# If a post is all together deleted... **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 15, 2007, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527 "2007-11-15T13:42:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527/1 "2007-11-15T13:42:06Z")
Do the post numbers after it change or remain the same? Let’s say you have a thread with 10 posts, post number 3 is racial spam from a sock puppet and the mod decides to just delete it all together. Is post number 4 still post number 4 or is it now post number 3? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527/2 "2007-11-15T14:04:37Z")
Yes, the numbers change. That answered, we rarely - very rarely - hard-delete posts. We normally soft-delete, which leaves a message, or wish them into the cornfield. ---
**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:** [November 15, 2007, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527/3 "2007-11-15T17:21:53Z")
> [@](#): > > …or wish them into the cornfield. It’s possible to do that on individual posts? I thought that that only worked on threads. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527/4 "2007-11-15T17:41:45Z")
Wishing an individual post to the cornfield also results in renumbering. As a test, I wished away **Frank** ’s first post in this thread (sorry man, this is science). The result: One lonely post in the cornfield; new post in line gets vanished post’s number. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527/5 "2007-11-15T18:53:39Z")
So I link to a specific post and another post ahead of it gets deleted, when someone clicks on my link, they’ll get a different post, right? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527/6 "2007-11-15T19:06:32Z")
[QUOTE=Joey P] So I link to a specific post and another post ahead of it gets deleted, when someone clicks on my link, they’ll get a different post, right? [/QUOTE] Ah. No, _that_ number stays the same. It renumbers the thread, but the post id is unique and fixed. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527/7 "2007-11-15T19:19:31Z")
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9179526&postcount=7](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9179526&postcount=7) but doesn’t this type of link depend on the post number? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527/8 "2007-11-15T19:28:53Z")
Good question. It does show the post id as well as the count. Let’s find out. My post above: [link removed] ETA: Invalid post specified. So it’s looking at the id and not the count. Again ETA: Then I deleted my post #3 (I think it was) and the link took me to the correct post. So it’s definitely looking at the id. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527/9 "2007-11-15T22:32:04Z")
not only that, but if you follow the link on my previous post, although your post is now #6, when you are seeing the individual post, it appears as #7. ---
**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:** [November 16, 2007, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527/10 "2007-11-16T00:26:49Z")
What if we change that last number in the URL to [something else entirely](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9179526&postcount=17)? [Are there any limits?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9179526&postcount=1723) [Does it have to be a number?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9179526&postcount=A) [What if it’s left off entirely?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9179526) ---
**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:** [November 16, 2007, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527/11 "2007-11-16T00:31:45Z")
OK, it looks like all of those links will show the post, and if there’s a number given on the end, it’ll display that number, no matter what it is. With nothing in that last part of the URL, or a non-number, the link isn’t there. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527/12 "2007-11-16T02:52:50Z")
[QUOTE=Frank] Yes, the numbers change. That answered, we rarely - very rarely - hard-delete posts. We normally soft-delete, which leaves a message, or wish them into the cornfield. [/QUOTE] Could you tell me why at least two non-offensive posts were deleted from this thread? > **[Questions about Autism and eliminating Dairy, Wheat and Gluten from diet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=442206)** > > I watched a segment on 60 minutes or Nightline (or one of those programs) and Jenny McCarthy stated that her son Evan’s autism was reversed simply by eliminating the three things in my subject line from his diet. Now, how many studies have been done... They were subsequent to #17, I think. Just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527/13 "2007-11-16T03:31:57Z")
[QUOTE=EJsGirl] Could you tell me why at least two non-offensive posts were deleted from this thread? [/QUOTE] In general, when an otherwise innocuous post disappears, you may safely assume it was from a sock. ---
**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527/14 "2007-11-16T21:06:32Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] OK, it looks like all of those links will show the post, and if there’s a number given on the end, it’ll display that number, no matter what it is. With nothing in that last part of the URL, or a non-number, the link isn’t there. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but check this out: [There _are_ limits](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9179526&postcount=17239999999999999999999) ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2007, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527/15 "2007-11-17T03:05:12Z")
[QUOTE=Frank] In general, when an otherwise innocuous post disappears, you may safely assume it was from a sock. [/QUOTE] Or, you can assume I was on crack and popped open the wrong damned thread looking for said posts! False alarm, my bad… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-post-is-all-together-deleted/426527/16 "2007-11-18T20:26:28Z")
I think this has been asked and answered. **Gfactor** General Questions Moderator