Quote from dbphoenix:
As for moderators taking care of OT or abusive posts, those posts can sit there for hours, sometimes days. After that, why bother deleting them at all?
Usually an observant user will alert a moderator with a complaint and then that moderator will take care of the post. Generally, if it doesn't break any set in stone rules and nobody is offended, then the job of moderating is easy.
At least in the forums I moderate, the users who post there are very good at complaining and catching things quickly. Well, someone has to push the button to make it happen so that's what I do to keep the trash out and the information in.
Just because a post isn't caught in a certain amount of time does not give that post a free-ride from deletion. If it doesn't belong or it upsets the flow, then eventually it should get deleted.