Oh good gravy! I didn't know until reading this. This is crazy.

I completely agree, April.

The thread you reference was by and large an expression of our fears and frustrations, and when that is wiped away ( immediately after one forum member who had chosen to make a provocative statement returned defensively) it greatly diminishes the appeal of even participating here - despite the longtime friendships that have been forged.

I didn't see the issue in question, but there is little doubt Houzz is not keen on being the conduit for friendships and camaraderie online.

Did the mod take it down or was it flagged by forum members?

I didn’t see what happened with that thread, but in general —

IIRC, I read that two flags, from separate accounts, automatically gets a thread deleted. I don’t think the mods even look at what’s being flagged.

It’s just not a good system. It’s too easy for posters to target those they don’t like or a thread they don’t personally like. It’s childish. We’re all adults and should be able to discuss uncomfortable topics as such.

I haven’t seen any mods in so long, not even on the Using Houzz forum.

Joaniepoanie, I wouldn't know. It just disappeared...

The thread did turn a little hostile on that poster. And directly, to the individual, and that is a violation.

I don't see indicators that we are not encouraged to develop friendship and camaraderie! So many threads and comments offering support and care!

The "moderators" do nothing without being alerted to a perceived problem by users flagging the thread or comment. There is no one at Houzz reading all posts. If that were true we would not have spam, would we?

The inability to discuss politically-charged issues is a detriment to this place in my opinion. (Nobody else need agree.) All of the fluff and fun is certainly enjoyable, but there's still a longing to go deeper. I will agree that the deleted thread took a turn that directed strong words towards one poster, but to my thinking, that poster's singular comment felt provocative, and seemed to invite debate.

Regardless, I do appreciate very much the camaraderie of this place and still see it as a "go to" for friendship, inspiration, ideas -- all that good stuff. I do lament the fact that we cannot delve deeper though. Because of the way it's managed, the forum is self-limiting in a way that doesn't feel right to me. YMMV.

Geesh.

Absolutely lots of threads offering friendship and support. I never said otherwise. I love that about the people here. It's just not the point of the site necessarily.

I would add that it is tremendously disrespectful to the posters here to be so ambiguous about the rules or to allow some poster to run roughshod over others. I didn't see the kerkuffle mentioned above, but if someone was being rude, then of course those posts should be moderated per Houzz's rules. But to make disappear an entire thread where people shared their thoughts, feelings and experiences, that is disrespectful and shows me what matters and to whom.

Darn, I hate to miss a good dust up.

Kidding aside, I didn't see the thread but I'm very sorry that your ability to express yourself about something so important was thwarted, April.

And perhaps, since we all know this is the lay of the land, maybe we should try to ignore outlier sentiments so as not to derail what the majority share. Easier said than done yes, and not my forte either...

“should try to ignore outlier sentiments so as not to derail what the majority share.”

Please explain to me what this means. Sorry, I’m dense.

I guess I wanted to say-there's a way of dealing with violations. Spam can just get deleted. Huge thread with people sharing very personal things,and pain, and all...I think if gets flagged nothing bad will happen if a moderator first reads it and then decides to give a warning, to close the thread, etc. But it just doesn't disappear into some void. Like it was spam or flooding or something insignificant like that.

I understand reading takes time-well, everybody's time is valuable. It's not like somebody up there gave folks each one share of their time and measured it on some scale and deemed that time of person X is less important than time of person Y. I don't know whether I express my thought very well.

Mtn, I did write a (too long as usual lol) comment, in the very end as I only saw the thread in the early morning.. but frankly to hell with my comment..I got upset because of others who shared much more personal stuff than me. Mine was more general blahblah.

PS sorry for the typos etc. Again as usual))

“should try to ignore outlier sentiments so as not to derail what the majority share.”

No you aren't dense. I can't think of how to put it. IME when things derail here (not like Hot Topics, where derailment was the norm), it is because one or maybe two people disagree, and then everyone else pounces (fyi that may include me). If we just SOB, we can still have any conversation we want.

Still not sure that makes sense but I want to be somewhat oblique.

I'm under the impression Houzz has little interest in making this into a real, fully functioning community board. It's main intent is to sell. I stuck around because this is just about the only decorating enthusiast community that has "regulars", but it's not as robust as some of the other forums I've been a member of.

It's main intent is to sell.

Yes, and they can't be blamed for that. But we, collectively, create content for them for free. So they ignore us at their own peril.

Oh MTN, I do agree. Best to ignore the outlier‘s posts, or to put it crudely, let’s agree to simply step over it and move along. That will be difficult for some here who’s Hot buttons are easily activated. Just remember, the one-off poster is very aware they are going against the grain. To rail on fiercely in response will start and feed a fire....and yeah, some enjoy that. We don’t need that here, IMO. We do often delve into deep waters that are far from light and fluffy. Some have touched my heart, opened my eyes, or stimulated further learning...and none of those have been of a political nature. ‘And, for forum friendships sake, do not allow your anger at the workings of The Great Oz, to overshadow the good we find here. H is a business, and I am grateful it has allowed our GW forums to continue.

‘I did not see it go south, and agree that flagging a poster‘s opinion is silly. Let it rage on and die of its own accord , IMO,...unless there is true vilification. Sillier still, is to allow panty bunching over a distant entity’s occasionally unpopular tweaking. I’m grateful for what we have.

April, I wrote before seeing your comment. Your heart is most surely in the right place, but as sushipup wrote above, “moderators” are paying us no heed...usually a good thing, I think.

Was this about the flying to a wedding comment/poster? I didn't see it get nasty, but saw it headed that direction.

I have been looking for that thread as there was a story about someone visiting a family while wearing a mask and still got sick. I wanted to pass that on to my SIL who is inviting a friend to Christmas dinner because she "knows" he's safe.

Allison, it was on my covid thread. I can still pull it up under "my posts" and while she got called out a couple of times, I certainly wouldn't call it nasty. ???

Ilovemob, the reason this forum isn't as robust as others is why I stay here. Kind of on topic, but I really hate when topics are posted to other forums unless absolutely necessary. I want to read replies from people I know. And newcomers who plan to stay around.

That was the thread I was thinking of, @Tina Marie. I guess several flagged. WTH knows.

Does anyone else here read Reddit? I discovered it a few years ago, and find myself browsing it from time to time. On that forum, when a poster violates the rules, that person's post is removed, not the whole thread. The post itself is locked if and when too many posters are making the moderator's job difficult -and there's always a warning. Seems like a simple enough system that could be implemented here.

Hi there, I'm not sure what discussion you are referring to. If someone can remember the thread title, I'm happy to take a look. Thanks!

Mom!

^^^ this cracked me up. Thanks Jinx.

Hi Emily the thread is back. It was this one, gone most of the day.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6043312/covid-in-my-state#n=42

stay healthy!

Ahhh, thanks! it likely was sent to moderation for review.

If you all find individual comments within a thread that you feel should be reviewed, flag those for sure. It's better to be precise unless an entire thread is out of control - that way it won't disappear while waiting for review.

You all stay healthy too! Good time to let kindness rule. Good for the world, discussions, and good for your health too. :)

Thanks for checking into this Emily. We all love this forum and it's reassuring to know that you are still around!

@Emily H please see this thread. Major problem. Thank you.