# The disappearing thread?? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 3, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappearing-thread/146463 "2003-01-03T18:50:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappearing-thread/146463/1 "2003-01-03T18:50:24Z")
Ok, question for the Mods. (FYI, I am not going to name any names) There was an old thread that was recently bumped in one of the forums today by someone who looked to be a “T” word. The thread seems to have vanished from existence. I thought they were usually “closed” instead of erased. How common is this practice? Why erase and not just close? Why not just erase the recent comments and leave the rest (If you can)? The OP from last year was already on a rather adult oriented subject but was never deemed nesessary to close or erase. Or did it slip past the mods? Now this newbie finds the thread and started to make obvious lewed comments and was being a jerk. I can only assume he was banned because I can’t remember his name to search and see if he is still in good standing. I do know that the thread is gone because I searched for two posters I recognized who posted to the thread today and the thread did not appear. \*\*I am not asking you to confirm anyones bannishment or specify why the thread was erased. I am only curious why it was (in general terms). If you can that is. \*\* Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappearing-thread/146463/2 "2003-01-03T18:59:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NYR407 \* > I am not asking you to … specify why the thread was erased. I am only curious why it was 😕 Isn’t there a contradiction there? We sometimes will remove from public view a thread that was started / hijacked by a banned person who returns to the SDMB to start trouble. ---
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappearing-thread/146463/3 "2003-01-03T19:23:27Z")
I did say “(in general terms)” in the OP as opposed to specifics to the referenced thread and that is how you responded. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappearing-thread/146463/4 "2003-01-03T21:52:30Z")
I suppose I could have skipped the 😕 smiley but if I gave a straight answer without the accompanying sarcasm/mockery my job satisfaction would plummet. And it’s all about keeping the worker bees happy! ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappearing-thread/146463/5 "2003-01-03T22:15:32Z")
Erasure, customarily, is not resorted to on this board (I speak not from authority but from comments made by Mods. and Admins. in the past) because of the load on the server of removing all indexing of that thread. When we as members call up the main SDMB index, we see eight forums. I will hazard a guess that the same screen on the computer of a Mod. or Admin. shows nine or ten, or perhaps more, the others being private staff areas. When a thread is being put into “the dead zone” for good and sufficient reason (whether to forestall possible legal action or simply because it’s some clown who refuses to accept that the rules apply to _him_ too, or for whatever other reason it might be moved), it hence disappears from our view. If I happened to know what its threadid index number was, and tried to open it, I’d probably get a message that says that I’ve tried to access a resource for which I don’t have permissions. In most cases, locking a thread and letting it disappear off the bottom of the list is adequate – but I’m confident that there are standards the Mods. abide by that say that some threads are supposed to be moved into that “dead area.” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disappearing-thread/146463/6 "2003-01-04T00:49:23Z")
I understand that there is a mod/admin only forum devoted entirely to the discussion of biscuit barrels and another that is mostly about banister rails, although I can’t remember where I heard that.