Why are posts uneditable after a certain amount of time, but there is no limit to deleting posts? I feel like I’m seeing more and more old posts being deleted, and think that is a bad thing because it can retroactively change the context of conversations, especially when there are unquoted replies.
4 Likes
Also I’ve noticed when they delete a post it actually counts as activity and bumps the topic up, kind of silly
1 Like
yep - you’re both right, but it’s something Elektron have no influence over, it’s a standard forum platform
iirc the bumping may only be when the op is edited
breaking the continuity of a thread, often for no real reason, is one of those things which irks me
thankfully there’s only been a handful of threads which needed remedial work to restore legibility, e.g. after delete frenzy following a flounce
old topics couldn’t be edited at one stage, this was problematic, especially for sales listings etc - haven’t noticed that crop up lately so perhaps settings can be tweaked or the updates are reflecting real-world requirements
1 Like
Agreed that it is unfortunate, but our hands are tied somewhat to prevent this behavior.
1 Like
That’s a bummer. Seems like odd behavior for forum software, but it is what it is. Obviously it is helpful to edit/delete posts (especially for Marketplace), but locking the ability to delete might (might…) lend itself to people thinking a bit before they post, which is good for everyone.
1 Like
Agreed, however various countries have “right to be forgotten” data protection laws that prohibit us from locking out that feature. #shrugemoji
1 Like
I respectfully disagree with that. You can’t have a conversation with someone in real life and then change the content of that conversation at a later date just because your views have changed. It’s one thing to change your mind, quite another to remove your opinion altogether. Part of changing your mind is owning up to it and continuing to contribute to the conversation. Similarly, you can’t just remove the contents of, for example, a newspaper interview because you changed your mind later. It’s totally acceptable to change your mind, but pretending you didn’t have an opinion to begin with is dangerous and sets a bad precedent.
3 Likes
I totally forgot about that. I need to do more research on that. I’m all for it in instances where your information was released without your consent, but not for things you knowingly put in a public space.
But yeah, I understand that there are rules/laws to consider
But it’s not real life. Online forums constitute virtual worlds. They don’t always retain their own history.
Give users the option to edit/delete their words, photoshop their pics, or post avatars that are not them, and they will often do all those things.
1 Like
But they only exist because real people contribute to them, no? Do you consider the entirety of the internet to be ‘not real life’? Where are the boundaries to reality in a digital space?
It’s up to the user to decide what’s real and what’s not real online. the internet has been probably the greatest contributor to the general populations ability to separate real from bullshit, even if only to distinguish ads
I was curious if you’d post. You are generally one of those who I see deleting the most posts, so it is helpful to see some of your reasoning.
In the same light, why post/contribute at all?
Edit: especially when one can somewhat anonymoze themselves anyway on a forum like this
I was about to say, even if posts are deleted, those present in the moment still participated in the conversation just as if it were in person so there is still some merit to someone posting even if they delete it later on (given that they allow enough time span for the relevant/involved parties to read it)
1 Like
I personally wouldn’t delete posts I know to be useful and informative. I don’t delete a whole lot but I tend to think about what I say. I know there’s a good point in there about the unnecessary desire for permanence and it’s a valid view, but do try to leave anything that could be useful to just one person in the future. I totally support being able to delete your own posts but try to leave something for the readers of tomorrow, nothing worse than finding someone who had your exact problem in 2002 with dead links for answers or no answers at all
1 Like
Don’t really do it here, but there’s a few forums where I’ve made a regular habit of it.
Sometimes I’ve simply had enough and want to completely disassociate myself from the site. But when it’s almost impossible to get your account deleted without resorting to posting inappropriate hardcore porn (and yes I’ve done this), then deleting posts is the only way to feel like I have any control.
But most importantly, I value my privacy. If I’m having a conversation with someone for the first time I don’t want them referencing a throwaway comment I made 4 years ago. Regardless of fake names, the idea that a complete stranger could go back and read through everything I’ve ever said online creeps me the fuck out.
3 Likes
This is the biggest thing for me, like I said above it’s the same feeling as being recorded at all times, no one is on the ball at all times and humans will inevitably say something they’d rather not have eventually. You forget it in days, online it stays for years. potentially permanently if it gets archived
2 Likes
Many years ago I was active on an alternative health forum, using a username (not this one, sorry you secret investigators!) that I continued to use in many other contexts online long after I moved on from that forum.
Now, 10-15 years later, if you were to Google that username, most of what would come up is a lot of those forum posts. Not that I’m anyone special, but it was a fairly unique username and one that I used almost universally, and you never know who searches what…
Problem is, back then I was into some pretty alternative stuff that I no longer believe in from a health perspective or a spiritual perspective, and some of what I posted I now believe could actually have negative consequences. It was weird reading over all that stuff again. It was like my old self was still out there, alive and kicking, spreading these ideas on the internet, even though it was from so long ago. You know SOMEONE in the present time is stumbling across those forum threads and reading that stuff.
Fortunately I was able to gain access to my account and delete all that stuff and that’s probably the only time I’ve ever done something like that. So that’s one kind of reason I can see for being able to retract stuff you “publish”. Yeah, you can’t really do it in the “real world” so easily, once something is published it’s kind of set in stone and if years down the road you change your stance on something you have to do a retraction statement and make a big deal about it, blah blah blah… But just because it’s like that in “real life” doesn’t mean it SHOULD be that way. People change and over time are likely to develop different stances and perspectives on things, and in the internet where everything just kind of lingers, there should at least be some ability to retract or update those things.
Anyway, that’s from a long-term perspective.
Short term it bugs the hell out of me when people delete their comments because I have FOMO syndrome!
1 Like
Lots of interesting thoughts here, and there’s really no ‘corect’ way to approach this, so I appreciate hearing various perspectives.
My own:
For better or worse, I assume these digital spaces will be around and archived for a long time, and I try to keep that in mind when interacting in such a space. In that light I try to separate personal from conversational personalities. No one needs to know who I am in real life to have a substantial conversation about synthesizers, but I also try not to say anything in a forum I wouldn’t also say in real life. But that doesn’t mean the conversation can’t stand on its own. This is problematic in its own right because different personalities across time will inevitably change perspective, so things I’ve said that I no longer beleive are probably still floating around. Yeah, the internet has spawned some really weird habits and patterns…
1 Like
I used to delete posts… Not so much any more… When I did it was because I either reacted overly to something or the post was just stupid banter. I always read through the thread and maybe I made three replies and one was unnecessary, I would make sure the thread still read OK…
I was learning social media and wasn’t real used to it. Don’t really do it anymore, although just today I felt like I got into an unnecessary back and forth that went off topic topic and wasn’t really serving the thread or the users.
So instead of deleting I edited just down to “Edit: unnecessary back and forth”…
I don’t know, I’ll try harder just to only say things I want etched in digital stone, but every once in awhile things happen…
2 Likes
If you are going to bother saying something, say it with conviction, and it then prevents disjointed threads resulting from deleted posts
1 Like