Posts you've deleted

[JRA]

ha! i just edited the post above to eliminate one comma. i could/should have schmiced a bunch of them --- but that one comma bugged me!

 

[LBS-bass]

Agreed that there are sometimes perfectly good reasons to edit a post. Another example is if after starting a thread, it becomes clear after the first few responses that your OP is being consistently misinterpreted or that you left out an important piece of information, etc. In that case you can save everyone a lot of trouble by clarifying the OP or adding the new information. So I'm all for a system that can accommodate that, while still effectively discouraging people from substantively editing or deleting posts just because they didn't really think about what they said until after they had posted it.

Maybe a reasonable solution would be if you could not delete a post or edit one post except for adding to it. That would prevent people from being able to "un-say" what they originally said, but still allow for adding information you had inadvertently omitted, or adding a correction to what you previous said, or apologizing for what you said if necessary/appropriate. Thoughts?

I actually really like the system we have here, and I've been on a lot of forums over the years. This forum lets you make initial changes right after you post, so if you make a typo you can fix it, or if you realize you need to add some clarifying verbiage, you can do that, and the system lets you. But after a period of time has elapsed, if you make additional edits it will show that your post was edited.

I like that because I remember the old days of USENET trolling when posters would mark their posts to not be archived, kick up a lot of havoc, and then come back after their posts had disappeared pretending they'd never said what they said, which would then create a lot of argument between those who had seen it and those who had not. At least with a system like this it's clear that a post *was* altered after a certain period of time.

 

[96tbird]

System. Edit Rules. Gah.

If you're adding or correcting spelling or grammar, who cares. Then there's the times I've inadvertently typed up something stream of thought and then go back because I know a ton of people here take themselves too seriously and go about ignoring the existance of sublte humour devices such as a hint of sarcasm, etc. So I fix it. Gentle it down because the www world decided that it's only funny if you get paid to be crusty, you can't be crusty just for fun. I admit to it. It would be more fun if people lightened up a bit and looked up the term "devil's advocate". But it's clear, people don't like the neopolitan ice cream to be stirred up. They want to scoop from the vanilla side only.

Perhaps I should delete this. Nah.

 

[shadowtippy]

ha! i just edited the post above to eliminate one comma. i could/should have schmiced a bunch of them --- but that one comma bugged me!

I understand. Commas are bothersome little buggers.
My deleted post are/were deleted for a reason. Some undeleted posts should have suffered the same fate.

 

[DirtDog]

I now live by the unbreakable rule- never drink and post.

Yep. I learned that lesson the hard way on another forum. It was officially known as PUI "Posting Under the Influence". For some it was a badge of honour and/or bloodsport. I forced myself to take a very long break from that place. I like to think I play much nicer here.

 

[wagdog]

You can delete posts? Dayum! There are a few members around here whose posts I wouldn't mind deleting.

 

[Pilgrim]

I delete posts when I decide that I really don't have anything helpful to add.

 

[BakerStreetMuse]

Whenever I've deleted something I've posted, it's usually for one of two reasons:

1. Dumb typo and no edit function *looking at you, Twitter*
2. Feeling I've put myself "out there" too much (thanks, social anxiety)