes: No, I don’t think I will. Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: Will you try to have him return? Howard Hughes: No, I don’t think I’ll try. Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster: You don’t think you’ll try? Howard Hughes: No, I don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/13 "2019-09-12T05:13:43Z")
Yeah, I just looked it up. But the current meme is from _The Avengers_. ---
**Author:** ![Annoyed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f04885/32.png) [@Annoyed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoyed)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/14 "2019-09-12T15:30:43Z")
So do any mods wanna chime in and confirm to the people calling me a liar that my thread wasn’t posted immediately after I hit the post thread button. Because that would be really great. In fact as far as I can tell it took more than 48 hours. New posts didn’t show it. Refreshing “the pit” didn’t show it. And I’m pretty dang sure I saw a box/message that said something about needing a “review” or “approval” or some such because it caused me to immediately check multiple times. Whatever message came up it alerted me to the fact that my thread wasn’t going to post to the board immediately. I’m not lying and I don’t really enjoy being called a liar. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/15 "2019-09-12T15:34:33Z")
I PM’d a mod a little while ago, and they told me that your thread WAS flagged, **Annoyed**. I asked privately because I didn’t want to imply that I was accusing you of being dishonest. I can state, however, that what you say is true. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/16 "2019-09-12T15:46:49Z")
I can confirm that the thread in question was flagged for moderator review. Generally we try to get to these things quickly, but in this case it slipped through the cracks and took a while to be approved (thread posted 07-20-2019, 08:32 AM and approved 07-22-2019, 07:19 AM). ---
**Author:** ![Annoyed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f04885/32.png) [@Annoyed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoyed)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/17 "2019-09-12T15:52:33Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/18 "2019-09-12T15:56:26Z")
> [@Annoyed](#): > > So do any mods wanna chime in and confirm to the people calling me a liar that my thread wasn’t posted immediately after I hit the post thread button…(deleted)…I’m not lying and I don’t really enjoy being called a liar. Nobody called you a liar, as far as I can see. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/19 "2019-09-12T16:10:41Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Nobody called you a liar, as far as I can see. Not here, but **Monty** called him one in the Pit, which I doubt is gonna get enforced, since almost anything goes in there. [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21856008&postcount=603](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21856008&postcount=603) ---
**Author:** ![Annoyed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f04885/32.png) [@Annoyed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoyed)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090/20 "2019-09-12T16:18:02Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Nobody called you a liar, as far as I can see. Not in this thread, no. Other threads on this very same topic, yes, multiple times. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-threads-ever-held-for-moderator-review-before-they-are-posted/840090.md?page=2)