Posting without getting moderated

What happens when you post

Most posts go live the moment you save them. A few wait for a moderator first. Three things are checked on the way.

• Are you free to post? A forum suspension stops you posting anywhere in the forum. A space can also be kept for people with a certain role. If either applies, the forum tells you.
• Does it belong in Confession? Anything that belongs in Confession is refused outside the Ask a Priest space. Ask a Priest is not Confession. For Confession, go to a priest in person.
• Does a moderator need to look? See below.

Why a post may wait

A held post is saved, but nobody else sees it until a moderator approves it. You're told it's waiting. A post is held when:

• You're new and your post has a link. Members with fewer than five posts have link posts held. After five posts the hold stops. Moderators are never held.
• It uses a word on the filter. A parish or diocese can keep a list of words for its forum. A match holds the post for a moderator to decide.
• You chose a pen name. You can show your full name, your first name and initial (most people choose this), or a pen name. A pen name waits for approval.

If you edit a post you already published and the new words use a filtered word, the edit waits for a moderator too. The earlier version stays up until then.

What can bring a post down

1. A moderator removed it. They give a reason, and you get a notification.
2. Your bishop took it down. A bishop can remove a topic, usually with a reason. A bishop's takedown normally records a strike as well.
3. A moderator declined your edit. The earlier version stays.

Moderator actions go in the public transparency log at Forum, then Transparency. It shows what was done and why, and never republishes what came down.

Strikes and suspension

A strike is a recorded warning. You get it as a notification, with the reason.

Three strikes inside 90 days suspend your forum account for 7 days automatically. Older strikes stop counting. A moderator can also suspend someone for 1 day, 7 days or 30 days, or until the suspension is lifted. There's always a reason.

A suspension covers the forum only. Your records, giving and certificates keep working.

How to appeal

If a post of yours was removed or locked, or an edit was declined, open it. You'll find an appeal box only you can see. Say briefly why the decision should be looked at again, and send it. You can appeal each decision once.

A moderator reads it, upholds it or turns it down, and leaves a note either way. If it's upheld, the post goes back up and a locked topic is unlocked. The outcome goes in the transparency log next to the first decision.