MeFi mod log archive
An archive of MetaFilter's Recent Mod Actions log
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Monthly archive for October 2025

153 mod actions · Page 1 of 2

Mod note on 'Anonymous Comments'

Mitheral: "It is unclear whether it is anonymous to MeFi admin accounts."

The admins can see who gives guest accounts, yes.

away for regrooving: "Wait, any non-logged-in person can send themself a gift account? Seems potentially exploitable! "

Nah, if the email already exists, no account is made and if a different address is used, someone still has to pay the $5 for the account, so there's no secret about who it is.

Mod note on 'cold blood warm heart'

which_chick: "After snake wrestling has determined a victor, the victorious male and receptive female kinda... hang out together. Like, in close (non-sex) proximity, for like a week or so." That's such great anecdote which_chick, we added it to the Best Of blog, thanks for sharing! SaltySalticid: "An acquaintance of mine has made huge discoveries involving maternal and paternal care and other forms of socialization in (wait for it) millipedes." Oooh, that sounds amazing SaltySalticid , can you share what some of those discoveries are?!

Mod note on 'Is NPH in the house?'

1. Is Metafilter policy, "do not say 'Fuck x' where x is anyone."

Yes, in most cases. Allow me to explain, historically there has been no prohibition on non-hateful cursing into the void on the site, but cursing at another person (be it a member, staff, or other people). However, we always try to lean towards leniency, there are exceptions when it comes to public persons, and the subject at hand. Saying fuck [x] in an obituary post about said person is not the same as in a post about their work, or some terrible thing they have done, and even then there are, and will be exceptions.

Admittedly, that mod note, could have used more context. On top of the name calling it was early threadshitting and also a potential derail. Now, if there's a desire to set policies that are clearer and less obscure in their application, that is something I think we all support and can work towards with the new board once seated.

Deleted ask post 'Why Does My Dog Bark All Night โ€” and Can a Dog Bark Collar Really Help?'

Mod note on 'I spent a year dating conservative men'

Deleted one because poster had edited it to say โ€œdeleted by posterโ€. Just know you can flag your own comment and leave a note, alternatively โ€” thisโ€™ll put it on our radar.

Mod note on 'hoarding, home-selling, and guns: oh my!'

Winnie the Proust: "[Op, you wrote that you live across thecounty but I believe you meant to say you live across the country. If thatโ€™s correct perhaps a kindly mod could fix it for you, as itโ€™s an important detail.]"

Yes, op connected us to say they did mean that they live across the country in California. The post has been updated to reflect that clarification.

Deleted ask post 'Donโ€™t want to let on Iโ€™m mad'

Ask MetaFilter post Donโ€™t want to let on Iโ€™m mad deleted. Removed at OP's request.

Mod note on 'hoarding, home-selling, and guns: oh my!'

One comment removed for being posted to the wrong thread.

Also, it's likely that the OP of this AskMe means they live across the country, not county.

Mod note on 'Anonymous Comments'

With a new board being seated in about 20 days (eta of November 18th), this is certainly something that could be brought up again sometime soon.

Mod note on 'Typography in spaaaaaaace'

This is cool to mess around with, especially if you're looking for a brief distraction from, well, the world. It's almost has a tactile feel to it! Have fun and thanks for sharing this gwint!

Mod note on 'Donโ€™t want to let on Iโ€™m mad'

Hi there mermaidcafe,

This question is picking up some flags, with people saying it's not clear and worrying your headache medicine may be affecting your concentration at the moment. Just passing the information on to you and mentioning that it's totally ok if you want remove your question and rewrite it for tomorrow.

That's just a suggestion, the choice is yours. If you'd like it removed, just let me know!

Mod note on 'Hunting Hugo: The Hurricane Hunters' Wildest Ride'

1,500 ft. That's how low the airplane is when they first encounter Hugo. None of the crew or staff was keen about that height, but they figured they'd give it a try and if didn't work, they'd go up to 5,000 ft. That definitely takes guts. I'm only on the second page and it's already a suspenseful read. Thanks for finding and sharing this ShooBoo!

Mod note on 'How should I handle this? A doctor problem'

One comment removed for not really answering the question and needlessly arguing with another answer. Focus on the question and helping the OP y'all instead of arguing with others.

Mod note on '"no degree in classics requiredโ€ฆ and we're not just two blokes."'

ivan ivanych samovar: "The RSS feed linked above has the wrong address for me. Replacing pcast with http: seemed to solve it for me, thusly RSS." Fixed!

Deleted ask post 'How to deal with guilt , shame and an addicted child'

Ask MetaFilter post How to deal with guilt , shame and an addicted child deleted. Poster's request

Mod note on 'MeFiCoFo Board Update, Oct. 25, 2025'

Just coming to clarify because this comment is getting flagged: Actually, saying "fuck someone" does fall under the "Be considerate and respectful" section of the guidelines and the "Name calling" section of the content policy.
However, this is also why we maintain lighter moderation on MetaTalk; it's the place where you can voice concerns, frustrations, and disagreements freely. So while this does technically go against our guidelines, we're probably not going to delete it.
That said, we do hope members can keep in mind that the people being called out here are fellow community members volunteering their time to help.

Mod note on 'Expanding Oral Vocabulary?'

One comment removed for not answering the question, which is the Content Policy in AskMetaFilter.

HearHere, if you're going to post answers in AskMe, please read the question carefully to make sure you're addressing the issue raised as opposed to a side and unrelated issue.

Deleted ask post 'Does anyone need a plant identified?'

Ask MetaFilter post Does anyone need a plant identified? deleted. This isnโ€™t really a question per se, but feel free to post it in MetaTalk!

Mod note on 'Is NPH in the house?'

Do we, as a community, think that cursing public figures for their public actions should be forbidden? And do we know where the line is dividing people like NPH from people like JKR?

Speaking as a mod, these two questions are the most important ones to decide upon, IMO.

Because ause "fuck bernie sanders" and "fuck trump" and "fuck gen z" will probably have different reactions on MetaFilter.

Mod note on 'Update on the Trump Regime's War on Public Heath'

Removed duplicate comment.

Mod note on 'a secret trap door?'

Two comments removed due to AskMe's strict Content Policy for answers, which need to answer the question being asked.

Mod note on 'Law people, please explain this to me'

Removed a comment that did not answer the question, per Content Policy

Mod note on 'Give me your regular elder or middle-aged transgender people, please!'

Edited this comment to change 'transwomen' to 'trans women'. It's two words.

Deleted ask post 'Payroll errors working for the USPS'

Mod note on 'We're all just going through it.'

One comment removed. Cursing on the site is fine, but cursing at someone else is not okay as per the Content Policy.

Mod note on 'Anonymous Comments'

tivalasvegas: "Yeah, AFAIK you can simply contact the mods to request that they post your contribution anonymously to the relevant post."

Yes, this is currently the only way to post anonymously on any MetaFilter site.

Deleted ask post 'Comprehensive Factory Operations License'

Ask MetaFilter post Comprehensive Factory Operations License deleted. Spam, banned. -- goodnewsfortheinsane

Mod note on 'West Hollywood: Rent a car or Hop On Hop Off or ...?'

One comment removed. If you have your own question about West Hollywood or LA, please make a new AskMe post about that and avoid adding it to this one.

Mod note on 'Cis women are enjoying man-sized levels of testosterone'

Hi all, we got a note about the use of the term 'transmen' and that it should be 'trans men' aka two words. With the OP's permission, we changed it in the original comment and in a response. Edited to add links s to the original comment and the response

Mod note on 'Deep Sheep'

Duplicate comment removed.

Mod note on 'Unlined copper bakeware safe for bread?'

Mod note on 'Cis women are enjoying man-sized levels of testosterone'

pickles_have_souls: "Thanks Joakim Ziegler! I messaged the mods. I think this archive link will work." Swapped out the gift link for the web.archive link.

Deleted mefi post 'ICE spend on weapons, including chemical agents and warheads, up 700%'

MetaFilter post ICE spend on weapons, including chemical agents and warheads, up 700% deleted. Posterโ€™s request

Mod note on 'What is the source for the Taoist tale of the 2 sages?'

One comment deleted, please refer to the AI Generated Content: section of the content policy.

Deleted ask post 'Did I handle this correctly?'

Ask MetaFilter post Did I handle this correctly? deleted. Poster's request -- goodnewsfortheinsane

Mod note on 'Mystery [REDACTED]'

Bottlecap: "I already did. And it is my understanding that you can read all memail anyway."

Mods can not read memail. We have to get frimble to check it out. I

f something is going on in MeFiMail please let us know by sending examples of it to us via the contact form or have the person receiving them send us examples.

Anytime that happens, for any member, send us the MeFiMail.

Mod note on 'Mystery [REDACTED]'

Bottlecap: "Hey everyone, and mods especially, โ€œthe moon and Iโ€ is sending weird doxxy memails about zarq. I think this behavior merits a time out at the very least."

Please use the contact form to send the mods examples of this behavior, and weโ€™ll take it from there.

Mod note on 'Mystery [REDACTED]'

No comments removed as MetaTalk has slightly lighter moderation, but please let's avoid calling other members names (dick, in this instance).

Deleted ask post 'Can you recommend a Seattle-area nanny agency?'

Ask MetaFilter post Can you recommend a Seattle-area nanny agency? deleted. Poster's request

Deleted ask post 'Tax preparer near Seattle'

Ask MetaFilter post Tax preparer near Seattle deleted. Poster's request

Deleted ask post 'How do you get your kid out the door in the morning?'

Ask MetaFilter post How do you get your kid out the door in the morning? deleted. Poster's request

Deleted ask post 'Mad Magazine for children?'

Ask MetaFilter post Mad Magazine for children? deleted. Poster's request

Deleted ask post 'One day in Boston, with kids. What should we do?'

Ask MetaFilter post One day in Boston, with kids. What should we do? deleted. Poster's request

Deleted ask post 'What should my son and I do while waiting for his school bus?'

Ask MetaFilter post What should my son and I do while waiting for his school bus? deleted. Poster's request

Deleted ask post 'Good DVDs for a preschooler?'

Ask MetaFilter post Good DVDs for a preschooler? deleted. Poster's request

Deleted ask post 'How to get home from the park?'

Ask MetaFilter post How to get home from the park? deleted. Poster's request

Deleted ask post 'What outdoor toys do your kids like?'

Ask MetaFilter post What outdoor toys do your kids like? deleted. Poster's request

Deleted ask post 'What's it like to have ADHD?'

Ask MetaFilter post What's it like to have ADHD? deleted. Poster's request

Mod note on 'Mystery [REDACTED]'

brook horse: "I donโ€™t know how mods feel about their job...

It's neat and interesting, but It can be difficult at times, of course, but any job can be. From waiting tables to graphic design freelancing to delivering mail to MeFi mod, people can be brutal with their comments, or as I like to say "The people are definitely peopling today". In these instances it's best to focus on what the actual problem or request and deal with that, as opposed to negative attitudes. It's the other person's choice to be how they are and isn't a reflection on me..

But for MeFi, I do think having mods spend a lot or even most of their time in MeTaTalk isn't great and ideally they'd be spending more time on other parts of the site, encouraging more conversations in the various posts. I described the job as a "facilitator of fun" during one conversation with the interim board and I like that idea.

Deleted mefi post 'A Change in Tune'

MetaFilter post A Change in Tune deleted. Double.

Mod note on 'Mystery [REDACTED]'

Have been going back and forth with Rhaomi in email this morning and here's a summary of what's going on:

The large quantity of FPP posts that zarq created would have meant removing a lot of contributions from other people who have participated in the threads. Manually removing the personal information would have required a lot of manual work.

So a new script was developed by Rhaoni (over several months) to go through a user's posts and remove the content of the person requesting an account wipe, while preserving the comments and links that were made in those posts.

Here's how that process works, explained to me this morning by Rhaomi:
The only things remaining from the original FPP are 1. the title (which is part of the URL), 2. the tags (which are a shared site resource), and 3. the raw URLs from the post. Everything else written by the user requesting the wipe is erased, including any original writing that could possibly identify them. The original post text, no matter how long or how simple, is replaced by a brief independently-written one-line description of the topic for context.
This process was developed by Rhaomi over the past few months to comply with any account wiper's request, while still keeping the links and comments of those who had commented on the post.

This new script was run last night on zarq's FPP posts on Metafilter.

That's what I know and understand as of this point.

Deleted mefi post 'To pull too energetically on one thread is to tug at the entire tapestry'

Deleted mefi post 'โ€œWhere your anger comes from is less important than what you do with it"'

Deleted mefi post '"There were only so many battles you could fight."'

Mod note on 'Non-prescription meds for ADHD?'

emelenjr: "Your profile suggests you're in Katy, TX, and a cursory search came up with a few results for ADHD evaluation there. "

Please don't ever take information from someone's profile and use post it on the site, in any way, that violates the Content Policy.

Certainly you were doing it with the best of intentions, but this is a privacy issue and we normally such content and issue some sort of ban, temporary or permanent.

In this instance, I reached out to the OP and they said the link in their profile that mentioned a location (thedryer.com) was just a joke and they live nowhere near there.

Which is great news, but everyone, do not post information from a user's profile. Feel free to ask or request information, but do not take it upon yourself to mention anyone's profile information. Doing so could result in removal of the content and possible ban.

In this case, no bans have issued.

Deleted mefi post '"What was wrong with Velcro Batman?"'

Deleted mefi post '"It Rarely Stops"'

MetaFilter post "It Rarely Stops" deleted. Domestic violence is awful and this is an arresting and disturbing spot, but neither of those really seems to add up to a metafilter post. I'm sure the intent was good but I'm not sure why this is here with this presentation. -- cortex

Deleted mefi post 'Until youโ€™re numb.'

MetaFilter post Until youโ€™re numb. deleted. You know, maybe just try this again another day with the framing actually being clear that what sounds like a clinical description of a non-fiction thing is actually a summary of a work of fiction. -- cortex

Deleted mefi post '"Only the little people pay taxes"'

MetaFilter post "Only the little people pay taxes" deleted. Sounds neat but it seems like this is broken for a lot of folks. -- cortex

Deleted mefi post 'Blue Thai'

MetaFilter post Blue Thai deleted. previously -- jessamyn

Deleted mefi post 'You totty-headed lobcock nypper!'

MetaFilter post You totty-headed lobcock nypper! deleted. Double. -- taz

Deleted mefi post '"What word do you use for gawking at someone in a lustful way?"'

Deleted mefi post 'No good deed ever goes unpunished.'

Deleted mefi post 'The Avant-Gardes'

MetaFilter post The Avant-Gardes deleted. Ooh, burn. -- cortex

Deleted mefi post '"...we aren't doing it for the sales those restaurants generate."'

Deleted mefi post '"We get only one life, and we don't truly live it until we give it away.'

Deleted mefi post '"Tell her what she's won, Bob!" "It's a BRAND NEW BODY!"'

MetaFilter post "Tell her what she's won, Bob!" "It's a BRAND NEW BODY!" deleted. a few more links to a "look at these assholes" post doesn't make it much less deleteworthy. -- jessamyn

Deleted mefi post '"You have to wrestle with the accusations."'

MetaFilter post "You have to wrestle with the accusations." deleted. This is a terrible thing that happened, but I'm not sure there's enough here to make it a conversation distinct from the many we've had on the subject. -- restless_nomad

Deleted mefi post 'Public Shaming'

MetaFilter post Public Shaming deleted. poster's request -- cortex

Deleted mefi post 'Sickening'

MetaFilter post Sickening deleted. I feel like when a lot of the discussion in the thread is people acknowledging that they can't even stomach reading the central link, it might be something that good intentions aside just isn't a great idea for a post. Awful, horrific situation but whether it makes sense for mefi is a fair question. -- cortex

Deleted mefi post '"What is culture, if not a set of prejudices?"'

MetaFilter post "What is culture, if not a set of prejudices?" deleted. I just met you / and this is crazy / but here's last month's post / Karl Me Maybe -- cortex

Deleted mefi post '15 Minutes. 750 Calories. 500 low-income children, 4 days a week.'

Deleted mefi post 'The world's oldest subway tunnel'

MetaFilter post The world's oldest subway tunnel deleted. Double. -- mathowie

Deleted mefi post '"True Companion"'

MetaFilter post "True Companion" deleted. yup -- cortex

Deleted mefi post '"What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little of."'

MetaFilter post "What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little of." deleted. Please add this great collection of links to the earlier thread, thanks! -- taz

Deleted mefi post 'The Chicago Torture Archive'

MetaFilter post The Chicago Torture Archive deleted. poster's request -- cortex

Deleted mefi post '"Play Me, I'm Yours"'

MetaFilter post "Play Me, I'm Yours" deleted. maybe put some of these links into the open thread? -- jessamyn

Mod note on 'Help with geometry / pattern making by hand'

One comment removed for posting the output from a LLM. Please note MetaFilter's Content Policy on LLM/chatGPT output:
"MetaFilter is a place for people to share their own knowledge and ideas with each other, not to interact with algorithms, so using ChatGPT or other generative AI tools is discouraged. Please do not query ChatGPT or other LLMs and then post the output unless the discussion itself is about those types of tools, and in those cases, please clearly label what you are posting as coming from an AI tool. "

Mod note on 'Can you identify these vintage illustrations?'

One deleted: poster's request.

Mod note on 'Movie: 28 Years Later'

One deleted. Wrong thread!

Mod note on 'Nazi interrupts Psych 210, receives predictable response'

Several commens removed and one ban issued. Please don't attack other members.

Deleted mefi post 'Approximately $375, or about $1,500 per month'

MetaFilter post Approximately $375, or about $1,500 per month deleted. href="https://www.metafilter.com/210597/Ireland-makes-Basic-Income-pilot-for-artists-Permanent">previously

Deleted mefi post 'The future is already here, it's just not even Derrida'

MetaFilter post The future is already here, it's just not even Derrida deleted. Noting comments that Nick Land is or expresses facist, racist, and nazi views, am deleting post and removing the direct link to the article.

Deleted ask post '2025 anyone?'

Ask MetaFilter post 2025 anyone? deleted. you're being explicit about chatting about something other than the question you asked and you clearly know that's not ok, so we're giving you a week off from the site.

Mod note on 'On the grievance troll Bari Weiss and her misguided bullshit journalism'

One comment removed at user's request.

Mod note on 'The lighthouse, the prioritizer, and the flashlight'

One comment removed for derailing the thread by complaining about another comment that they think is a derail. It's ok to just not comment or, preferably, focus on the topic of the post and comment about that.

Mod note on 'ItsHappening.jpg'

Whoot, brand new day and times for the site! Congrats to everyone on the new board!

Deleted ask post 'Can I sue for this dog bite?'

Ask MetaFilter post Can I sue for this dog bite? deleted. Posters request

Mod note on 'A Prison Camp Tattoo'

Several comments removed. Please do not start an argument with other users and remember that Ask MetaFilter comments should address the main question being asked.

Mod note on 'Should Projects still be manually approved?'

To be clear, I'm not against getting rid of the queue.

No specific data on hand about deleting posts from un-queued sites.

Projects is different though because it's specifically for "for members to toot their own horn and link to something that they have done". Do we care if someone signs up just to post their project on Projects? If someone signs up and puts up a link to a 'One Day Bathroom Remodel' site and says they were the designer for the site, do we let it stand? Matt (the original creator of MetaFilter) thought commercial projects were fine, but things have changed in those 20 years.

Not a big concern, IMO, at the moment. If it starts turning into that, we can rethink things. Probably worth thinking about what constitutes a Project, because shockingly there isn't a firm definition in the FAQ.

Mod note on 'Should Projects still be manually approved?'

No major spam in Projects, it's pretty quiet in general.

For submissions, I would just review them and make sure the project was doing what it said it was doing. There's only two I can think of that I rejected over the past year, one was asking for help with a game design and the other was essentially a stunt post.

If we remove the queue, I'd expect more spammy posts over time, because people, but we'll see.

Mod note on 'Living in Denver, 2025 Edition'

One comment deleted. Please avoid starting an argument with other members. Also, Ask MetaFilter comments should address the main question being asked.

Mod note on 'Why delay anon Asks?'

glonous keming: "ren't there already gaps in mod coverage or am i misremembering that?"

There are gaps ranging from 1-6 hours during weekdays, to a 16 hour gap over a weekend evening.

Deleted ask post 'benefits'

Ask MetaFilter post benefits deleted. Question unclear and not necessarily appropriate for AskMeFi

Mod note on 'Why delay anon Asks?'

restless_nomad: "I also don't know if literally everyone is a contractor "

Everyone is a contractor. Mods, loup, developers, all contractors,

Deleted metatalk post 'treating employees well'

MetaTalk post treating employees well deleted. Not sure what the intention is behind this post and is being heavily flagged by the community.

Mod note on 'Chemdog: The person, the strain.'

One deleted. Please keep comments on-topic and address OP's question.

Mod note on 'Nazi interrupts Psych 210, receives predictable response'

One deleted. The back and forth between a few users needs to stop now. Please leave some room for others in the thread.

Mod note on 'MetaFilter General Site Update, September, 2025'

Brandon Blatcher: "Hey, just ran through some tests where I created a post for the FPP, Ask, Anon Ask, FanFare, and MeTa, that order. The system correctly posted the FPP, then has glitched where a message is posted saying an old post was deleted, but it wasn't wasn't. Have let frimble know about that, they'll look into it."

Frimble has fixed this, deleted posts are showing up in the mod log with their reason. Note that currently if the deletion reason is edited, a new entry appears in the log for the same post, which is ok, but I'd say it's fine in the sense of members being able to see everything that was done/edit differences.

Deleted mefi post 'What is Hamas?'

MetaFilter post What is Hamas? deleted. Badly formatted propaganda that also manages to come off as trolling.

Edited to add: Apologies for getting to this late, no one was on duty and the mechanism for alerting mods about heavily flagged posts seems to have broke, will get with frimble about that.
-- Brandon Blatcher
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