# How the Dope Makes Threads Go "Poof"? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 10, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-dope-makes-threads-go-poof/407466 "2007-06-10T15:26:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-dope-makes-threads-go-poof/407466/1 "2007-06-10T15:26:59Z")
What occasioned this was a private (members-only) discussion on another board I’m part of relative to proper moderation policy. Since I’m a Doper and have a very high opinion of SDMB staff methodology, I volunteered myself to ask here: Is it standard practice to (a) delete completely, (b) hide from public view within the forum\*, © remove to a non-public forum, or (d) moderator’s choice between two or more of A-C, each of the following types of distasteful thread: [ul][li]exact duplicate threads, as when someone hits “submit new thread” twice?[/li][li]Spamming: “dIsc0unt s0urCe for V1@gra” and the like?[/li][li]Threads started by trolls, returning sock puppets, etc.?[/ul][/li] I’m asking publicly because the answer may be of interest to a fairly wide cross section of message board members, and does not seem to intrude on staff confidentiality policies. But if the Admins. here would prefer not to respond publicly, please make this thread go “poof” and e-mail me the answers. Thanks. - Some versions of VBB apparently allow one to “hide” a thread in a public forum pending cleanup and/or staff decision about it, leaving it in the same forum as far as staff view goes but hiding it from non-staff members’ view. I have no idea if the SDMB’s version allows this or not. ---
**Author:** ![JustAnotherGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@JustAnotherGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustAnotherGeek)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-dope-makes-threads-go-poof/407466/2 "2007-06-10T20:52:23Z")
I certainly won’t attempt to speak athoritatively for the mods, but, IIRC, there is at least one “hidden” forum. I remember reading once that it was open for view once, and some members found out about it. I suspect that TPTB keep probably a couple of these to move obnoxious threads into. Better than deleting - this way they keep a record. ETA: It’s not “poof.” It’s “vanishing into the cornfields.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-dope-makes-threads-go-poof/407466/3 "2007-06-10T21:08:16Z")
Secret forums you say? How does one gain access to such treasures? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-dope-makes-threads-go-poof/407466/4 "2007-06-10T21:24:02Z")
In general, we as mods/admins never delete threads. We move them to our version of [del]secret prisons in Europe[/del] a forum that only we can access. We archive this in case we need it later. I, again **personally** , quite often delete posts which are duplicates. I try to be careful about this. I think that years ago, sometimes posts were deleted by admins/mods, especially in the case of returning posters/trolls. This is almost certainly NOT the case in the last 2-3 years. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-dope-makes-threads-go-poof/407466/5 "2007-06-10T22:35:32Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] Secret forums you say? How does one gain access to such treasures? [/QUOTE] You have to know the secret password, only attempt to gain access at midnight (Chicago time) of the fifth Thursday of each month, and you must bring at least a pound of high-quality chocolate with you to appease the Gate-Diva, Then, and only then, will She consider your request to be allowed to view the sacred Forum of Hidden Posts. Last month’s password was \*\*Ekky-ekky-ekky-ekky-z’Bang, zoom-Boing, z’nourrrwringmm". \*\* ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-dope-makes-threads-go-poof/407466/6 "2007-06-10T23:00:51Z")
What they said. Dark chocolate. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-dope-makes-threads-go-poof/407466/7 "2007-06-11T03:11:06Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] Secret forums you say? How does one gain access to such treasures? [/QUOTE] You have an odd notion of “treasures”. We’re mainly talking about a bunch of threads with titles like “Ganar dinero internet”, “Buy Cheap - valium phentermine cialis xanax - only NOW !” and “21423 Free Porn Free Viagra Xanax Porno Free Porn Porn Movie” (all actual titles)–you can get pretty much the same effect by going and browsing through your e-mail account’s spam filter. We mainly keep this crap around so when the _Reader_ finally gets that Orbital Death Ray Satellite up and running we’ll be able to punch in the proper co-ordinates. Oh, and it’s “_wished_ into the cornfields”–let’s keep that terminology straight. ---
**Author:** ![Borborygmi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/borborygmi/32/217_2.png) [@Borborygmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Borborygmi)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-dope-makes-threads-go-poof/407466/8 "2007-06-11T15:05:12Z")
When I was little, and my mom would drag me to department stores, I would notice interesting, camouflaged doors on many of the interior walls. They usually weren’t marked but they were clearly for employees only. They fascinated me as a child… did they lead to secret rooms? What wondrous mysteries did they conceal? One summer in high school I worked at Stern’s and it turns out this is just where department stores keep their 21423 free porn free Viagra Xanax porno free porn porn movie. ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-dope-makes-threads-go-poof/407466/9 "2007-06-11T21:53:33Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] Secret forums you say? How does one gain access to such treasures? [/QUOTE] You could try stirring the message board with, say, a ladle. heh heh ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2007, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-dope-makes-threads-go-poof/407466/10 "2007-06-12T00:39:10Z")
[QUOTE=Uvula Donor] You could try stirring the message board with, say, a ladle. heh heh [/QUOTE] I said treasures, not horrors 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2007, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-dope-makes-threads-go-poof/407466/11 "2007-06-12T01:52:47Z")
[QUOTE=Rico] Last month’s password was \*\*Ekky-ekky-ekky-ekky-z’Bang, zoom-Boing, z’nourrrwringmm". \*\* [/QUOTE] Dammit, I killed my brute-force cracker at \*\*Ekky-ekky-ekky-ekky-z’Bang, zoom-Boing, z’nourrrwringml". \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2007, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-dope-makes-threads-go-poof/407466/12 "2007-06-12T03:06:05Z")
> [@](#): > > I think that years ago, sometimes posts were deleted by admins/mods, especially in the case of returning posters/trolls. This is almost certainly NOT the case in the last 2-3 years. Back when I was a mod, lo these many years ago, the fancier options weren’t available to us. We could close a thread, or delete it, but we didn’t have a cornfield. I thouroughly approve of it now that we have it, though: Who knows when one might need to refer back to a poofed thread? ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2007, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-dope-makes-threads-go-poof/407466/13 "2007-06-12T03:15:03Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] Back when I was a mod, lo these many years ago, the fancier options weren’t available to us. We could close a thread, or delete it, but we didn’t have a cornfield. I thouroughly approve of it now that we have it, though: Who knows when one might need to refer back to a poofed thread? [/QUOTE] If the message board stays extant long enough, we’re going to need that cheap Viagra right? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2007, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-the-dope-makes-threads-go-poof/407466/14 "2007-06-12T08:50:11Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] Back when I was a mod, lo these many years ago, the fancier options weren’t available to us. We could close a thread, or delete it, but we didn’t have a cornfield. I thouroughly approve of it now that we have it, though: Who knows when one might need to refer back to a poofed thread? [/QUOTE] Oh no. Now we’re going to have the inevitable series of posts on “back when I was a mod we had to walk a thread three miles through the snow to delete it. . . . Yeah, when I was a mod, we were lucky to have snow to walk the thread through. . . . .”