What happens to an answer if it is moderated?

Modded answers can be reversed. Meaning an answer that says it was modded, can be unmodded and show on the thread again. Vanished is something else, sounds like a glitch on the website. Are you sure your answer appeared? That you hit answer and it competely uploaded?

DT, i would write one of the mods to see what happened. As J said, you should have an opportunity to change it.

The answer would always show as moderated in the thread. I checked for you, and your answer wasn’t moderated. It must have vanished between your typing it and it posting to the site, because it never showed up at all. This happens occasionally (with questions, too), and seems to have something to do with a timing issue. It must be incredibly frustrating, and I’m sorry about that. :(

As to your other questions, no notification is sent when an answer is modded, so there isn’t any opportunity to revise it. But we’re always happy to discuss it with you and will provide a copy of your own moderated answer, if you like. Just shoot me a PM if that ever comes up.

@downtide : I’ve had that happen from time to time when the answer never appears Sometimes it just gets lost, as @augustlan said, and sometimes, if it’s a really busy and interesting Fluther day I hit the “next activity” instead of the “answer” button. Then I yell at my computer, which really does a lot of good. :-/

@downtide It’s always when it was a long and brilliant answer that it happens I have found.

@downtide Did you hit your Answer! button after typing your question? I know sometime I will type an answer then absentmindedly go to another thread or go to Next Activity before hitting Answer!,
Since I type in notepad before answering I can always go back and copy and paste again if my answer did not go through.

I’m glad I’m not the only one that inadvertently hits the “next activity” button instead of answer from time to time. I’ve learned that my mac book saves the text and if I catch myself doing it, I can hit back on my browser and what I wrote is still there (most of the time).

I’m sorry your answer poofed DT.

Actually, @augustlan is lying. Moderated answers go to the same place Mario does when he dies.

I have had enough problems with is happening I now (out of habit) do a command + C before hitting Answer. It actually just happened on a long answer. Luckily I had a back-up.

When I realize that I’m in the process of writing an answer I’d hate to lose, I stop typing in the answer box and open a text file that I can save. I can’t tell you how many time I have hit the periodic automatic signout while in the midst of some laborious composition, only to find when I signed back in that (despite what the logon message told me) there was no way to recover my work.

Even when I’m not writing something that I just know people will recall at my memorial service, I try to do what @Not_the_CIA suggested ^^^ and save a copy just before posting.

Having a “save your work in progress” option for answer posts is one of the things that were on my wish list for further site development.

Thanks for the help everyone. Looks like it must have been just a system glitch somewhere.