If I remove a large number of posts I sometimes turn that into a new topic and then make that topic a PM, and reply as needed.
I have used that methods in all these ways:
- replied with actions taken and any cautions/warnings needed, and then closed the PM, to let people who have engaged passionately in an argument know what has happened and be able to drop the subject – this is usually where something has got out of hand and many people have engaged in arguments or derailment, but not maliciously or to the point of needing to suspend anyone
- only turned posts by one problematic user into a PM, and replied in that PM to explain the problem and invite their response and acknowledgement
- split entire derailments into a new topic and then converted that to being a PM, suspended the culprit/s, removed them from the newly-created PM, and then given the people who took part some closure by explaining what was done, and why. I will usually leave these open so people can blow off a bit of steam and make any final observations.
Turning deleted content into a PM means I can bulk-notify people who took part of what occurred, and has become a useful timesaver which also helps engage members in the moderation process, and promote use of flags and perception of flagging as member-moderation.
It’s something I would appreciate myself as a forum member: people who are passionate about a topic and/or have attempted to steer a derailment back on track like to have closure, and not simply find their hours of input have vanished.
I only wish there was an option to select posts, create a new topic with them, and have that topic be a PM, although the short process of making the new topic a PM has not been a problem.