What happened to the editing feature??

[Paso One]

I noticed an error in one of my posts, and it needed a slight adjustment to be corrected.

I also noticed JC had to start a whole new post to correct a typo he had in his post. ie:  1.7 to 1.47

Is there a time limit to correct errors?? 

Someone doing a search later on may get the wrong information simply because the original poster couldn't make the correction.

I hope this feature  was not  removed becaiuse of the little " incident" a few weeks ago.

I completly understand  but.......  really 

Paul

[Sean]

There is now a limit on editing old posts.  There is also a new TOS, and the time limit was implemented and announced at the same time.  You had to agree to the new TOS in order to continue posting, back in August.

The announcement was here:
http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=17029.0

The general discussion that preceded all this was here:
http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=16816.0

Yes, it was precipitated by an "incident", but not just a few weeks ago.  A member went back through the entire archive and removed every post he ever made, which made some threads difficult to follow.

If you have a post that needs to be modified past the time limit, just alert one of the moderators and they will make the change for you.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

[libby]

Paul, the editing feature has been gone for quite a while now, you are only allowed a short time, 24 hours I think to change a post, if you want to change it after that you have to contact the moderators and they might change it, there are provisions in place in the rules that allow you to change it if they refuse but it's is a battle to get it done, I'm not sure what all is involved but cody just went thru it to have a couple of posts that he wrote removed because of an error he found.  Your right though, if bad information is left unchanged then future readers may get the wrong information and could even be hurt.

[Paso One]

Okay thanks Sean and Libby

I remember all the  discussions in the links you provided Sean ( thanks for the links )

I have no problem doing whatever the "Management " want,  heck if I have to log in standing on one leg with one finger in my left ear I will still comply.

I just never realized how that change could be so final.

I have to ask  how often does the " Incidents happen " compared to the number typo corrections that need to be done.

Oh well  I just noticed what effects it had on me.  

[Len Silva]

When children misbehave, you must take away some of their privileges.

[HighTechRedneck]

There is a 24 hour limit on editing your posts.  (as Sean mentioned, a result of a large incident earlier this year)

Any time you need a post edited after 24 hours you can contact a moderator to request assistance with it.

Paul, the type of edit you are mentioning is exactly the kind the moderating team is happy to assist with - correction of a statement within a post.  And it doesn't really happen all that often.  Weighed against the large scale damage and loss of information that can occur in even just one event like happened, it is necessary and reasonable.

But for clarity for others, the Moderators will determine if the change requested is beneficial to the forum community and make the changes if beneficial.  Likewise regarding requests to delete a post.  If the post was a negative one made in heat of debate, it is beneficial to the forum community for it to be edited or removed.  If a member made a post that they later realized was entirely inaccurate, it would be beneficial to the forum community for it to be removed.  

However editing and deletion provisions are not intended for retracting questions because one doesn't like the answers they got or removing beneficial assistance already provided.

[kyle4501]

There are at least two recent incidences where a poster chose to have complete posts removed. The threads that were victim to this action are now as usefull as a book with random pages removed.

A better approach would have been for the text to be struck thru & an explanation or apology added if needed. Then the future readers would be able to make sense of what followed the modified  post as the replies are often left unedited.
By simply removing the complete post, it is damaging to the thread & diminishes the value of the archives.

We all sometimes say things that in the light of a new day seem to misrepresent what was intended. Hence the 24 hour editing period, & after that, you can talk it over with the moderators to work out something that works for the board.

A question comes to mind - If someone is habitually having their posts removed (not simply edited to clarify intent), then why should they be allowed to post? After all, they are tearing down & no longer contributing to building the archive.

It is the writer's responsibility to review their words before hitting the 'post' button.
Hiding obnoxious, rude, & spitefull missives behind post removal is an abuse of the board & will only encourage more childish behaviour.
It's no small wonder the moderators are resistant to encourage this negative behaviour.

Edit to add:
I have always found the moderators reasonable in their requests & very easy to get along with. . . . THANKS Moderators for the job that you do!

[luvrbus]

tell you guys another feature this board has and I am not a big fan of it and that is you can not delete yourself from the forum without the mod's approval that one I ? 



good luck

[belfert]

tell you guys another feature this board has and I am not a big fan of it and that is you can not delete yourself from the forum without the mod's approval that one I ? 

Huh?  I deleted my account several years back and didn't need any approval to do so.  Has something changed?  I do know any posts made in the past don't vanish if you delete your accout.

[JackConrad]

As far as I know, you can delete your account, but this will not delete any post that you have made.  Maybe Mike can explain this better and in more detail.  Jack

[luvrbus]

Brian, I just checked it tells you that it has to be approved to delete a account 


good luck

[HighTechRedneck]

The approval stage on account deletions was implemented earlier this year when there were several deletions after some heated discussions.  The intention was to give a cooling off period before the deletion becomes complete.  Since then I know of 3 members that initiated the deletion and then messaged me a day or two later they were glad we hadn't approved it yet because they had changed their mind.

Account deletion is an issue that we are open to discussion.  I will put up a poll later this evening to get feedback and then in a week the Moderating Team can review the poll results and posts in the thread to make a decision on it.

There are several very helpful members, including one moderator and one former moderator, that have in the past deleted their account and then rejoined a few days or weeks later.  It always happens in heat of anger during the heated debates that sometimes pop up. Looking back in the archives you see them marked with the guest profiles.  There are drawbacks/consequences when that happens.

• Searches using a member's forum name as a criteria won't pick up the posts under the former account
• A member looking through their own posts in their profile trying to find information they have previously posted won't be able to locate posts made under the old account
• There are no links to email or PM the member who posted it directly from the post.
• The member loses their post count.  While that may be somewhat vane an fit in the "if they are willing to give it up ..." category, it does also give new members some small indication of a poster's activity on the forum.

What I am a bit puzzled about is what are the advantages of immediate account deletion?

Like I said, I will post a poll regarding this later tonight to get feedback for the Moderating Team to discuss.  Beyond voting in it, those who have interest in it can and should post to that thread with their feedback about the issue.
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