# how do you delete a post you just submitted?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-delete-a-post-you-just-submitted/379965>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [November 11, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-delete-a-post-you-just-submitted/379965 "2006-11-11T02:04:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Spoleto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Spoleto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoleto)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-delete-a-post-you-just-submitted/379965/1 "2006-11-11T02:04:27Z")

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help! i want to delete my post, but don’t know how? can I do it? Or you?

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**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2006, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-delete-a-post-you-just-submitted/379965/2 "2006-11-11T02:08:27Z")

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You can’t. You can’t edit your posts either.

That’s the SDMB.

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**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2006, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-delete-a-post-you-just-submitted/379965/3 "2006-11-11T02:17:30Z")

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And that’s why previewing is so important. If you goof really badly, you can email a mod and beg for correction and forgiveness. Chocolate helps.

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2006, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-delete-a-post-you-just-submitted/379965/4 "2006-11-11T04:24:11Z")

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Report the post. Since one cannot report one’s own post, (that appears to be a vB “feature,” not an SDMB option), go to the post immediately preceding it and click on the triange with an exclamation point in the upper right corner of the post.

When the Report this Post window pops up, explain on the report that you would like your post destroyed (and, perhaps, why). (Providing the post number is helpful.)

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**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-delete-a-post-you-just-submitted/379965/5 "2006-11-11T04:40:06Z")

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Otherwise, Tom and the other mods might miss your faux pas and the opportunity to laugh at you. 😉

Really, though, **Spoleto** , when most of us submit a post we immediately regret, and we do, we take our lumps and chalk it up to experience. Think of it and subsequent posts spent defending your indefensible post as an opportunity to build up your post count.

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**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2006, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-delete-a-post-you-just-submitted/379965/6 "2006-11-11T04:41:54Z")

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I’ll add to **Tom** ’s answer that while we are happy to delete duplicate posts, the policiy of the SDMB has always been that we are strongly disinclined to delete posts that you are sorry you made. You must make a very good case for such a post to be deleted.

One must always remember that when you post on the SDMB, you are potentially posting for anyone in the world with an internet browser to read. If you are about to post revealing or embarassing information, please, think twice.