Editing Posts

[Vertigo]

I agree with you, James. With the exception of a sale thread, where you might want to preserve the terms of the sale, I don't see any reason why a post can't be edited. People change their minds about things, they regret the way they phrased things, they re-read a thread six months later and see embarrassing typographical errors.

There's all sorts of reasons why someone would edit a post besides grammatical mistakes.

Name three.

[Dave Martell]

Embarressment
Regret
Sadness
Drugs
Drinking
Stupidity
Fighting
Obnoxiousness

[add]

I think this is the only forum I regularly visit that doesn't allow the OP to edit their own posts (after, I think 15 minutes?).

I often don't notice a typo, missing word, extra word, etc., until I re-read a post a day or two later. It sure would be nice to be able to correct my own mistakes when I catch then - instead of being memorialized as an idiot for all time....

James

I respectfully disagree.

I can't think of a single good reason why the original poster cannot edit their own posts. If it's after a day or two (or 15 minutes), fine - mark it as having been edited.

Much of my work involves writing and, in my experience, if you think you can proof read your own writing immediately upon completion you are seriously deluded. I find it absolutely necessary to put my work product aside for a day or two and then re-read it to find all the typo's, missing words, extra words, that I missed the first dozen times I re-read it. Your mind tends to fill in the blanks. Much of the writing on the internet is dreck because few bother to edit their work.

Future readers are not mindless - but, of course, it's not my site.

James

Editing in threads, imho, can easily be abused (at times for self serving purposes). It can also make reading or rereading a thread extremely confusing when done en masse.

I think Dave alludes correctly to both of these instances.

On larger forums, you will see folks use the quote function just to head off posters who chronically go back and edit their posts for the above reasons. Keeps em honest so to speak...

Me think one may doth protest too much ?

Say it now Dave, "It's Good to Be The King".

[Vertigo]

Embarressment
Regret
Sadness
Drugs
Drinking
Stupidity
Fighting
Obnoxiousness

I'm sorry Dave, I meant name three reasons where being able to edit the post in retrospect would somehow negatively impact the board, to justify the fact that we have a 15 minute timer. Not just reasons why people would edit the post, those are kinda gimmies. I mean, you feel some need to make sure people's stupidity is preserved on the internet forever?

Editing in threads, imho, can easily be abused (at times for self serving purposes).

I've been using BBSs since 1992 or so, and have maybe seen it abused twice. This is a boogeyman. It's not actually real. Who the hell goes out of their way to edit posts in a malicious manner? I mean seriously. Erasing the dumb stuff you wrote when you're drunk isn't abusing anything, it's saving some of your dignity.

It can also make reading or rereading a thread extremely confusing when done en masse.

Who edits their posts en masse? I mean seriously. This is just another boogeyman. You have one person every three years decide they want to redact their contributions to the site and remove their old content--life goes on. The minor inconvenience of that is hardly on par to the endless inconvenience of using a written medium to communicate and being unable to edit what you write.

[Eamon Burke]

It is REALLY annoying when you can miss out on conversations entirely because people go back and decide they are going to edit what they said or delete posts, etc.

Really annoying. It removes all accountability for what you post, and allows for the internet equivalent of gossipy squabbling.

If it's a typo, nobody is going to hate you for it. If it's a serious mistake(like an inaccurate listing in B/S/T, or a miswording that makes a knife review confusing), you can ask a mod! The forever editing feature usually just turns forums into LiveJournal.

[Dave Martell]

I've seen the open ended edit feature trash forum content. I say that people should pause before typing, think about what they want to convey, and then say what they mean and mean what they say.

[Dave Martell]

I mean, you feel some need to make sure people's stupidity is preserved on the internet forever?

Jack, you should know me better than that.

[Vertigo]

It is REALLY annoying when you can miss out on conversations entirely because people go back and decide they are going to edit what they said or delete posts, etc.

Really annoying. It removes all accountability for what you post, and allows for the internet equivalent of gossipy squabbling.

As a wordsmith yourself I'm surprised to find you in favor of edit limits, but that's cool. To be quite honest, the fact that you demand permanent access to the drunken, stupid mistakes people make is a lot more voyeuristic and "gossipy" than these fantasy people who spew nonsense on the internet knowing they can go back and edit it later.

I've seen the open ended edit feature trash forum content.

I'm not gonna say "no you haven't," but I'd love to take a tour of these message boards that have been reduced to rubble by a rampaging horde of rapscallions and their ill-intentioned erasers. For the record, Foodie Forums has open editing and they have six years of perfectly scrutable posts. With the exception of KC's, of course.

Jack, you should know me better than that.

Haha, and you should be tired of editing my posts for me! Just let me do it myself, Dave. :P

[jheis]

Embarressment
Regret
Sadness
Drugs
Drinking
Stupidity
Fighting
Obnoxiousness

Why are these not reason to edit a Post?

If I remember correctly, this site was initiated because of your complaints of those things occurring on another site. Sometimes the better part of valor is to bite your tongue.... It seems you have proven my point.

Constructive criticism should be accepted as constructive - not denigrated.

James

[add]

I've been using BBSs since 1992 or so, and have maybe seen it abused twice. This is a boogeyman. It's not actually real. Who the hell goes out of their way to edit posts in a malicious manner? I mean seriously. Erasing the dumb stuff you wrote when you're drunk isn't abusing anything, it's saving some of your dignity.


Who edits their posts en masse? I mean seriously. This is just another boogeyman. You have one person every three years decide they want to redact their contributions to the site and remove their old content--life goes on. The minor inconvenience of that is hardly on par to the endless inconvenience of using a written medium to communicate and being unable to edit what you write.

No boogiemen, it happens and not that infrequently on the largest knife forum. Not just by joe poster either. Makers and dealers have done it.

Reputations and $$$ at stake.

I have witnessed a few as they happened. Search if you care enough or pm me.

Personally, I don't see it as a looming issue on a smaller, well run, niche forum such as this one... but it may be as simple as a less than honest seller changing a description after a sale.


It's the internet, so you posted something stoopid or the spel check/gramma police iz after you. ***
Join the club!

* ...edited for content