Mass Deletion of OMNI Posts: Is there an easier way?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Sunny Place
Programs: Star Alliance
Posts: 1,655
Mass Deletion of OMNI Posts: Is there an easier way?
With changes to OMNI's viewing audience, I've been compelled to delete or edit posts. This is proving to be time consuming, is there a short-cut that would allow me to delete ALL OMNI posts and start fresh?
Here is my current technique:
Use "advanced search" to find posts by "me" in "OMNI"
Open each thread, find my posts
Click to "edit" then click "delete"
Click "delete this message"
Click "back" to search results
Repeat
Is there an easier way?
Here is my current technique:
Use "advanced search" to find posts by "me" in "OMNI"
Open each thread, find my posts
Click to "edit" then click "delete"
Click "delete this message"
Click "back" to search results
Repeat
Is there an easier way?
Last edited by Sunnyhere; Oct 21, 2008 at 8:01 pm
#3
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Southern California
Programs: DL: 3.8 MM, Marriott: Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 24,575
I'm not aware of any way other than what the OP outlined above.
It's a tedious process.
We're trying to populate the new OMNI/PR with all the historical PR threads in regular OMNI and, not being a Google searchbot, it's taken a gazilion hours just to do 1% of the historical threads.
The stuff we're trying to do requires actually reading a bit of the thread for context.
It's a tedious process.
We're trying to populate the new OMNI/PR with all the historical PR threads in regular OMNI and, not being a Google searchbot, it's taken a gazilion hours just to do 1% of the historical threads.
The stuff we're trying to do requires actually reading a bit of the thread for context.
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 15,788
Are we still on vBulletin? Your job is tedious because PR threads can only be identified by hand, absent AI tools.
Removing groups of threads by poster should be trivial for the admins. The only question is how fine grained that tool allows them to be.
I seem to recall one poster who asked to be expunged from the database, though I cannot seem to find that thread at the moment.
Removing groups of threads by poster should be trivial for the admins. The only question is how fine grained that tool allows them to be.
I seem to recall one poster who asked to be expunged from the database, though I cannot seem to find that thread at the moment.
#5
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: ATL
Programs: DL, AA
Posts: 6,031
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador: World of Hyatt
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: NJ
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Fairmont Lifetime Plat, UA Silver, dirt elsewhere
Posts: 46,919
#7
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Southern California
Programs: DL: 3.8 MM, Marriott: Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 24,575
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 15,788
My suggestion is that FlyerTalk set up a page. On that page is a list of all the forums, with checkboxes. You click on the forum from which you want your posts removed, click OK, and it is done.
Last edited by birdstrike; Oct 21, 2008 at 10:40 pm
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: check swarm
Programs: DL DM & 2MM, SPG/Bonvoid LT Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, $tarbucks Titanium
Posts: 14,404
That was my thought was well, especially at the time I registered for FlyerTalk.
#11
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: San Diego, CA USA
Posts: 534
I'd imagine if that were the case, Google would have been sued long ago and lost, but I defer to those in the legal profession.
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Newport Beach, California, USA
Posts: 36,062
I once accidentally made a public posting on a newsgroup that was intended to be a private email. Google gave me around about removing it from google mail. I sent a letter on letterhead to their legal apartment asserting copyright infringement and ending with three words: "Just try me."
The post was removed the same day the letter was received.
As far as copyright law and reproduced posts, I've explained this recently and in detail on another thread -- it's too late to look for it now, but do a search on my name and you'll find it.
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 15,788
I would still like to hear from our administrators clear direction on what they will or will not do with respect to purging posts.
#15
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 3,944
In reference to the OP, I am finding that even the laborious way described is not an effective way, inasmuch as there is residual text available for OMNI search.
The better way to delete an OMNI post is twofold:
1. Locate post and click edit. Block all text and delete. Type some sort of replacement text, such as "deleted" (or whatever). Save the changes. Wait a few second. Then
2. Click edit again. This time choose the delete option and proceed as discussed in OP.
This is better because it avoids the residual quoted line left and available for search.
If a person uses deletion method # 1 only, then entries are theoretically available for Google search, though text is not. I.e., your comments themselves will not be available for Google search, but the fact that you posted in a certain thread could be.
OTOH, if a person uses deletion method # 2 only, that process will remove the post from a Google search, but it will still be available through a local OMNI site search. Local search requires signing on. The search results will continue to give the first line of the post, just as before your deletion, but now will no longer give the full post.
The reason I do not recommend the method in OP: Should you use that method alone, i.e., method two, initially, then the post will continue to display in an OMNI search, still with the first line of your text, plus now a garbage can to the right, and there is no way to access the post (which is gone now) in order to delete the quoted first line.
So it is essential to delete all text and save the deletion before actually deleting the post itself.
That is a lesson I learned the hard way, to use a two-step process.
Even then, of course, there will be threads from others who quote your text, and these are also searchable. And there are presumably archives. But this is the best that can be done by the individual poster, SFAIK.
There is always the hope that one day the program bug referred to in the answer to my query on another thread in this forum will be corrected, so that only a one-step deletion procedure would be sufficient for whatever erasing is possible,
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=880125
but the computer bug has evidently been around for at least months now, per that explanation by the link referred to by poster in the other thread.
Trying to help.
The better way to delete an OMNI post is twofold:
1. Locate post and click edit. Block all text and delete. Type some sort of replacement text, such as "deleted" (or whatever). Save the changes. Wait a few second. Then
2. Click edit again. This time choose the delete option and proceed as discussed in OP.
This is better because it avoids the residual quoted line left and available for search.
If a person uses deletion method # 1 only, then entries are theoretically available for Google search, though text is not. I.e., your comments themselves will not be available for Google search, but the fact that you posted in a certain thread could be.
OTOH, if a person uses deletion method # 2 only, that process will remove the post from a Google search, but it will still be available through a local OMNI site search. Local search requires signing on. The search results will continue to give the first line of the post, just as before your deletion, but now will no longer give the full post.
The reason I do not recommend the method in OP: Should you use that method alone, i.e., method two, initially, then the post will continue to display in an OMNI search, still with the first line of your text, plus now a garbage can to the right, and there is no way to access the post (which is gone now) in order to delete the quoted first line.
So it is essential to delete all text and save the deletion before actually deleting the post itself.
That is a lesson I learned the hard way, to use a two-step process.
Even then, of course, there will be threads from others who quote your text, and these are also searchable. And there are presumably archives. But this is the best that can be done by the individual poster, SFAIK.
There is always the hope that one day the program bug referred to in the answer to my query on another thread in this forum will be corrected, so that only a one-step deletion procedure would be sufficient for whatever erasing is possible,
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=880125
but the computer bug has evidently been around for at least months now, per that explanation by the link referred to by poster in the other thread.
Trying to help.
Last edited by SkeptiCallie; Oct 25, 2008 at 4:20 am