I learned something interesting today

[Mike]

Whenever people delete their posts here, a little tag hangs around that I can see, and as admin, I have the opportunity to review and restore those posts if I so choose. I knew already that I had this ability with my own posts, because I deleted one a week ago, and was surprised to see it still waiting there for me if I wanted to resurrect it. Today, however, I have seen them from other people.

I choose not to look at them. Probably they're just double-posts, but maybe they're something else. Either way, I don't look.

However, for those of you who HAVE deleted posts: I know that when I delete a post, I can then go back to it, review it, and it gives me the choice to permanently delete it so that it is unrecoverable. If you're serious about burying something you thought better of afterwards, or if you just don't like loose ends hanging around, I'm hoping that all users have that option for their own posts.

Someone let me know.

[Elle]

I have done this for sure. It's an OCD thing, and it makes people hate you and never speak to you again, so please don't hate me and stop talking to me. It's seriously an OCD thing.

[Mike]

I've noticed two of the deleted messages from you, and one from another person. I specifically brought it up for your benefit. Like I say, I don't look at them, and I won't, because I assume that if someone deletes a message it's because they don't want anyone else to see it. But I wanted you especially to be aware that the message still exists and that it is possible for me to look at it if I ever chose to. If that doesn't bother you, then that's cool. But if you have a personality that would like to know that a deleted thing is truly and actually deleted, then go back to it and see if it gives you the "permanently delete" option.

It doesn't matter to me either way. It's just a line in the middle of a thread. If I see it, I ignore it. But it felt icky to have access to stuff that other people thought they got rid of without them knowing I had access to it.

[Elle]

That's cool, I just assumed you could see everything we do on the boards whether deleted or not. I will blab all manner of stupidity and not feel the compulsion to delete most of it, but once in a while it happens. Sometimes it's accidental - I probably try to post the same thing again right after. The last one I did on purpose was probably bitching about work, and I feel bad about that so then delete it. I don't know what differentiates some stupidities from others, but some are hard to let sit.