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 Replies: 8 / Views: 1,540 |
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Valued Member
United States
415 Posts |
I tried to edit a thread I started last night, but it said threads more than a day old can only be edited by moderators. I just wanted to add some pictures to my orginial post. I guess I don't really get why this feature is restricted? Could a mod do it for me?
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
The feature is restricted because, for one, there's no need for it. Just add new pics in a new post. Nobody will know to look again if you put them in the original post. The more important reason is to keep people from coming back to change their words later, to perhaps make them seem more accurate or less ornery.
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Valued Member
 United States
415 Posts |
The way I see it, someone opening the thread for the first time might just read the first post, scroll down to the bottom and reply, and never look at the posts in between. I have posted on a ton of message boards in my life and this is the first one I've seen where you can't edit a topic you started. That seeems very strange to me. I guess I just don't see the point at all of this restriction. I would think making a post more accurate or less ornery is a good thing.
Oh well, it is what it is I guess.
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Forum Dad
United States
24176 Posts |
Well I hang out one several major forums (more than 1,000 posts a day like this one) and almost all of them have a time limit of an hour or less for editing.
Anyone whose ever run or moderated a forum with a lot of traffic knows that you absolutely cannot have people going back and changing their words days later. You just can't.
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Valued Member
United States
415 Posts |
In my opinion, that kind of policy kills threads in which you are keeping a running total of something that can be updated or in which useful information or pictures can be added to the opening post. Having to add things in new posts can get buried and lost in the thread. That's just a horrible policy to me. On forums where editing is allowed, it always shows a noticifation at the bottom of an edited post that says "post was edited at XX:XX PM". That way if someone is using it in a way to change their words or arguments, they can be called out on it.
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
If you think this is uncommon, you're not as experienced in forums as you think. Another forum where I have a five-figure post count allows long-term editing, but that place is near-anarchy. Almost all my own experience, and I've been Moderating for fifteen years much less posting, has been under much tighter editing rules.
People reading threads read the whole thread. When they revisit, they start from the first new post. If they don't, they miss an important point and make a comment which gets them labeled a fool publicly. People lose the habit of missing posts *very* quickly online.
Either way, I've been here ten years and complaints about editing windows are pretty rare. Seems to work for the membership.
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Most Valued Member
11111125 Posts |
Quote:
Originally posted by carnold744
In my opinion, that kind of policy kills threads in which you are keeping a running total of something that can be updated or in which useful information or pictures can be added to the opening post. Having to add things in new posts can get buried and lost in the thread. That's just a horrible policy to me. On forums where editing is allowed, it always shows a noticifation at the bottom of an edited post that says "post was edited at XX:XX PM". That way if someone is using it in a way to change their words or arguments, they can be called out on it.
Policy, however, is not set based on isolated, low occurring cases, such as the ones you mention. It is set based on the most frequent cases, often those that generate moderation issues. As Bobby stated, many big forums I know have a time based editing restriction policy. The time interval varies, but most big forums end up doing it to preserve the integrity of the threads. Personally I find there is nothing less annoying than having a post change without a known reason and regular users do not have the possibility of comparing post versions. It's very disruptive to anyone following the thread. With such a rule in place, it's very simple to avoid issues, in most cases - know the time interval and plan ahead when posting, making sure you have everything you need. IMO, there is no reason to start a thread thinking you will change whatever may be needed as you go along. In very special cases, moderation help can be requested and even those cases can be handled. So, in the end, it's very simple - know the rules and play accordingly. Rules are usually in place for a reason and here they are set based on the extensive experience of the moderation team. This place has been running for more than 10 years now. |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Carnold74 was nice enough to reach out to me for help getting him where he wants to go; I'll make sure it happens.
There is a separate editing window for thread titles, right?
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Most Valued Member
11111125 Posts |
Quote:
Originally posted by SsuperDdave
Carnold74 was nice enough to reach out to me for help getting him where he wants to go; I'll make sure it happens.
There is a separate editing window for thread titles, right?
Nope. Edit the thread opening post and there will be a textbox for the title. |
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Replies: 8 / Views: 1,540 |
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Posted 03/13/2015 8:31 pm
