# What is the time expectation for seeing moderator instructions? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 23, 2022, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453 "2022-11-23T20:11:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/1 "2022-11-23T20:11:20Z")
I’ve just been warned. I’d been participating in a discussion for several hours in this thread. > [@Thousands of dollars in student debt cancelled. Good news, right?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thousands-of-dollars-in-student-debt-cancelled-good-news-right/970242/538): > > Moderating: This is a formal warning for disregarding moderator instructions to drop this line of discussion in this thread. I’ve been coming and going from the discussion throughout the day. I’m not a quick writer, and I try to double-check things I assert as facts before I post them. I also multi-task with other things I’m interested in online, and also real life non-online interests and responsibilities. I can’t tell the timing from the thread, because it just shows that everything happened “1h” ago. But basically, I wrote a reply to a poster I was having a debate with. Sometime after I started my reply, there was a moderator instruction. I finished my post and went off to do other things away from my computer. I’ve just gone back online to find out I’ve been warned for not following moderator instructions. Am I supposed to check for prior moderator instructions after every post I make? I’d rather not be that paranoid. But if I need to be, could I get some guidance on how quickly I need to check to ensure I haven’t been moderated while I’ve gone off to other things? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/2 "2022-11-23T20:15:16Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > Am I supposed to check for prior moderator instructions after every post I make? No, before. Or at least that’s what I was told when I received a warning for something similar. ---
**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:** [November 23, 2022, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/3 "2022-11-23T20:20:59Z")
Simply write to the mod in the thread that you didn’t see the warning until just then. It happens. My .02. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/4 "2022-11-23T20:21:23Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > I can’t tell the timing from the thread, because it just shows that everything happened “1h” ago. If you click on the part that says the time (like 1h), it shows a time stamp that gives an exact time. > [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > Am I supposed to check for prior moderator instructions after every post I make? In general, yes, but it’s not like it’s that hard, it’s just a couple very short posts above yours. I had actually written a reply to your earlier post, and posted it literally seconds after the mod note came in. I edited mine to no longer continue the hijack. And if you miss the mod note before you hit “reply”, then you are still given 15 minutes to realize your mistake and remove the hijack that the mod has instructed you not to continue. If you had had any curiosity as to what others had posted in the thread, you would’ve scrolled up a bit and seen the mod note bright as day. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/5 "2022-11-23T20:26:00Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Simply write to the mod in the thread that you didn’t see the warning until just then. It happens. In my experience, the response is “That’s a you problem” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/6 "2022-11-23T20:29:06Z")
In general, it’s a good idea not to respond to a post in the middle of a thread without at least skimming through to the end of the thread, to see if later posts have already made the point you’re going to make, or further clarification has rendered the thing you were going to say moot, or if there are moderator instructions relevant to what you were going to post (and I believe Discourse highlights these). Or, in the case of some of our Thread Games threads, that you’re actually playing off the most recent post. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/7 "2022-11-23T20:30:15Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > I edited mine to no longer continue the hijack. Yes, this has happened to me before, where a mod instruction occurred between the time I started a post and finished it. So I edited my post to comply. In fact, if I notice that there are new posts of any kind being made while I’m posting, I make sure to see what they are. Even if it’s not a mod post, what was posted might change how my post looks, or make what I posted look moot or silly. It’s something I’d expect anyone to do in a discussion, it’s only rational. > [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > I also multi-task with other things I’m interested in online, and also real life non-online interests and responsibilities. I don’t do this, ever. Because if I do, then I end up posting something sloppy. If I can’t give it my proper attention, I wait until I can. Posting in a sloppy way that leads to breaking rules isn’t something I have a lot of sympathy for. That also includes when people post when drunk or under the influence of something else. If you’re impaired, don’t post, and if you do then accept the consequences. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/8 "2022-11-23T20:33:43Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > In fact, if I notice that there are new posts of any kind being made while I’m posting, I make sure to see what they are. Even if it’s not a mod post, what was posted might change how my post looks, or make what I posted look moot or silly. It’s something I’d expect anyone to do in a discussion, it’s only rational. Right, there are many times when I edited a post simply because someone else had made the same point that I had in the time that I was writing, and likely made it better. Or for any of a number of reasons why my post is no longer as relevant or as useful as I thought it was when I originally hit “reply”. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/9 "2022-11-23T20:34:16Z")
Haha, that happens to me constantly. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/10 "2022-11-23T20:47:40Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > > > I also multi-task with other things I’m interested in online, and also real life non-online interests and responsibilities. > > I don’t do this, ever. I do. And i don’t think the standard should be “this forum must be at the center of your thoughts”. But > [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@k9bfriender](#): > > > > I edited mine to no longer continue the hijack. > > Yes, this has happened to me before, where a mod instruction occurred between the time I started a post and finished it. So I edited my post to comply. In fact, if I notice that there are new posts of any kind being made while I’m posting, I make sure to see what they are. Even if it’s not a mod post, what was posted might change how my post looks, or make what I posted look moot or silly This is good practice. I sometimes mostly compose a post, and something comes up, and then i go back to it. In those cases (or just when it takes a long time to look up the references, something i also have a lot of sympathy for) it’s a good idea to look at what was posted between when your started to write and when you post. You can do this before you hit “post”, and i sometimes do it on a day-moving thread. Or, you can’t wait until after your post, and then quickly scan up. You do have 15 minutes to edit your post, including the ever-favorite edit to “deleted in accordance with mod instructions”. You’ve probably seen several posts like that. And if you miss the edit window, you can DM the mods and apologize, and ask them to edit/spoiler your post. ---
**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:** [November 23, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/11 "2022-11-23T20:53:47Z")
Well if you were not purposefully avoiding seeing the warning, the mods cannot assume you’ll see it right away. They can be upset with you, but that’s their problem not yours (the generic you). But isn’t there a way they can notify you so that they don’t rely on you seeing a warning within a thread? A PM perhaps? If they always did that, that’d be a good thing and then yes I can see how they expect you to see it the next time you’re in the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/12 "2022-11-23T21:00:03Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > But isn’t there a way they can notify you so that they don’t rely on you seeing a warning within a thread? A PM perhaps? In my experience, if you personally receive a mod note then you get a notification about it. It’s hard to not notice. But we’re talking about mod instructions, which aren’t made to an individual, they are just generic guidance for anyone who might participate in the thread. You can’t notify every board member, present past, and future. I assume the term “warning” is being used in the general sense (information to guide someone against danger) and not the actual warning a poster receives from a moderator as a formal action (which goes on your record). I haven’t had one yet (and hope I never get one) but I’d assume you get a notification just like a note. Mod instructions usually have a different colored background to stand out better in a thread. They are hard to miss if you scroll through an entire thread. (That last bit is key though.) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/13 "2022-11-23T21:04:37Z")
It looks like it was 30 minutes after the modnote. A modnote you were addressed on. So the warning is pretty valid. But, a quick PM, explaination and apology to the Mod in question is the way to go. Most of the time the warning will be reversed and the offending post hidden. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/14 "2022-11-23T21:07:39Z")
Some factual information to take into account in this discussion: 1. I did highlight Wrenching\_Spanner’s text in issuing the mod note. They therefore would have received a flag of the moderation, same as a PM. 2. The timeline went thus: My mod note was issued at 10:29 a.m. k9bfriender’s response to Wrenching\_Spanners was made at 10:30 a.m. and was then _immediately retracted_ in light of the mod note. k9bfriender did _not_ have a PM. Wrenching\_Spanner’s response after the mod note came at 11:01 a.m. I did not issue the warning for ignoring mod instructions until 11:29 a.m. Wrenching\_Spanners had enough time to retract their response, and they were made aware it was their post that had triggered the mod note. I’m not inclined to retract the warning in this case. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/15 "2022-11-23T21:28:52Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > I did highlight Wrenching\_Spanner’s text in issuing the mod note. They therefore would have received a flag of the moderation, same as a PM. Oh, then yeah, I would never miss something like that. A notification like that is pretty blatant. No need to scroll up to see it. I didn’t know that part. ---
**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:** [November 23, 2022, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/16 "2022-11-23T21:46:29Z")
I looked at the thread. It wasn’t a warning, as the OP stated. I think the warning was warranted. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/17 "2022-11-23T21:50:05Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > Some factual information to take into account in this discussion: > > 1. I did highlight Wrenching\_Spanner’s text in issuing the mod note. They therefore would have received a flag of the moderation, same as a PM. > 2. The timeline went thus: My mod note was issued at 10:29 a.m. k9bfriender’s response to Wrenching\_Spanners was made at 10:30 a.m. and was then _immediately retracted_ in light of the mod note. k9bfriender did _not_ have a PM. Wrenching\_Spanner’s response after the mod note came at 11:01 a.m. I did not issue the warning for ignoring mod instructions until 11:29 a.m. Wrenching\_Spanners had enough time to retract their response, and they were made aware it was their post that had triggered the mod note. > > I’m not inclined to retract the warning in this case. It’s kind of funny that I’m seeing your response in near time. In the other thread, I started a reply to k9bfriender, went away to do take care of a household chore and then came back after a while. And just now, I was called away from my computer for a couple of minutes. Life happens. I don’t think it’s unusual to take 30 minutes or even 60 minutes to reply to a post. Even now, I’m considering the wording of my post, and my response will be far from instant. You’re wrong that I disregarded moderator instructions. At worst, I failed to check for moderator instructions after I hit the Reply button, and went away from my computer. Apparently, I need to check the thread I’m involved in immediately after I post in case the thread has been moderated in the meantime. That’s disappointing to find out, but my OP question is answered. Lesson learned. Also, I did not receive any kind of identifiable flag for the moderation note. I received a message that I’d been warned, but that was after the warning had been issued. I think when I was composing my post, there was a flag that I’d been replied to, but I presumed it was from a poster I was debating. I didn’t realise that I had to check it immediately. Funny again, but one’s just popped up. It’s a blue 1 besides the W that I presume is my avatar. Looks like Bullitt has just posted in this thread. I wouldn’t have bothered to check it unless it was topical. Again, lesson learned. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/18 "2022-11-23T21:57:29Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > I looked at the thread. It wasn’t a warning, as the OP stated. > > I think the warning was warranted. I was warned for not following a moderator instruction that I didn’t see until after I had received the warning. Apparently, I need to check the thread I’m posting in to make sure I haven’t received a moderator instruction after I make a post for during the time I was composing the post. That seems quite authoritarian, but I’ll try to follow that procedure in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/19 "2022-11-23T21:57:29Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > I think when I was composing my post, there was a flag that I’d been replied to, but I presumed it was from a poster I was debating. Just as a general FYI, when you get a notification that you received a note, it will appear as a green bubble. It’s the same notification you’ll get if someone sends you a private message. The notification that someone replied to you will show up yellow. They also show up on different sides of your avatar. (At least with the themes I use.) I always get nervous when I see a green bubble because I assume I received a mod note (though 99 times out of 100 it’s just a PM). When you click your avatar at the top of the boards, you get a drop down menu. One of the icons is a bell which shows notifications, another one looks like an envelope and shows direct messages you received. The mod note _should_ be in that latter list, if you want to check. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453/20 "2022-11-23T22:02:13Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Just as a general FYI, when you get a notification that you received a note, it will appear as a green bubble. No. I receive a blue bubble when someone replies to me. I’ve received a few moderator notes, and none of them has appeared any different to any other reply - they were blue bubbles. The warning I received did have a green bubble. If I had received a green bubble for a moderator note, I would have checked it out just because I’d never seen one before. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-time-expectation-for-seeing-moderator-instructions/975453.md?page=2)