Gardenia Report post Posted February 13, 2007 Hi, i'm going to take the bull by the horns here and ask other members this, when a member posts and then decides to completely delete there post some time after, do you think an explanation should be given? I ask this because when posting and giving our opinions about something, I think it would be courteous to explain why we have withdrawn a certain statement. e.g. posted by mistake, or made an error, or apologise, stand corrected, wrong information given etc. I think if someone has felt the urge to post and stand by their comments that it is a fair comment to ask why remove/delete a full post. I ask this because some past topics don't seem to 'flow' or make sense as there have been complete edits. gardenia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted February 13, 2007 I do remember instances in the past where people have needed to remove information for personal reasons, which might be why some past topics don't 'flow'. I think generally it's fair when people have deleted and then put a note to say they changed their mind. What do others think? Bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Devon mum Report post Posted February 13, 2007 It would probably be useful if only to stop a thread from becoming too disjointed. If you know there were personal reasons or a change of mind then it kind of becomes less of an issue to see some part of the thread gone. It's a bit like the difference between having a Dx or not if you are worried about a child's behaviour or maybe even your own, when you know you somehow don't worry about it so much; you can patch up the "unexplained" bits! Don't know if the above makes sense though! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hev Report post Posted February 13, 2007 my posts never flow and make sense anyway Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted February 13, 2007 Hi all - In the past there have generally been a couple of 'usual' reasons why people have chosen to remove posts - the first, as Bid mentioned, is that sometimes people write things in haste which contain personal information they've later felt a little bit 'exposed' about. The second reason has been where certain subjects have become quite emotive (not really surprising considering the kind of very difficult and complex issues that are sometimes raised here) and people have removed their posts in an attempt to resolve continued debate... It is frustrating in either scenario for those who come to a post after the event, and it's always helpful if people can 'edit' rather than delete, but i guess we can all identify times when we wished we had a 'delete' button in real life, so it's easy to understand why others might want to take that option... Not sure if that helps, because I don't think there's any sort of 'fits all' solution L&P BD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted February 13, 2007 I understand why sometimes people need to change or delete their posts, but my own opinion is that this should be done sparingly if some time has passed since the original post. Gardenia is right - it's difficult and frustrating to try and follow a thread which has had bits taken out, so an explanation or update would be helpful. On other sites I have visited and posted on, there is a time limit for editing or deleting one's posts and after that only an admin or moderator can do it. I don't know if that's technically possible here but what do others think about that? I'm not angling for more power here , but to me it makes sense that we are alerted somehow when these changes happen - one can then look at the whole thread and see if anything needs to be done to it to restore the flow, or if the whole thread is worth keeping at all. K x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hev Report post Posted February 13, 2007 i tend to edit or when i have deleted its things ive written in anger or upset about my life and when ive looked back at it when im feeling calmer it looks awful,if that makes sense Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dooday24 Report post Posted February 14, 2007 i only edit my post as hev says i can write them in haste or anger and most of the time they didnt make sense anyway Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smiley Report post Posted February 14, 2007 On other sites I have visited and posted on, there is a time limit for editing or deleting one's posts and after that only an admin or moderator can do it. I don't know if that's technically possible here but what do others think about that? K x That would put me off posting K Sorry - but i don't really understand how editing a post can totally change a thread?? Do you mean deleting the whole post without an explanation?? Or just edit bits of it?? Surely, that's down to the posters personal choice?? Sorry - bit confused... The times i've edited my own posts is if there's personal info that i've later regretted putting in, or if i've had to edit to make it more understandable! Oh......confused!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted February 14, 2007 Hi Smiley, I guess most people (like me!) edit their posts within a day or two of making them to get rid of the factor. I think it's only a problem if important posts have been completely deleted in an old thread. I've seen a thread, for example, where the opening post has been deleted a long time after it was made, and so all the replies no longer make sense. I think this makes it confusing for others trying to read the thread months afterwards. K x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted February 14, 2007 Hi Smiley, I guess most people (like me!) edit their posts within a day or two of making them to get rid of the factor. I think it's only a problem if important posts have been completely deleted in an old thread. I've seen a thread, for example, where the opening post has been deleted a long time after it was made, and so all the replies no longer make sense. I think this makes it confusing for others trying to read the thread months afterwards. K x As I said, a complicated issue, 'cos there's not 'fits all' solution... I think maybe now this has been highlighted, I (with mod hat on ) would look at new situations like this a little more closely. I think we need to ensure that the 'flavour' of the thread isn't lost but balance that in a way that meets the approval of the person who's deleting their contribution... One thing I/we could say with hindsight is that anyone who is having difficulty picking through a thread where this has happened could drop the mods/admin an e-mail, and we could try to post an update that clarified any general confusion without rehashing any of the case sensitive 'specific' material(?) Dunno - just thinking outloud... the 'outloud' bit i'm brilliant at. The 'thinking' isn't quite so easy for me L&P BD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
minerva Report post Posted February 15, 2007 lol I dont think there needs to be an explanation, As annoying as it may be a person deletes something because they dont want it there anymore, that should be enough explanation in itself lol. Whether it be because they said it in anger or that it just didnt sound right or how it was meant it boils down to the same thing, the person changed their mind. I know it is a pain, but we have all done it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dooday24 Report post Posted February 15, 2007 minerva totally agree with wat yr saying Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gardenia Report post Posted February 15, 2007 Hi I just want to make it clear that I never intended for editing or deletes not to be allowed just an explanation as to why a full edit has been done. Some people in the past have made quite bold statements and then deleted the whole post quite a while after. I agree Baddad i would love a 'delete' button in real life, but until we do thats when we explain ourselves, retract or apologise etc, for statements made. Gardenia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mbrown Report post Posted February 16, 2007 I'm with Minerva, in that I don't think one should have to post an explanation. I have never deleted a post btw, mainly because I usually forget by the next day where I have psoted anything, LOL. On the matter of disjointed threads, I find that most long running threads go way off track over time and the end bears no relation to the start. Why not start a new thread instead of going off on a tangent? MB Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tilly Report post Posted February 17, 2007 I think an explanation would be fair, especially after a full edit. Tilly Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
minerva Report post Posted February 17, 2007 But it's obvious that the person either changed their mind and felt in unsuitable or someone else told them it was unsuitable. An explanation shouldnt go into any more depth than that anyway! And if you did have to explain in more depth than that it would have been a waste of time deleting it in the first place! If you personally decide you have lost yourself in a thread due to one person deleting something then it is down to you as an individual to then PM the individual to ask them why and up to them as an individual to decide whether or not an explanation is necessary. *take breath* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bagpuss Report post Posted February 17, 2007 From a purely personal point of view I've never been very concerned if I notice a post is edited etc. I always assume there is some valid reason behind it, either the member has offered too much information which they later regretted, posted something whilst being angry which when they had calmed down they felt uncomfortable with or they had made spelling mistakes or felt they had offended someone. I've edited posts, usually immediately after leaving them, due to ammending spelling mistakes or trying to make the post sound more clear or possibly feeling I was sounding abit too opinionated after I'd re-read it. I think if I found a particular thread confusing, and wanted some clarification I'd PM a mod or the person concerned and ask for their help Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
