Quick Tip: Where did that post/thread go?

[The Chowhound Team]

Our old software didn't allow us to move off-topic discussion threads to other message board. Now that we have that ability, expect to see us move threads and subthreads around as needed. But how to find them?

If you started or participated in a discussion that seems to have disappeared, look first in "my CHOW". If the thread is listed there, you can click to be brought to the right place (even if we've moved it).

If you are following an interesting thread, remember to add it to your 'favorite topics' it, and it will be added to your "my CHOW" favorites page and you can click to go to the right place.

If you don't see the thread listed in your "my CHOW " page, the discussion may have been removed. As always, Chowhound is a moderated site and we reserve the right to remove posts at any time without notice or explanation. Here's more info on the moderation process from founder Jim Leff:

1. If a Post Was Deleted and You're Simply Curious Why

Sorry, no time to explain. Trust that the moderators have good reasons, and let them get on with their work.

2. If a Post Was Deleted and You're Pissed

We don't commit to publish/preserve every utterance. Those are the house rules, so everyone should expect to be deleted sometimes (I'm deleted sometimes myself, and the mods are invariably right). If we explained every decision, we'd spend all our time explaining/discussing/debating.

3. If a Post Was Deleted and You'd Like to Know Why In Case There May Be a Policy You Don't Know About and You Want To Know So You Don't Fall Into a Similar Situation

We understand. But if there's some Big Issue, we'd let you know. Don't sweat it. We're all chowhounds back here and we LIKE you...that's why we're workin' so hard. A deletion isn't an act of contempt. We're just pruning the garden. Take a look at the garden to judge whether we do a good job!

All that said, we DO try to notify veteran posters when we delete them so we can explain...if we have a valid email address. But only if there's time. Which there increasingly isn't. You have no idea how hard this crew is working. It's my job to make sure their workload doesn't reach the point where they say "screw it" and walk away. We count on these volunteers, so all hounds share an interest in seeing their load be as light as possible. And explaining/debating deletions is tremendously time consuming.

And, as a final note, please bear in mind that

1. tolerance, friendliness, non-commerciality, and focus are NOT the natural state of even small, tight-knit forums.

2. We have a ton of users and receive over 10,000 messages/week. And 10% of any crowd are jerks, 1% are major jerks, .1% are stone cold psychos and .01% are horrendously scary individuals. At our scale, these numbers are significant. Many of you are somewhat emotionally attached to the site. Consider the attachments of the emotionally disturbed, if you dare.

3. we have an exceptionally loud microphone available and open for the free use of all. And loud open microphones attract a whole lot of people with agendas other than swapping tips with fellow food lovers.

Yup, it's somewhat nightmarish. And the fact that you likely never considered any of this before, and enjoy a forum that's so unnaturally tolerant, friendly, and focused with such minimal evidence of jerks, crazies and agendas underscores what a miraculous job the moderators do. In fact, our good job works against us, because our vigilance seems misplaced in a site that appears to run so smoothly. And the smoother it all appears on the surface, the more overreactive we seem.

[Jim Leff]

One addendum...

Some users are expecting, since we now have everyone's email address, to be informed and explained the reasoning for all moderating decisions affecting them. In an ideal world, it'd be neat if we could do that. But here's why that's impractical:

1. the moderators have their hands full vetting all the action, keeping the site free of flames, agendas, chitchat, vandals, etc. They don't even have time to even catch all the problems, so there's not a lot of time to send emails.

2. chowhounds are a highly opinionated crowd, and love to argue everything. This sort of engagement would lead to endless argument, leaving most posters more upset, not less, and taking lots of time the mods need to spend on really bad problems (per above)

3. the moderators do sometimes explain when they have time, but the more they explain, the more everyone expects explanation (and the more annoyed they get if none is forthcoming). So it's best if we all (myself included) just get used to being deleted from time to time. Those are our ground rules, and it's best to adjust expectations accordingly.

Everyone loves a moderated discussion, but no one loves to be moderated, we all realize. Please know that the moderators work as a labor of love to offer their fellow hounds a great resource. That's the goal!