Missing / delayed posting for Newbie members

[hollowman]

I'm a Newbie, and upon posting a new thread, I am prompted by a message that notes my post is under moderation (i.e., it won't post immediately). Fair enough. But, the message disappears while in the "under-moderation" cache (or whatever it's called). I.e, one no longer has a record that one posted anything.
Realistically, one should save any copy on their local machine, but that's an additional layer of work I don't want to do.
I wouldn't bring this trivial point up, but I've had two messages simply disappear on me. The one from last night was posted in the "Space Exploration" sub-forum, the subject (IIRC!!) was topically water vs. ice: radiation shielding (or something like that). Can the Mods find that message/post.
Thx!

[Tinaa]

I approved your post. It had links in it so was held for moderation.

[hollowman]

I approved your post. It had links in it so was held for moderation.

Thx, but what about the main point of my query: the message disappears while in the "under-moderation" cache (or whatever it's called). I.e, one no longer has a record that one posted anything.
Also, if you manually screen posts with URLs, then pls note that in post-submit message.
BTW: You must have just approved the msg: I ckd "Find All Posts by..." just before posting the above, and the msg wasnt in the list.

[grant hutchison]

The one from last night was posted in the "Space Exploration" sub-forum, the subject (IIRC!!) was topically water vs. ice: radiation shielding (or something like that). Can the Mods find that message/post.

It's here.

Grant Hutchison

[01101001]

I.e, one no longer has a record that one posted anything.[/I]

If you need a record, make yourself a record. Nobody here has any guarantees that when they hit submit, their words will shortly appear as a publically available article. (And there are known bugs that will assure the words won't, in certain circumstances. And some extreme performance problems mean words get lost. And certain forum features transmogrify some words to make them unreadable. And who knows what else might happen.)

You might sooth yourself by knowing that if everything goes well, the words aren't dumped on the floor, but go into a forum database. If they don't appear in the public space, you can probably ask a moderator nicely if the words can be rescued for you, if it's really important, like if you accidentally posted the solution to world hunger and then promptly forgot what you wrote.

Good luck.

[Moose]

For what it's worth, when a post is held for moderation, it's actually there, in the thread. The post hasn't vanished. It's simply hidden from public view until we can have a look at it. The queue normally gets processed several times a day.

That is, unfortunately, the nature of the spam problem, and how the board attempts to empower us to keep BAUT clean. Until you have sufficient (approved + linkless) posts, you'll either have to be patient or make your own record. The bar is set low, so you should get through it pretty quickly.

[eimerian]

Until you have sufficient (approved + linkless) posts, you'll either have to be patient or make your own record. The bar is set low, so you should get through it pretty quickly.

So is there a fixed number of posts that is deemed sufficient?

[Swift]

So is there a fixed number of posts that is deemed sufficient?

Yes.
It is actually set-up in the software.

I don't think we'll broadcast it, to keep the spammers guessing, but you are getting very close.

[jcalton]

My thread just goes away completely, there is no message, "Held for moderation" or otherwise.
Firefox gives me a blank (white) screen and IE tells me that the page can't be displayed and/or diagnose connection.

If I got a message that said "Requires a mod" I would wait for that, no problem. Blank looks to me like an error.

That post does contain a link to Discovery Channel's Planet Earth as well as the old badastronomy.com. I could post without them, but I'd prefer not to.

[hhEb09'1]

That post does contain a link to Discovery Channel's Planet Earth as well as the old badastronomy.com. I could post without them, but I'd prefer not to.

The price you pay.

Hey, wait a minute...

ETA: I don't show any other posts for you. Maybe your browser did just fail...?

[01101001]

Sounds a little like one of those buggy cases of "time" in the topic title.

[Sticks]

My thread just goes away completely, there is no message, "Held for moderation" or otherwise.
Firefox gives me a blank (white) screen and IE tells me that the page can't be displayed and/or diagnose connection.

The forum software does not like certain words in the thread title if you are creating a new thread and does this.

I do try to look out for threads in moderation when I can and either approve them or in most cases delete them as spam and ban the spammer.

[mazzz_in_Leeds]

I made a post in the 2012 thread (in the media forum) about half an hour ago and it is now being moderated.
I am curious to read it when it eventually appears, as I can't for the life of me think why it could have been blocked - no hyperlinks were included, for starters.

I did mention that I love mass destruction, maybe the anti-terrorist flag got raised? ;-)

[Moose]

There are a number of key words and heuristics used to detect possible spam, over and above the presence of links. It's not always readily apparent why the board held any given post. Don't worry too much about it, you'll be past those measures soon enough.

/ The black helicopters, on the other hand...

[Swift]

I made a post in the 2012 thread (in the media forum) about half an hour ago and it is now being moderated.
I am curious to read it when it eventually appears, as I can't for the life of me think why it could have been blocked - no hyperlinks were included, for starters.

I did mention that I love mass destruction, maybe the anti-terrorist flag got raised? ;-)

As part of our anti-spam measures, there are certain criteria that cause a post to be dumped into the moderation queue. Among them are poster having less than a certain number of posts (newbie), links, and certain key words. I suspect it was a combination of your post count and a key word.

We try to keep up, but depending on number of mods on-line and other tasks, it can sometimes take a while.

By the way, welcome to BAUT.

P.S. - We're fine with mass destruction, as long as you convert the mass completely to energy.

P.S.S. - @ Moose - Chips on a coke

[mazzz_in_Leeds]

Nooooooo, not the black helicopters!!

* runs back to secret lair *
* releases giant squid *

[mazzz_in_Leeds]

[COLOR="purple"]As part of our anti-spam measures, there are certain criteria that cause a post to be dumped into the moderation queue. Among them are poster having less than a certain number of posts (newbie), links, and certain key words. I suspect it was a combination of your post count and a key word.

Thanks, I thought it would be something like that. I can't help having a curiosity about the exact algorithm, however - my academic background (albeit I graduated a few years ago) is in Mathematics

We try to keep up, but depending on number of mods on-line and other tasks, it can sometimes take a while.

Seemed pretty quick to me!

By the way, welcome to BAUT.

Thank you kindly

P.S. - We're fine with mass destruction, as long as you convert the mass completely to energy.

Pshaw - I wouldn't dream of doing otherwise, what do you take me for?! ;-)

[ToSeek]

Thanks, I thought it would be something like that. I can't help having a curiosity about the exact algorithm, however - my academic background (albeit I graduated a few years ago) is in Mathematics

It's not at all mathematical. You can probably suss it out fairly well just by perusing the vBulletin Web-based help pages.

[mazzz_in_Leeds]

Where would be the fun in that?

[Nick Theodorakis]

Nooooooo, not the black helicopters!!

* runs back to secret lair *
* releases giant squid *

I think you'll fit in just fine here.

Nick

[Sticks]

Black Helicopters are so 1980's

[Fazor]

Black Helicopters are so 1980's

I agree. Pink helicopters are where it's at. No one would ever suspect a PINK helicopter is really up to something evil.

[ToSeek]

Where would be the fun in that?

Okay, then, if the number of characters in your post is mod 0 relative to the natural log of kilopi rounded to the nearest integer, and your total posts is greater than the decimal log of kilopi, then your post goes through. Otherwise it's held for moderation.

But don't tell anyone.

[mazzz_in_Leeds]

I think you'll fit in just fine here.

Nick

Euxaristo, Nick

[mazzz_in_Leeds]

Black Helicopters are so 1980's

I respectfully but vehemently disagree: black never has been and never will be out of fashion ¹








1. Well, from the 20th Century or so onwards, anyway

[mazzz_in_Leeds]

Okay, then, if the number of characters in your post is mod 0 relative to the natural log of kilopi rounded to the nearest integer, and your total posts is greater than the decimal log of kilopi, then your post goes through. Otherwise it's held for moderation.

But don't tell anyone.

My lips are sealed...

* googles kilopi * --> It's a long time since I learned something new on a Wednesday

Last week I signed up for an Astronomy module at the Open University.
What are the odds - I joined BAUT yesterday, and despite the fact that the course doesn't start till February, the study materials arrived today :-D

[HenrikOlsen]

Last week I signed up for an Astronomy module at the Open University.
What are the odds - I joined BAUT yesterday, and despite the fact that the course doesn't start till February, the study materials arrived today :-D

Given that signing up for the module was probably a large factor in joining, I'd say pretty high.

[mazzz_in_Leeds]

Given that signing up for the module was probably a large factor in joining, I'd say pretty high.

See, I disagree. If the course doesn't start till February but they ask you to register by 16th Dec, I would have expected the materials to have arrived sometime in mid-January.

Maybe I just have low expectations...

[HenrikOlsen]

I always found them prompt to send materials, even though I received them in Denmark.

[mazzz_in_Leeds]

Maybe they're a rarity as an organisation, and are actually efficient!
What course did you do, if you don't mind me asking? And how did you find the whole experience?