-5

In a nutshell this Q&A https://askubuntu.com/a/1048488/307523 the commenter says:

@WinEunuuchs2Unix - you are not honest, when you disabled a bounty for right answer of me over two weeks ago... apparently you deleted your question to avoid your bounty ...

To which I feel I wrote a suitable reply comment:

@dschinn1001 Thank you for your libelous comment. You should be careful about breaking laws set in most nations such as libel ones. I've never issued a bounty and deleted it. Indeed I'm not even sure if it is possible to delete a bountied question. If you feel I've robbed you in anyway whatsoever you should bring it to the attention of the moderators.

Call me thin-skinned if you will but, I do not feel my reply comment is enough. Is it possible for a mod to email the commenter and get to the bottom of this allegation???


Reply to comments

I think the only way to find out what the commenter is referring to is to write an SQL query on Stack Exchange finding all the answers deleted under their User ID. Then looking to see which one was an answer to a bountied question that was deleted by the OP causing the commenter to loose out on the bounty.


Why reputation is important

A fortnight ago I gave my Screen Name here to the president of our 400 person company in hopes of a promotion from Warehouse Receiver into the Software Development (IT) department. Therefore allegations of unethical behavior can effect employment.


A potential answer is here: How do I contact a user privately, as a moderator?

15
  • 2
    I don't think that would be a proper use at all... Jun 24, 2018 at 20:02
  • 1
    Also, it'd be helpful to have a link to the question in, well, question. Jun 24, 2018 at 20:03
  • 2
    While I see no reason why this has to be an email specifically, moderators surely have ways of contacting users in private. Just flag the comment that offended you for moderator attention and describe your issue. They will decide whether and which further action will be taken.
    – Byte Commander Mod
    Jun 24, 2018 at 20:05
  • @TheWanderer If the question doesn't exist there can be no link. The comment is linked though. Jun 24, 2018 at 21:00
  • @ByteCommander I was thinking email because some people sign on so infrequently and may forget the specifics behind a comment they posted. My only concern with flagging the comment is it will get deleted and we'll never know what/where/when/who/why the commenter was referring to. Perhaps he has a valid grudge but has the wrong person? Was I drinking, issued a bounty question, deleted the question and forgot all about it? Highly unlikely but theoretically possible. Jun 24, 2018 at 21:04
  • @WinEunuuchs2Unix oh yes there can be. Check your history. Any 10k user can see it. Jun 25, 2018 at 17:09
  • @TheWanderer I know I didn't put a bounty on a question and then delete the question after someone answered it. I'm the guy that begged people to post an answer even if it was "I think the sky is blue" on my last (and perhaps only) bounty about a year ago. I'm perturbed when bounties go to waste. I think we're thinking two different things here because I know I didn't delete my own bountied question. Besides once a question has a bounty on it I don't think it's even possible to delete the question or close vote it until the bounty period has expired??? I still have no clue what's going on. Jun 26, 2018 at 0:40
  • @WinEunuuchs2Unix it's not possible to do that, but no one's going to have any clue unless we have that question to look at. Jun 27, 2018 at 15:20
  • @TheWanderer Sadly I've been planning on learning SQL for 34 years. Zanna is pretty good at it though. A query written in Stack Exchange could search for all answers deleted on the user's ID and then manually see which ones were deleted because the question with a bounty was deleted forcing his answer to be deleted. Jun 27, 2018 at 22:45
  • I'm not sure what Gilles creating a FAQ post has to do with this. That's what Gilles does best, after all: creating canonical posts.
    – muru
    Jun 28, 2018 at 0:39
  • @muru I saw your comment to Gilles I think it was in Unix and Linux on Zanna's crazy C file names problem when you mentioned "canonical post" if I'm not mistaken. Some day I'm going to look up the word "canonical" and find out what it means. No spoilers please :) Anyways... According to the FAQ a user can be contacted privately to find out what the big kerfuffle is about. That answers my question I think... Jun 28, 2018 at 0:46
  • Well, what I'm wondering is why you feel the need to name-drop "Gilles the highest ranking mods" here, as if them creating a FAQ post is somehow significant.
    – muru
    Jun 28, 2018 at 1:06
  • @muru Good point! Subconsciously I was probably making amends for an answer of his I downvoted here in AU before I knew how much I benefited from his answers in L&U and didn't recognize who he was. Question revised to redact name. Jun 28, 2018 at 1:09
  • Regarding SEDE, As far as I know, the PostsWithDeleted table has no user info, although it has schemas for userID and username (they are just empty) which to the best of my knowledge is why this query of mine does not work. The point of what I'm saying is that it's not possible to find deleted answers specifically by a user using SEDE.
    – Zanna Mod
    Jun 28, 2018 at 14:00
  • @Zanna That's unfortunate. It was the only thing I could think of. Jun 28, 2018 at 22:56

1 Answer 1

7

You are aware there's such a thing as a "rude/abusive" comment flag, yes? If you are, then use them. If you were not aware of this, then now you are aware, and you should use them. That flag class (for both comments and questions/answers) exists for a reason, and get our attention to user behavior that is not conducive of a civil environment in which everyone can get questions answered within the rules of the Be Nice policy.

The only thing you as a standard user can do is flag such abrasive or rude behavior accordingly so we can track that behavior. Then let us handle the situation accordingly. (That's our job after all.)

We can contact users directly in cases of serious breaches of policy and such. This said, usually single one-off cases regarding following up on a single accusation usually don't warrant direct contact of users by moderators. If they're doing something majorly wrong that we need to contact them separately, then we can do so, but that's a judgement call by us mods, and we usually don't follow up on things directly with users for single-cases of one accusatory statement.


Both the offending comment and your comment have been removed.

Your comment beyond the "contact mods if you think there is any kind of abusive or otherwise bad actions against the site rules" does not add anything, and instead serves more as a catalyst to inflame the existing situation by referring to "breaking of laws" and such.

8
  • 2
    So to answer the question in the question title – mods can email users?
    – dessert
    Jun 24, 2018 at 21:24
  • 1
    @dessert I'm not giving anyone a yes or no answer to the question asked. Intentionally. I'm stating the expected behavior of a user who feels wronged in these circumstances. That is, flag accordingly, and if necessary, walk away for a while to cool off. Whether a moderator can or cannot contact a user is irrelevant, and whether we can or cannot it is not necessarily up to the community to request that a moderator contact a user, even if it's possible.
    – Thomas Ward Mod
    Jun 24, 2018 at 21:26
  • 1
    So basically I was over-handed, I over reacted and was not diplomatic in my response to the allegations? By deleting the comments the potential remains that this will happen again if not by the same user then by someone else and an appropriate response has not been issued, neither by me (now deleted by mod) or by a mod. Jun 24, 2018 at 21:30
  • @dessert that also is not the question being asked. In context OP is asking us to contact a user over specific conduct which is not up to a user, and flagging the post/comment is the proper approach to this.
    – Thomas Ward Mod
    Jun 24, 2018 at 21:31
  • 3
    @WinEunuuchs2Unix The part about saying a user should contact mods if they think there is a problem was spot on. The rest of the comment about libel and breaking laws served no other purpose but to be an inflammatory response to an accusation that would have just added fuel to the fire.
    – Thomas Ward Mod
    Jun 24, 2018 at 21:34
  • 1
    @ThomasWard I suppose you are right. I did take a walk to safeway after the incident and "cooled off" as you surmised. In hindsight I would not have mentioned libel but merely pointed out he had me confused with someone else. Still rather than deleting his comment I would rather mine was deleted and I had a chance to write a new comment whilst "cooled off". I will accept your answer as there are no others and you are the most engaged mod I know in Ask Ubuntu. Jun 24, 2018 at 21:38
  • 1
    No offense taken, because no offense was given (and because it was my suggestion that if someone else posts consider those answers as the answer heh)
    – Thomas Ward Mod
    Jun 25, 2018 at 0:00
  • Still was a weekend, @TheWanderer, which means less mods are online.
    – Thomas Ward Mod
    Jun 25, 2018 at 17:13

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .