Deleting posts

Hey. Just wondering, how do you delete a post?

I don’t believe it’s possible to delete posts on CC. You can edit sometime you posted in a 15 min time frame, even to delete it all out and leave a basic, “I deleted my comment” instead, but after that it’s forever.

You don’t. On registering for this site, all users agree to the rules of this forum, which are listed on the registration page, as well as at the bottom of every page on this site.
http://www.collegeconfidential.com/policies/terms-of-service/
https://www.collegeconfidential.com/policies/rules/

I saw somewhere that a post will be deleted if it violates the terms of service. Is that true? And if it is true, would the whole thread be deleted or just the post?

Theoretically, if you wanted a post deleted but you already posted it 13 minutes ago, could you just erase everything on the post or add something that violates the TOS so the post would be deleted?

Also I’ve seen posts just disappear, so what happens to it if it can’t be deleted?

@nomood, the moderators can delete posts if they violate TOS.

I would not suggest you purposefully violate the TOS. If you do that too many times, I believe you will be warned at the very least…and banned at the very worst.

If you are still within the time window to edit, just delete the words. And repost. Or write the word “deleted”. I’ve seen that done a number of times…and just assumed the poster had second thoughts about what they had written.

Posts are never truly deleted; they’re moved behind a firewall. You cannot see them, but they are still visible to the moderators.

The irony is, you can avoid the embarrassment or regret of a post or thread by simply thinking before hitting submit. Be sure you want that post to go out to the entire world, before sending it. Within th 15 minute edit window, you can erase your words. After that, it’s out there.

@lookingforward, excellent post. I can’t even tell you how many requests we get to delete threads - several every day. We have a standard reply - “Hello, per the Terms of Service: http://www.collegeconfidential.com/policies/terms-of-service. “We cannot edit or delete posts upon request; please do not ask.” Thanks for your understanding.”

If the mods had a nickel for every time they wsere asked this question… $$$$$$$

Or when they say “I know what the rules say, but my situation is unique, so I deserve an exception.”

No, it’s not unique, and there are no exceptions.

People are fallible. They make mistakes.

That’s why there’s an edit window. And we will correct typos if asked. But the vast majority of requests are “poster’s remorse” and often the posts are from years ago. Even when we do edit or delete, there are many places outside our control where old pages are cached. Anyway, it is what it is.