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I recently came to know that deleting posts may lead to banning. I have deleted some of my old posts which I thought are no longer useful to anyone. I don't know exactly how many I have deleted on SO. But I'd think it would be at least 20+. I found out that the system automatically gives "points" for deleting posts and at one stage automatically bans.

I don't want to be in a situation where the system suddenly says "Posts are no longer accepted from you" :)

So the question is: Is there a way to know how close (or how far) I am to getting banned? So that I can manage myself better not to enter into the dangerous territory.

I think this will be useful for other users who get banned because they don't know what the system thinks about their posts.

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    Which kind of posts did you delete ? How come they can't be useful anymore ? Can you provide some links ?
    – Denys Séguret
    Feb 7, 2013 at 8:32
  • My old answers which have better answers than mine or have the same "content" as mine but with better explanation. I have no links. Is there way to get the list of posts I deleted? AFAIK, once deleted I have no way see them again unless I have a direct link to that page.
    – user210447
    Feb 7, 2013 at 8:36
  • I found out that the system automatically gives "points" for deleting posts. Does points mean reputation? If so, where did you find out it?
    – Himanshu
    Feb 7, 2013 at 8:50
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    That someone else posted a better answer is not a reason to delete yours if it's not actually wrong.
    – JJJ
    Feb 7, 2013 at 8:52
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    I think this is mainly about deleting downvoted posts and having no good posts. I don't think a 15k rep user who deletes a few dozen posts is anywhere near a ban.
    – CodesInChaos
    Feb 7, 2013 at 8:54
  • @Juhana That's personal preference I suppose.
    – user210447
    Feb 7, 2013 at 10:18
  • @hims056 If there's no such "points" then how the system automatically bans user?
    – user210447
    Feb 7, 2013 at 10:18

1 Answer 1

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No, there's no way of knowing how close you are to the ban threshold.

The algorithm is intentionally kept secret (even from moderators), to prevent gaming the system. Although I see where you're coming from, knowing how close you are to the threshold could also be used to deduce the algorithm and/or manage to float right above it with mediocre (but not painfully horrible) posts.

That said, with 15K+ rep and 600+ answers you shouldn't really be worrying about either the question or the answer ban. Deleted posts do count towards the automatic bans, but so do upvoted posts, and you have plenty of those.

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  • What if there's no relation between reputation and my delete-threshold? For example, I may be earning rep one side but my delete-threshold may slowly increase and reach the limit at some point. I don't know the parameters considered for calculating that "points". You seem to imply that reputation is also considered when calculating it. Can anyone confirm that?
    – user210447
    Feb 7, 2013 at 10:17
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    @KingsIndian Again: The algorithm is intentionally kept secret, you can keep asking for details, but you won't get any. That includes whether reputation is considered or not. What I can say though is that if you delete your posts en masse, the moderators will notice and you'll probably hear from them. That sounds a lot worse than it actually is ;)
    – yannis
    Feb 7, 2013 at 10:20
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    Since it's a secret, there is a possibility that there's zero relation between my reputation and my "delete-points". It's not my aim to exploit SO by understanding a "secret" :) But a clarification to manage myself and possibility others who are in worse situations than mine. Admittedly, knowing this will allow users to manage their head just above the water level. But is it not allowed? mediocre posts are explicitly discouraged? Because in banned cases, users can always create new accounts keep & doing the same. SO can't prevent such abuses. [continued]
    – user210447
    Feb 7, 2013 at 11:21
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    My question is more about genuine users who may not be aware of their post-quality and accidentally cross the limit. In fact, this may even have a positive effect & help improve quality as users who have poor post-quality-score may decide to post better posts in the future and avoid mediocre posts.
    – user210447
    Feb 7, 2013 at 11:22