Timed out with "Too many posts of this type in a short amount of time."

I was able to make comments again this morning, which is a relief.
I would still like to know how to avoid getting timed out again.

Hi Janice,

We have a rate limit in place for discussion posts to prevent users from flooding the forums with spam comments. Your post limit generally resets every 24 hours, so you may need to wait a while before making additional posts if you encounter this error message.

Are you running into this issue frequently? We set the limit so that the majority of users would not experience any disruptions, but if yourself and others are persistently having this issue I can look into increasing it. If that's the case, could you please provide a link to your profile? Additionally, please continue to notify me here when you run into this issue.

Thanks!

I got the problem again this morning.  I made 20 posts over the course of 2-3 hours, and the 21st one produced the error.
My profile is https://www.khanacademy.org/profile/kaid_762849250127945650797106

I am often responding to questions & help requests because I am retired and like to help.  I guess if I knew what the rate limit was, I could try to stay under it and just space out my assisting other users.  Being banned from posting for 24 hours is very discouraging, especially when I was trying to help other users.

Hi Janice,

Could you please provide a link to the first post you remember making today, as well as the last one that you made before seeing this error message? It looks like you were able to make posts later on today, so I want to make sure that I've got the timeframe correct.

Thanks!

I typed out 7 paragraphs, and when I pressed submit, the page went away.
I'll respond to your request if I can, when I can.

I'm super frustrated with both KA and computers at the moment.

You want me to go back to the first post of the day?  So starting after midnight Pacific Time?
I will try to get you the data for my most recent posting ban, which started about an hour ago.

You asked for a link to the post.  Do you want something like this? https://www.khanacademy.org/computer-programming/spin-off-adris-puppy-dog/5516660047986688?qa_expand_key=ag5zfmtoYW4tYWNhZGVteXJACxIIVXNlckRhdGEiHWthaWRfNzYyODQ5MjUwMTI3OTQ1NjUwNzk3MTA2DAsSCEZlZWRiYWNrGICAh4zYyPUJDA&qa_expand_type=reply
(This is the first post I made after midnight today; it was about 15 hours before the ban.)

[Edit: as of 5:19pm Pacific, I can post again, less than 3 hours after I got the message that I had made too many posts.  I am now thoroughly confused about how the rate limit and the ban work.]

If you still want the data for what happened 4 days ago, I can try scrolling back for it.  Since I make many comments (when I can), it will be a lot of effort.

----------------------------------------

I understand wanting to cut down on spam, but I find it frustrating that I have no way of knowing when I am close to the rate limit.  Would KA consider giving people a warning, such as "This is your last post for the next hour. Then you can make 1 per hour for the next 24 hours." or something like that?  When I am collaborating with others on a project on KA or helping someone with 6th grade math, it is incredibly frustrating to be suddenly banned for 24 hours when I cannot predict it is coming, and to have no way to tell the others why I am not responding.

Alternatively, if I knew what the rate limit is, I could try to keep track of when I might be getting close, and take a break from posting.  That would not be as good, but at least I wouldn't get blindsided.

I really enjoy helping others here, and I really want to continue doing so.  Just yesterday I got enthusiastic thanks from at least 2 people.  Sometimes I answer questions that have gone unanswered for weeks.  Please help me find a way to keep helping people on KA.

Thanks for the additional information!

Yes, that is the correct link format. Next time you run into this, can you please give me:

• A link to the last post you made before seeing the error message
• A link to the question/post that you were trying to respond to when you saw the error message
• A link to the first post you made when you logged on for that session

I definitely understand your frustration with the lack of warning for when your account will be restricted from posting and want to get this resolved so you can continue helping others. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Unfortunately for security reasons, I cannot share the exact limits and behavior of these restrictions. These limits are designed to prevent mass spam and automated posting, so the limits shouldn't be encountered by regular usage of the site. However, I think there may be an issue with how these are currently functioning. From reviewing your account, I'm not seeing any usage that comes anywhere even close to the limits, so that's why I'm needing some more information from you to help pinpoint where exactly this is coming from so we can make sure that limit is being calculated correctly and fix/increase it if necessary.

Thank you for all the details.  (I am glad to know that my commenting volume is not close to the amount KA wants to limit; knowing that, I'm fine with not knowing the details.)  I will do my best to give you whatever information I can that will help solve this mystery.

I don't typically log on and off of Khan Academy.  If that might be part of the problem, I am willing to do that at least once/day, starting today when I take my next break.

No, logging in/out shouldn't have an effect on this. All of the limits are calculated based on a trailing 24 hour period, so the only thing that can reset the limit is waiting for time to pass. Time zone also doesn't have an effect.

I'll have some downtime on Monday so will try to take a deeper look at this issue then.

If it helps, I also sometimes seem to get a timeout on flagging posts. (I am not overly concerned about this, but I thought it was possible it could offer some clue.)

I just got a posting restriction again today (March 17) at 6:24 AM Pacific Time.
I think this is the information you want:

The last post I made before seeing the error message (15 minutes before):
https://www.khanacademy.org/math/cc-sixth-grade-math/cc-6th-expressions-and-variables/cc-6th-lcm/a/least-common-multiple-review?qa_expand_key=ag5zfmtoYW4tYWNhZGVteXJACxIIVXNlckRhdGEiHWthaWRfNzYyODQ5MjUwMTI3OTQ1NjUwNzk3MTA2DAsSCEZlZWRiYWNrGICAh5zZ4dIIDA&qa_expand_type=comment

The question/post that I was trying to respond to when I saw the error message:
https://www.khanacademy.org/math/cc-sixth-grade-math/x0267d782:cc-6th-exponents-and-order-of-operations/cc-6th-exponents/a/introduction-to-exponents?qa_expand_key=ag5zfmtoYW4tYWNhZGVteXJBCxIIVXNlckRhdGEiHmthaWRfNjExODY0NjQ3NDkzMzg2OTg0NDI4NTUyOAwLEghGZWVkYmFjaxiAgIf0vZOaCgw&qa_expand_type=question.

The first post I made this morning (about 4 hours ago) is either https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/intro-to-python-fundamentals/x5279a44ae0ab15d6:designing-algorithms-with-conditionals/x5279a44ae0ab15d6:compound-boolean-conditions/v/booleans-program-design-content-moderation?qa_expand_key=ag5zfmtoYW4tYWNhZGVteXJACxIIVXNlckRhdGEiHWthaWRfNzYyODQ5MjUwMTI3OTQ1NjUwNzk3MTA2DAsSCEZlZWRiYWNrGICAh4zs6YAIDA&qa_expand_type=reply or
https://www.khanacademy.org/computer-programming/first-game/4714468923785216?qa_expand_key=ag5zfmtoYW4tYWNhZGVteXJACxIIVXNlckRhdGEiHWthaWRfNzYyODQ5MjUwMTI3OTQ1NjUwNzk3MTA2DAsSCEZlZWRiYWNrGICAh-TfzMgIDA&qa_expand_type=answer

I'm not sure when I last logged on; I think it was between 12 & 36 hours ago.

If it helps, I can provide:

• Links for posts I made about 24 hours ago that could be the first post in the moving 24-hour window;
• Count of how many of each type of posts I made in the 24 hours before timeout reached.

I can also leave another post here with the time I first notice I can post again, if that helps.

Thank you for your assistance.
~ Janice

I can now report that for this instance, my posting was restricted starting between 6 & 6:24 AM, and ending some time after 9:05 but before 10:20 AM.

My first post once the restriction expired was https://www.khanacademy.org/computer-programming/sushi-with-soy-sauce/5058259539050496?qa_expand_key=ag5zfmtoYW4tYWNhZGVteXJBCxIIVXNlckRhdGEiHmthaWRfNjY2NzU1MzA3MDAxMzEyNTkxMjAzMDM0NAwLEghGZWVkYmFjaxiAgIf05cX9CQw&qa_expand_type=reply

Thanks for the additional info, that's very helpful! I've shared with the team so we can take a closer look. I'll let you know if we need any further information.

I got the posting restriction again yesterday at 1:30 pm (Pacific Time) and I am still blocked from posting (update: still blocked as of 9:36 am Pacific Time).  I only made 23 posts yesterday across all of Comments, Answers, Questions, Tips & Thanks, and Help Requests.  

I have a problem I cannot figure out with one of my projects that I have been waiting for 20 hours now to be able to make a Help Request about. 
I am also working with 2 other KA users regularly (helping 1 with variables in 6th grade math, helping the other to add user-chosen color palettes to a JS program), so I make posts back & forth with them, in addition to answering some of the daily unanswered questions in 6th grade math and elsewhere.
I try to be a good member of the user community. I am trying to follow all the guidelines and be an asset and help to others.  I am also trying to be patient with the many glitches with the website, some of which seem to be long-standing.  (Yes, I know, KA has a small staff.)
If I cannot make even 30 posts in a day, I may decide to quit using Khan Academy altogether -- the frustration is too much.

Please, is there anything that can be done temporarily if the issue will persist for a while?

Thanks for the update, JaniceHolz!

Good news---I was able to reproduce the issue this time and I think I may have figured out what the cause is. Unfortunately we don't deploy any code changes over the weekend, so this likely won't be fixed until mid-next-week, depending on how complex this ends up being. I'll keep you posted as I receive further updates.

I'm looking for a workaround to reset your limit, if there is one. I'll let you know if I find anything.

In the meantime, please do not make any Project Help Requests. This seems to be causing the issue, so if you avoid trying to make these, then you shouldn't run into the limit again until it is fixed.

Thank you very much for your assistance.  And thank you for keeping me updated - that helps tremendously.

Darn, I wish I had read this before I made my help request.  Luckily, I seem to still be able to post.  I will not make any more help requests until I hear from you that you think it is fixed.
I guess until it is fixed I will post as a Question on the most relevant course module if I am stuck on something.  Might it cause the problem if I respond to something posted on one of my help requests?

I think responding to any of your existing help requests is OK (because responses are treated as a different type of post), but definitely do not make any new Help Requests.

As you've suggested, posting a Question on the most relevant content page is the best workaround for now.

Just in case it affects solving the problem, I wanted to let you know that some of the posting restrictions I have experienced did not come within a day of any help requests that show on my profile (though maybe I have forgotten deleting help requests).

Details below, in case you want them.

My Help Requests have been made at these approximate dates:
~3/1
~3/14
~3/17
~3/20
3/22 ~15:30 [Why does this show as "a day ago" when I am confident it has only been 23 hours?]

The posting restrictions have started at the following dates & times:
3/4 15:33
3/10 8:14
3/12 18:33
3/14 15:00
3/17 6:23
3/21 13:30
3/23 14:29

Some of the posting restrictions may have happened within a day of me making a help request (why the delay?), but I don't see help requests that would correspond to the restrictions on 3/4 15:33; 3/10 8:14; or 3/12 18:33

In case this has a bearing on solving the problem, I just got a posting restriction again (at 5:30 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time), even though I have not made any other Help Requests in the last 3 days.

The last post I made before seeing the error message was:
https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/intro-to-python-fundamentals/x5279a44ae0ab15d6:designing-algorithms-with-conditionals/x5279a44ae0ab15d6:nested-conditionals/v/algorithmic-bias?qa_expand_key=ag5zfmtoYW4tYWNhZGVteXJACxIIVXNlckRhdGEiHWthaWRfNzYyODQ5MjUwMTI3OTQ1NjUwNzk3MTA2DAsSCEZlZWRiYWNrGICAh9L-ur8KDA&qa_expand_type=reply

I was trying to respond to https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/intro-to-python-fundamentals/x5279a44ae0ab15d6:computational-thinking-with-variables/x5279a44ae0ab15d6:the-programming-platform/v/what-is-computer-science?qa_expand_key=ag5zfmtoYW4tYWNhZGVteXJBCxIIVXNlckRhdGEiHmthaWRfMTEzMTk0MTM2NjA5NDI4NDE2MzEyNjk1OAwLEghGZWVkYmFjaxiAgIfSsLqRCgw&qa_expand_type=question

The first post I made when I got up this morning was https://www.khanacademy.org/math/cc-fourth-grade-math/imp-geometry-2/imp-angles-in-circles/a/measuring-angles-faq?qa_expand_key=ag5zfmtoYW4tYWNhZGVteXJACxIIVXNlckRhdGEiHWthaWRfNzYyODQ5MjUwMTI3OTQ1NjUwNzk3MTA2DAsSCEZlZWRiYWNrGICAh6L15rgLDA&qa_expand_type=reply

The first post I made that is not yet 24 hours old is https://www.khanacademy.org/computer-programming/sushi-with-soy-sauce/5058259539050496?qa_expand_key=ag5zfmtoYW4tYWNhZGVteXJACxIIVXNlckRhdGEiHWthaWRfNzYyODQ5MjUwMTI3OTQ1NjUwNzk3MTA2DAsSCEZlZWRiYWNrGICAh7KWvbcLDA&qa_expand_type=reply

[This comment has been pending approval for almost 5 hours.  I had not noticed that comments on these posts needed approval. Did I do something wrong?]

I got a posting restriction yesterday (3/25 5:30 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time; see post above that is pending approval) that lasted over 5 hours, and one just now (3/26 15:49 Pacific Daylight Time).

The last Help Request I posted was 3/22, and I have had 3 posting restrictions since then.

Thanks for the detailed report! Darn, it looks like there may be another issue here then. I know the Help Requests are definitely one cause of this, so please continue to not post any of those. I'll take another look at your postings to see if I can identify any other causes.

Also, some of the team involved with this aspect of the site are out currently, so it may take a little longer to get this fixed unfortunately :(

Thank you for the update.  

I goofed up yesterday when I wanted help with something, and tried to post a help request. (The post failed, with the all-too-familiar "Too many posts ..." message.)  I will do my best to remember to post all help needs as questions.

I also post a lot of flags as I go through the 6th grade math questions, sometimes so many that I seem to get a time out restriction on those too.  I don't know if there is a connection.

JaniceHolz I looked into flagging and it does not appear that lots of flagging would trigger a restriction from posting. I think our flagging limit is too low, however, so I will look into increasing that.

After being restricted from posting, have you ever gone back and deleted any of your posts? If so, do you recall how many? Given you aren't making any Help Requests now, you must be hitting another type of limit, but I'm still not seeing any usage that would indicate this.

Several weeks ago (edit: March 12 or March 13) when I was told by Cavan P to flag certain content rather than responding with a comment, I did delete dozens of comments. (edit: That was after the first 2 times I was restricted from posting, and I had not made any help requests between March 1 & March 13.)  Since then, I think I delete 0-5 posts/day (mostly turning comments into Answers if the Help Request is several days old and no one has come up with a better Answer).
If you think that might be a problem, I can start either tracking my deletes, or try to stop deleting posts. edit: Please let me know if you think it would help for me to do that.

Yes, the flagging limit seems incredibly low.  I have sometimes been unable to keep flagging nonsense when I think I have only flagged 10-20 posts in the previous 24 hours (6th grade math gets a lot of nonsense posts daily, as well as several that should be Tips & Thanks if they are posted at all; I would have posted 22 flags for the last 24 hours of 6th grade math if I'd been able).  I am trying to remember to take screenshots of my activity totals, so I can see how many flags I post before getting timed out. 

Evan, 
I saw in a response you gave someone 3 years ago that the ' "flags raised" statistic on your profile page is an old feature that no longer works properly'.  Is that still true?  In which case the only way for me to know how many flags I have successfully raised is to count them by hand?

Are you allowed to tell me how many flags per day I can raise?  If not, can you tell me if the limit is over 50?  Because it takes 20-40 just to deal with the non-questions in the 6th grade math Questions queue just about every day.

Can you see the post I made in this thread 10 days ago (~March 25) that starts "In case this has a bearing on solving the problem, I just got a posting restriction again (at 5:30 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time), even though I have not made any other Help Requests in the last 3 days."?
It is still marked as "Pending approval".  It has 4 links -- all to pages on the KA website -- and one screenshot of a KA screen showing the "Too many posts" message.

Hi JaniceHolz,

Have you still been bumping into this issue now that you aren't making Help Requests? If so, then yes, could you please help keep track of the number of posts that you delete? It's possible that may also be contributing to the issue.

Yes, I think the flags raised statistic is still buggy. This may be due to the count being decreased when people delete posts that you have flagged. I can't share the exact limit now, but for the time being I suggest only flagging things that are inappropriate so as not to quickly use up your flag allotment. I was unaware how low this limit was until now, so I have asked the team to increase it significantly. Once that change is made, you shouldn't run into the limit anymore.

Yes, I saw the pending approval message! For some reason our helpdesk software thinks the post is spam and isn't letting me approve it, but yes I can see it :)

Also wanted to let you know that we filed all of the details of this case with the engineering team, so they are looking into the issue. I'll keep sharing updates with you as I receive them!

Thank you for all the information.  I truly appreciate it.

I have not had the "too many posts" issue since it happened after my last Help Request on March 27.  However, since some of the times it happened before were not within days of making a help request (such as March 4, 10, and 12), I am still worried not making Help Requests may not be enough.
I am doing my best to track my deleted posts.  I have only deleted 3 in the last 5 days (unless I missed recording one or two.  I don't delete posts often.)
Thank you for filing the details with the engineering team.  

Thank you for asking the team to significantly increase the flag allotment.  Any idea how soon that is likely to happen?  Is there any way I can get notified when it does?
You suggest only flagging things that are inappropriate.  I think I do only flag things that are considered inappropriate by Khan Academy guidelines listed next to the Questions queue. Did you mean only flagging the most seriously inappropriate things? 
I am not sure how much good the flagging does, since when I looked a few days ago, nonsense posts I had flagged the same day they were posted were still there 6 days later. 

Because of not having enough flags, and because it seems to be taking far more than 2 days for the Guardians to respond to flags on new posts, I started reporting a few of the worst inappropriate posts in Questions using "Report a problem".  Over 3 days, I got 3 different instructions from the KA staff responding.  Does KA have a consistent policy on how users should respond to inappropriate posts?

==================================
Here's what I wrote in the 3 threads:

I am getting different instructions from different KA staff, which is confusing and frustrating.

2 days ago, in response to my report of someone posting screenfuls of transcript as a Question, Brenda wrote "If you continue to encounter this kind of behavior from anyone, please let me know. I'll be sure to follow up accordingly."
https://support.khanacademy.org/hc/en-us/requests/486650 

1 day ago, in response to my several reports, each of a different instance of inappropriate posts, Fernando wrote "we kindly ask that you include all related cases within the same support ticket."
https://support.khanacademy.org/hc/en-us/requests/486732
(I replied a day ago with questions, but have not yet heard back.)

I took Brenda and Fernando as saying that reporting using "Report a problem" was the correct action.

Today, in response to my support ticket including all inappropriate posts, Guiherme wrote "I recommend flagging the comments you find inappropriate as our volunteer Guardian team will be able to take action on them."
https://support.khanacademy.org/hc/en-us/requests/486909
That seems to be saying I should _not_ use "Report a problem" for such cases.

I have 2 difficulties with just flagging inappropriate comments:
1) I run out of flags almost every weekday, just dealing with the posts to 6th grade math Questions that are counter to the KA guidelines posted to the left of the Questions queue.  (Evan Lewis has requested that the flagging limit be raised.  Perhaps you would like to voice your support for that to whomever has authority to do it?)

2) When I checked several days ago, posts I had flagged within hours of being posted 6 days before were still on the website, despite some of them being literal nonsense (not even words).  It seems to me that
a) the more often users see nonQuestions in the first screen of most recent questions, the more likely they are to make similar posts in Questions, and
b) the longer it takes for a Guardian to take action on a user making such posts, the more they will make.  
Why is it taking so long?

KA seems to be relying on users like me to help you identify problem posts.  (I think it would also be useful if the guidelines were clearer to those users posting in Questions - many seem to think it exists to be a social media chat area.)  

We are more likely to help if you make it easy for us, if our actions seem effective, and if you give us clear, _consistent_ guidance.

Please consult with each other (and maybe Evan Lewis) and get back to me.

Ok thanks, I'm glad to hear you aren't deleting many posts. I don't think that is related to this then. Some of the limits are being incorrectly calculated, so I think that accounts for some of the other instances where you did not post any Help Requests.

Not sure when the flagging limit will be changed, but I have filed that request with the relevant team. That is an easy change, so I don't expect it to take very long. I will let you know once that change has been made.

Sorry about the confusing messages from our support staff in regards to flagging---I will be sure to share this feedback with them. Our policy on reporting content via support tickets varies depending on the situation. In general, we want users to flag any guideline-breaking content since this will report the content directly to the team responsible for reviewing and acting on those reports. However, in instances where the content is very inappropriate or requires immediate action (such as posts about self-harm, threats of violence, etc.) then we recommend reporting content via a support ticket so that we can make sure those incidents get escalated and reviewed more quickly.

The guideline-breaking posts you actually see on the site are a small fraction of the posts we regularly review every day. There are lots more that are detected by our systems that we must review, but which are not shown to users. We're a very small team, so it does take some time for us to review all of the many posts that are reported to us.

While we wait for the flagging limit to be increased, and in the future as well, I'm thinking it may be beneficial for you to have a direct way to report inappropriate content to me if needed? Your reports are always very helpful, and I want to ensure that you are able to continue your much appreciated efforts to help our community. If you're interested, I can send a private message to you with either a form or my email for you to continue sending reports if you think that would be helpful?