Why Are Top-Notch Comments Frequently Removed on Quora?

Have you ever wondered why top-notch comments, those with thousands of upvotes, are frequently removed?

The Mystery Behind the Deletions

Firstly, it's important to recognize that unless you have deeper access to the hidden logs, you cannot be entirely sure if the poster is the one who deleted their comment. When you see a comment has been 'deleted,' it often means it was removed for reasons not clear to the general user.

There are a few whimsical reasons why someone might want to delete their 10k upvoted comment:

Sick of Notifications?

Dealing with notifications can be annoying, especially if you've received hundreds of them. Occasionally, users might delete their comments just to get rid of these notifications. Some are even wary of using the 'see fewer notifications like this' option as it might affect other notifications too.

Immediate Jokes vs. Long-Term Reflection

Comments that were initially made as jokes might not have been anticipated to garner such significant attention. Once they blow up, some users might feel they've outlived their purpose or that the joke has gone too far. They could be rethinking their view and decide the comment is no longer in line with their values.

Changes in Identity

Users might post comments from places where their situation or identity has changed since then. The comment could no longer reflect who they are or what they believe now, prompting them to delete it.

Avoiding Notoriety

Some comments can be highly controversial, and once users realize the level of notoriety they've achieved, they might choose to delete them to avoid unwanted attention.

Mistakes and Reflections

Users might also delete their comments after long reflection, discovering that the comment was incorrect or unfair. This is particularly true if the comment was initially made in the heat of the moment or under the influence of a temporary thought process.

Quora Policies and Context

It's crucial to understand that on Quora, comments are not the primary content focus. Users often turn their well-thought-out comments into answers, especially if the comment has garnered more than a few upvotes. This is because the platform prioritizes answers over comments.

Even comments with zero upvotes can be turned into answers if they are well-written and offer insightful information. In the end, comments are deleted for several reasons:

Offensive Content

Quora prioritizes the removal of offensive and non-compliant content. If a comment is found to violate the behavior network rules (BNBR), it may be deleted.

User Volition

Users themselves often decide to delete their comments that have received positive feedback, as they might no longer be relevant or reflective of their current thoughts.

Author's Decision

The original poster or the answer writer often has the final say in the deletion of comments. They can choose to disable comments altogether for any question or topic.

Conclusion

In summary, the deletion of top-notch comments on Quora is often driven by personal preferences, changes in perspective, and the rules of the platform. Whether it's self-deletion out of dislike for notifications, reflection of the comment's impact, or adherence to platform guidelines, the reasons for deletion vary widely.