The Fray: Frequently Asked Questions
What are those checkmarks and "S" symbols?
I can't find my post! You deleted it, didn't you?
Wait, I really have had a post deleted. What gives?
How do "ratings" work? What's a "recommended post"?
How do "views" work?
Can I delete my own posts?
What's that column for article links?
What happened to all the Star Posters?
What will happen to the archives from the old version of the Fray?
Someone stole my username from the old Fray. What should I do?
What are the "rules of the road"?
I still have questions. What should I do?

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What are those checkmarks and "S" symbols?
Topics designated with checkmarks are those that have been selected by the Fray editors as being of particular interest. Please note: We hope that a checkmark will always signify a good post, but the converse is not necessarily true—the absence of a checkmark does not mean that a post has no merit.

Posters whose names are marked with a red (or maroon) "S" are Slate staffers or Slate writers.

I can't find my post! You deleted it, didn't you?
Almost certainly not. Are you sure you're looking in the correct Fray thread? Have you tried the search engine? If you can find another one of your posts, try clicking the link on your username, right below the subject line. That will take you to a list of all the posts you've ever made.

We do, on occasion, delete posts that are obscene or very offensive. But we're more likely to move posts that end up in the wrong forum or topic. Sometimes we promote a particularly interesting reply such that it becomes its own topic.

Wait, I really have had a post deleted. What gives?
If you're sure that your post has been deleted, here are some possible explanations:

• The post contained obscenities or inappropriate sexual imagery.
• The post contained extremely offensive material, e.g., abhorrent racial epithets.
• The post was grossly off-topic, in a way that other posters found unacceptable.
• You posted under a false name with intent to mislead or offend.
• You posted the same message many, many times—i.e., you were spamming.
• You used your post to harass or intimidate another poster.
• You made so many obscene or offensive posts that all of your posts were deleted.

How do "ratings" work? What's a "recommended post"?
The rating system is designed to give users the chance to recommend good topics and recommend against bad ones. We're not interested in nuanced judgments about the quality of a given topic; we just want to know whether it's worth reading. Users should recommend a topic if it's particularly interesting or thoughtful, and recommend against if it's irrelevant or abusive. And for topics that are anywhere in between, we'd rather see no rating at all. Each user can rate each topic once. Users can recommend (or recommend against) their own topics if they wish.

The "recommended posts" filter at the top of a forum page will show you only those topics whose net rating—i.e., the sum of positive and negative ratings—exceeds a certain value. You can set a more specific filter under the "more options" tab at the bottom of the page.

If you'd prefer never to see the ratings, you can toggle over to "views" mode by clicking at the top of the "views/rating" column.

Please see the "Fix the Fray" blog for more details.

How do "views" work?
The "views" column shows you how many unique, registered users clicked into a given topic. Each user can account for only one view, even if he or she returns to a topic many times or reads many posts within that topic. Hits from anonymous users (who are not logged into the Fray) don't count toward the total number of views.

If you'd prefer not to see the number of views, you can toggle over to "rating" mode by clicking at the top of the "views/rating" column.

Can I delete my own posts?
Yes, but only until someone posts a reply to your post. We urge you to refrain from unnecessary deletions and edits. If you do want to change something that's been up on the site for a while, you might want to mark your changes with strikethrough text.

Please see the "Fix the Fray" blog for more details.

What's that column for article links?
Some topics in a given forum may be associated with specific Slate articles; others may not. If you click the "post a message" link at the bottom of an article, your post will automatically be tagged with a link to that article. And if you click the "read messages" link from the bottom of an article, you'll see only those posts that are linked to that article.

If you enter a forum directly, via the Fray main page, you'll see every topic—including those that are associated with specific articles and those that aren't.

To screen out article-specific comments, look for the "show unlinked topics" filter under the "more options" tab at the bottom of the page.

What happened to all the star posters?
The icons have been abolished in the new version of the Fray. Please see the "Fix the Fray" blog for more details.

What will happen to the archives from the old version of the Fray?
Eventually, all the Fray archives will be moved over into the new system. That may take a few months after launch, however. In the mean time, we will try to get data from the old Fray up in a read-only "Fray museum." Please see the "Fix the Fray" blog for more details."

Someone stole my username from the old Fray. What should I do?
Users were given the opportunity to reserve their usernames before the launch of the new Fray. If someone took yours, you'll have to pick a new one. Don't worry: Eventually you should be able to reclaim your archive of posts from the old Fray, based on your original Passport account information.

What are the "rules of the road"?
Here's a quick summary: Don't use offensive or obscene language. Don't spam the message boards or behave disruptively. Don't abuse anyone, including the writers, and don't make threats. Don't impersonate someone else, especially not other Fray posters.

Click here for the complete version.

I still have questions. What should I do?
E-mail the Fray editor at frayeditor@slate.com. This is for questions and comments on how the Fray works, not for comments on the articles. If you want to talk about a particular post, make sure you include the URL (or the time, date, thread, name of post, and name of poster). Please also include the name you post under.