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In Moderator Tools, when an answer is flagged as "Not an Answer," and a moderator clicks the "Delete Post" link to delete it, a system-generated comment should be added to the answer.

The comment should read:

This is not an answer...See the FAQ for more info. - Community ♦

This should also work in the same way if an answer gathers enough deletion votes from 10K users to be deleted.

Alternatively, clicking on the "Delete Post" link could bring up the following dialog:

enter image description here

Taken from this User Script. The script is good, but it only works on actual displayed posts, which defeats the purpose of the Delete Post link in moderator tools.

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  • 3
    I would prefer to have a dropdown of more relevant comments. I always write StackOverflow is not a forum. You should ask a separate question.
    – SLaks
    Mar 3, 2011 at 0:41
  • 2
    Another option "You're a failure at reading instructions"
    – random
    Mar 3, 2011 at 0:58
  • related: meta.stackexchange.com/questions/84402/…
    – Borror0
    Apr 3, 2011 at 13:24
  • When I flag NaA, I add such a comment myself - partly for the answerer, partly for the moderator. Therefore this should at most be an option for the moderator, so they don't need to do it if it's already done.
    – Kate Gregory
    Oct 21, 2011 at 17:11

2 Answers 2

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Somewhere along the line that got implemented (including a "no comment needed" option). But in addition:

When a post is deleted, the author (but nobody else) sees a link to the help:

why was your post deleted?

I believe that link is to this topic on question deletions or this one about answers, depending on the type of post. (I don't have a live example handy, but I had a screenshot from a past event.)

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  • I think that's the link for when questions are deleted. The link for answers is probably this one. (However, I didn't verify this either because I don't think I have any moderator deleted posts.)
    – Laurel
    Sep 30, 2018 at 5:26
  • @Laurel oh yeah, I didn't read down far enough to notice there are two different help entries. Thanks.
    – Monica Cellio
    Sep 30, 2018 at 5:26
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There should be an option to not bother with this comment at all.

Hit "Delete" on the answer, maybe dismiss an attached flag as valid, and move on.

None of this spoon-feeding instructions malarky.

If they can't discern the difference between "Post Your Answer" and "What are your thoughts?" and "Care to Comment?" then there is little hope for them.

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  • That is essentially how it works now.
    – user102937
    Mar 3, 2011 at 22:04
  • In other words, "Do not want". @rob
    – random
    Mar 3, 2011 at 22:07
  • Well the problem I face as moderator is, when new users post as answer instead of comment. Forced to do this really, as they only have 1 rep and cant post a comment. Eg. meta.stackexchange.com/questions/71368/…
    – Anders Rask
    Oct 16, 2012 at 7:39
  • Just saying that simple template that explains the "why's" would really make moderation easier
    – Anders Rask
    Oct 16, 2012 at 7:47

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