Why do users get violations even when their questions do not violate community guidelines?

Usually what the case is (over 94% of the time according to Yahoo!), is that the user who gets the violation did on fact break the rules somehow, whether they realized it or not. There are a lot more rules besides not trolling.

The most common violations are chatting and misuse of the question-and-answer format. Basically this means that a question should be asking for useful advice or knowledge and that an answer should be trying to provide useful advice or knowledge. And when you post a question, it must be written in the form of a question. When you post an answer, it must attempt to answer the question being asked.

If you ever want to know why a particular post might be a violation, you can always ask a question why in this category. Include the entire text of your post (but not usernames or links to questions) and usually you will get a good answer.

(edit) The 94% statistic is in the first source below.

Because users think chatting is allowed, and nonanswers, and answering questions that aren't questions et cetc. Those who actually know the rules and have proven that..report those who only think they know them. At least 94% of reports are accurate. In summary, users need to read and comprehend the guidelines instead of insisting they didn't violate them. You seem to think it is ok to chat @ another user in addl details..it is a violation to do so.

To answer you, we really need to see the question. You probably have just missed one of the many rules. If you want to know the reason for the violation, post "Why was this question (answer) a violation?" and add the original e-mail you got so the users can see the exact context. The experienced users here will explain it to you. There is no statute of limitations on breaking the YA rules.

Without specific details of the question, it's impossible to say why that particular one got reported.

However, a quick Google, and skim of Cultures & Groups (which is a minefield at the best of times), suggests it could be about chat violations.

Questions like "Do you troll others in this section?" and "Are you addicted to Yahoo! Answers?" probably count as chat, as does using Additional Details to dispute or comment on answers.

Possibly they are violations but the member didn't know it. YA has community moderation posts are reported by other members which can result in deletion.The number of abuse reports before deletion depends on the "trust level" of the reporters. Usually all it takes is 2 "trusted" members although sometimes more and in rare occasions only one to report a post and the bots remove it. As to why your post (s) was (were) reported without complete context that's impossible to say.

Questions without answers are removed by Yahoo after 4 days 8 if you extended it or no best answer" won the vote. You don't lose any points.if it is voted NBA.. the asker will get points returned it never gets answers at all.. it just gets removed as expired and no point changes

Sometimes a post may seem very innocuous but can still be a violation.This may help you in the future. Here are a few very common violations .

Solicitation:

http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=content&id=SLN...

Chat:

Questions must be of interest to the community, not solely of personal interest and must be advice-seeking and /or knowledge-worthy.

http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=content&id=SLN...

Question and Answer format

http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=content&id=SLN...

Cheating.

http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=content&id=SLN...

Chttp://au.answers.yahoo.com/info/community_guideli...

This from Yahoo. Our points system is meant to reward the community members for sharing questions and answers, so creating multiple accounts or posting content for the sole purpose of gaining points or soliciting others for points is not permitted. Posting filler answers to a question in an effort to be first to answer, or copying and pasting other members' answers, are also forms of cheating

Funny how 90% of violaters don't think they've done anything wrong.Of course you have,you just don't understand the rules.I suggest you study them a little until you do.Mostly it is chat by the way.

Because the questions are so many they are not read by a human being, but by a machine. If you fit the machine's parameters, it will delete you and mark down a strike. Just appeal, that way a real person will look at the question and see if it was offensive or not.

BTW, the thought also strikes me that it was deleted to protect you from yourself. Such a question is begging loads of unsavoury people to respond in rude and vulgar language. You really don't want that sort of attention.

Second thought, you've got a life, right, so why bother appealing? Don't sweat the small stuff LOL.

Being falsely reported is not uncommon on here, happens all the time. File an appeal if you feel they were not in violation of the Community Guidelines. I won on 5 of mine, lost 3 but they were violations.

Just give up, you will soon find its very easy to offend people in the daytime. That's because there are a lot of elderly monitoring y! Answers to any thing that makes them uncomfortable. Insuring the poorest information on the entire internet and the first site to come up on Google, they need to rename the site to "Idiocracy! Censored"