New Board: Edit/Delete Post

[Peter_SSs]

1. After making a post an 'Edit' button appears at the bottom right of the post - but apparently only for 5 minutes...

The administrator has specified that you can only edit messages for 5 minutes after you have posted. This limit has expired, so you must contact the administrator to make alterations on your message.

It is not uncommon for me to find errors in, or improvements to, my posts well after this time so I am hoping in due course this time limit might be removed. Might that be possible as the new board settles in?

2. While the 'Edit' button is visible, pointing to it shows a pop-up 'Edit/Delete Message'. I have not yet seen how to actually Delete the message. Is it possible?

 

[starl]

Re: Edit/Delete Post

1. We will not be changing the edit time. We have had users in the past delete their text in this manner which messes up our database

2. No, you cannot delete your message.

 

[JazzSP8]

I get the reasons for not wanting users to be able to delete posts and or edit them after a certain amount of time, but I can also see a downside...

This thread showed as "No Replies" (which as a beginner to helping people I kinda look for to see if I can help);

http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/showthread.php?t=293238

I search this board a lot when researching answers and am just curious to how many times I am going to run into something like that in the future.

As a kean learner I try not to ask questions unless I have to do and one of small niggles I sometimes have is that some people don't use the search feature so you end up with a stream of the same questions that are answered over and over and kind of get in the way of people who do want to search the board properly.

That said, I am probably more than guilty of replying to them when asked as well...

Kinda Catch 22 when I think about it...

No offence meant to the OP of the quoted post, just a handy example of how the searches can become cluttered. (Though if you are reading, perhaps next time you can say how you solved the problem )

 

[starl]

I see that post, which I deleted, as a reason for limiting the ability to edit threads. But the OP did it in 3 minutes, so...

Yes, it would be nice if ppl would put what they've learned in their posts - it increases the value of the db.

 

[Jon Peltier]

Re: Edit/Delete Post

1. We will not be changing the edit time. We have had users in the past delete their text in this manner which messes up our database

This is an unfortunate decision. Could the database be made more robust? Kkeep a stub of the post if necessary, even if all it says is "This post has been deleted."

Making me leave an error in a post risks messing up other users. A follow-up post with a correction may not be seen, if the user thinks they got what they needed.

This is starting to look like Microsoft designed the web interface. (No offense, but really!)

 

[starl]

Re: Edit/Delete Post

Editing time has been increased, but if this is abused (as it has even with only a 5 minute limit), it will be again lowered.

Editing should only be used to clarify or correct a post. It should not be use to delete text because the answer was found elsewhere or a similar post was made at the same time (I find similar posts can be useful - one post may be clearer than the other, but also emphasizes the worth/correctness of the provided solution)

 

[barry houdini]

Re: Edit/Delete Post

Editing should only be used to clarify or correct a post. It should not be use to delete text because the answer was found elsewhere or a similar post was made at the same time.....

If that's the case, Tracy, shouldn't the forum rules clearly state that? I don't think the rules currently mention editing at all.... which means, surely, that members are free to do what they like with regard to editing posts....

What's the new time limit?

 

[Jon Peltier]

Re: Edit/Delete Post

Editing time has been increased, but if this is abused (as it has even with only a 5 minute limit), it will be again lowered.

Editing should only be used to clarify or correct a post. It should not be use to delete text because the answer was found elsewhere or a similar post was made at the same time (I find similar posts can be useful - one post may be clearer than the other, but also emphasizes the worth/correctness of the provided solution)

As I suggested, you could prevent an entire post from being completely deleted, and in fact downplay the ability to delete a post. Somewhere make a note indicating that a post should only be changed to clarify or correct it, and only deleted if something is drastically wrong with it. In fact, maybe only an admin should be able to delete a post.

 

[starl]

Re: Edit/Delete Post

10 minutes.

 

[Jon Peltier]

Re: Edit/Delete Post

10 minutes.

Thanks, it's an improvement.