Strange thing

[jttheclockman]

This has happened a couple times before and it happened yesterday so thought I would ask the question. When a topic or thread is pulled up and is a few years old and someone posts to it but I am guessing decides they either noticed the date or changed their mind asking a question or commenting on the thread and delete it does the thread now disappear again and reverting back to the last comment date on that thread??? I went back to see if there were followups to a comment posted to this thread yesterday and now it is gone as well as the whole thread. https://www.penturners.org/threads/pen-for-an-electrician.147120/ I remembered the thread and thus was able to find it again. I am assuming that if no other comments are posted to the thread it does revert back.

 

[civilwartalk]

That sounds like normal forum behavior. Forums like this one are sorted either by the date of the first post like on the homepage, or of the last post, as seen in most all the forum indexes.

If a new last post was deleted, the database will resort the list each time you view it based on the current last post, with that newer post gone, the previous last post date is the one that will be used for sorting. It's confusing for members when posts get deleted, but it happens. I also own a forum, so I see it frequently enough...

 

[jeff]

John

It disappeared because I deleted the post that was made yesterday because it was a spammer. So the thread fades back into oblivion based on the old date of the last post.

 

[jttheclockman]

John

It disappeared because I deleted the post that was made yesterday because it was a spammer. So the thread fades back into oblivion based on the old date of the last post.

Wow how about that. Glad you saw it and took care of this. Thank you.

 

[howsitwork]

John

It disappeared because I deleted the post that was made yesterday because it was a spammer. So the thread fades back into oblivion based on the old date of the last post.

nice work Jeff

 

[Jans husband]

Excellent Jeff, and thanks, but now we are now intrigued as to what the Spammer was!!!
Mike

 

[jeff]

Excellent Jeff, and thanks, but now we are now intrigued as to what the Spammer was!!!
Mike

It was a link spammer. They surf forums looking for keywords that somehow relate to what they're pushing, and make a nonsensical post into which they can somehow fit a link. In this case, it was a link to a "how to become an electrician" site that he "casually" mentioned in his post in the thread about electrician pens.

These are the most difficult spammers to keep out because they're real people, not bots, so they have a better chance of getting past the filters, fences, and moats that we erect to keep them out. After all the spammer filters do their best, I put eyes on every new registration. Over the years I've gotten pretty good at sniffing them out, but now and then one slips past me.

 

[Jans husband]

Thank you very much for that explanation Jeff, Your oversight is very much appreciated, I'm sure we all agree!

Mike