Removing posts

[JohnEd]

Recently a member deleted 660 posts.  It doesn't matter that they were his posts....we all lost on that move.  Certainly there were some less than useful posts by that member of late (me too) but absolutely not all of his posts were valueless. On the contrary.  These posts were integrated into the fabric of the forum and were part of the forum.  Without those posts there is a lapse in the continuity of the topics in both questions and answers.  Much of the sense is now lost.

I suggest that no one should be able to remove more than his last few posts as a matter of forum policy.  I am clueless if that can be done by software but evidently the forum position needs to be made clear.  I have made enuf stupid mistakes and typos that I would be embarrassed if they were left to stand.  I would gladly suffer that for the good of the board if need be.  There are a lot of really stupid rules that are there to prevent things that simply do not occur to the majority.  This needs addressed and corrected if possible.

My take on this is that when you post to this forum your post and ideas become the property of the forum...if only to protect them.  More so, they become part of the fabric, as I said, and cannot be deleted without damaging the forum and it's information.  Many of us have formulated answers and questions from those 660 posts and our posts deserve to be maintained in context.

I am not complaining now....Hu Knu?

Thank you moderators for the service you provide and the patience of yours that is taxed.  Sneaky liberals, have they no shame?

Thank you

John

Any who feel the same, please chime in.  Those opposed....chime in too.

[HighTechRedneck]

The moderating team will discuss the issue of members ability to delete their posts.

Some may recall that it once was that a member could only delete their post for a few hours and after that they couldn't.  Then there was a discussion that members should be able to delete a post of their own.  As best I recall, the context of that discussion was after one of the infamous threads in which a number of good people got heated and said things they later wished they hadn't.  So it was loosened up to allow it.

But after the recent mass deletion, we will look at switching it back to time limited self deletion.

There are a lot of really stupid rules that are there to prevent things that simply do not occur to the majority.  This needs addressed and corrected if possible.

Can you be more specific?

http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=26.0

Frankly, I think we have a pretty simple, plain English rule set.  It has grown some, but I would contend that each rule is there because somewhere along the line it became necessary due to problems with that on the board.  And in fact, several of the rules have been broken in the last two weeks.

But if someone has a serious issue with one of the rules, feel free to discuss it here (civilly and without accusing/blaming others).  The Moderating Team is always willing to consider suggestions to improve the forum for everyone.

[happycamperbrat]

Sometimes people have issues in their personal life where what they type online could cause problems. I agree wholeheartedly that the deletion of 660 posts like that was not fair to the good people here. However, I also believe that part of "free speech" on the internet at it's best would include a way to selectively remove one's own prior posts at anytime (not just within a few hours). Would it be possible to just make it harder for a person to remove their posts, so that they had to go thru several clicking steps to remove one post at a time? That would encourage anyone who was removing them strictly out of bitterence to be choicier about which ones to remove, rather then click a button and EVERYTHING is gone....

[JohnEd]

Can you be more specific?

Warning on Prep H....."Do not eat this product"  now that is dumb.  But it must be needed at some level or they wouldn't waste their breath.

It is important for us to maintain respect toward each other  from   /www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=26.0 is pretty far out there and looks to be juvenile on the face of it.  That caution must have been warranted for it to get in there.  That's what I mean by "stupid stuff".  It just isn't anticipated as possible behavior or a realistically necessary.  Unless you have been here before.  But, not at first blush or the first go around.  I would be concerned that people would be insulted if I wrote that without justification such as "it became required" or I saw it before in the same type of forum with similar members.  But that consideration is afforded you because of who you have proven yourself to be.  

That's what I mean by "stupid stuff" Mike.  The stuff that comes up and we just shake our heads and mutter something like "now who in their right mind would have seen that one coming".  And then cap that statement off with "that's just stupid".  The need of circumstance or the situation is just well...stupid... for lack of a better word.  I am sure you have muttered that to yourself or even shared it and not felt that you had insulted an individual.  Exasperated!  Before PC kicks in and eliminates half of what you want to say, that is.  And who among us has not said that a lot of that PC stuff is really "stupid",  never thinking that there might be a [ moderator edit ] out there that would get upset  and blow the whistle to the PC police...... [ moderator edit ] The plot thickens.

OK?

John

[Nusa]

Happy, it's already that way and there is no single button that I know of for the average user. The posts were deleted one-by-one over a period of days, so it was clearly a conscious decision, not just a quick moment of anger. And yes, he had the right to do that under the current rules, even if it distresses the rest of us. As for reasons, I don't know, and I don't choose to speculate.

As for respect, there is an unfortunate tendency, especially on the internet, to attack the messenger rather than the message. Even if it's meant in a joking manner, there's no tonal or non-verbal tip-offs like there are face-to-face, and people can be terribly insulted by such things.

There's the separate problem of those who deliberately say things because they like stirring the pot...but fortunately this forum is more adult than most.

[Barn Owl]

There's the separate problem of those who deliberately say things because they like stirring the pot.

Hey, I'm offended by that! LOL     Where is the moderator when you need one?

(For those who don't get it, I have admitted to "stirring the pot" (exact words no less!) in the Off Topic sections on this board numerous times. )


How about setting it up so one could go back several weeks or so and delete at will, but beyond that they need moderators approval. I want the ability to be given the chance to sleep on it and make corrections to stupid comments. I would say after several weeks you have other motives and that is where a review by the moderators would be required to proceed. Like I said on another thread, ones postings on a BB becomes public domain and your intellectual rights I would dare guess becomes that of the BB.

[rwc]

And yet anopther post wasting bandwith. This is a bus board lets talk buses please.

[jackhartjr]

I can not stay quiet any more.
I just don't see much here that would cause an average person to get mad.
That said...if someone does get mad and wants to be childish and take their toys and run...hate it for them!
JAck

[oldmansax]

And yet another post wasting bandwidth. This is a bus board lets talk buses please.

My thoughts exactly! This is a bus board. Most of us (I think) visit to talk about & learn about buses. I would say do away with the off topic section. Post a clear rule concerning ANY COMMENT that does not directly relate to buses. The rule would be no explanations, no warnings, no "lets be nice". Just the moderator deletes the post. Post off topic or personal attacks enough & the moderator deletes you. One of the things I like about Sean is he usually backs up his comments with enough research and data to bore me; but, I know it's not just a frivolous comment. I mean get tough! Example: ChristyHicks posts she wants to put a meat locker in the back of her new Provost and was thinking about installing a 3 phase, 5 ton freezer. I post Christy is crazy for even thinking about that and it will not work. My post should be deleted. I should be warned. Maybe three warnings I am out. Now if I post, that's a wild idea but you may want to consider using a single phase unit because the generators will be easier to find and maintain, that is helpful & I have not passed judgment on the project.

There are lots of places we can go to learn about and voice our opinions on other subjects. If some of the members here want to talk about other things, let them start their own board. It's very easy to make use of others time and resources when the costs do not come from your own pocket. I know the owners here are doing their best to keep both the magazine and the board going in the present economy. How much does the bandwidth & storage cost post & maintain off topic stuff? I don't know but I do know that we have lost a knowledgeable member that may have stayed because of non-related issues, whether posted or received.

TOM

[cody]

.

[Barn Owl]

And yet anopther post wasting bandwidth. This is a bus board lets talk buses please.

Where is the disconnect coming from? Don't you get that if everyone deleted everything from day one when they got upset there would not be a bus board here? Ignore that flaw and pretend everything will be fine is naive.

[muddog16]

Yep what Tom said!

[rwc]

It's not about eliminating posts. I don't agree with doing that but wasting bandwith crying about it detracts from the board and takes up space on drives this trash should be deleted.

[Barn Owl]

It all sounds good, but no board can survive without multiple topics, at least not in the world we live in. It is the nature of the way things are. There has to be some self-policing to some extent because moderators don't have the time to maintain a one topic board and everyone's idea of what belongs and what doesn't will be as numerous as there are members. I am always open to examples where it has been implemented successfully though I have personally never seen it. Also shutting down half the board because you don't like something is a little too far away from the freedom of choice that many enjoy. I would say there are fewer one topics than there are those who prefer the options of several. If you don't like Off Topic then you have a choice of not going there. Why is there a feeling you need to make that choice for others?

[cody]

Just leave it the way it is, we're all adults here and if we want to read a post, we can as easily as we can skip over it, I think the moderators are doing a great job and I feel badly if some members take a break now and then but thats also our right if we choose.  Who cares if we're bashing the governator, president or the pope, we all got our opinions and they are all different, so what, if somebody as shy and innocent as I am can survive here then so can you all.  I even have friends that drive MCI's and even (gasp) GM's, so what, I realize that their arn't enough iggles to go around so we have to be tolerant towards the disadvantaged, there I said my piece, whatcha gonna do about it lol.