Members can no longer delete their posts.

[Chrissie]

Due to misuse of the the delete post option, I have sadly had to make the decision to remove this facility for members

[kurotoshiro]

If people are determined to remove things, won't they just hit "modify" and delete all the text, leaving an empty post?

(Not that I'm criticising the decision - just wanted to point out another thing that might need addressing. )

[Chrissie]

Yes they could do that Kuro, though the forum wont allow you to modify a post with all the text deleted.

Added to that, it will be much easier for staff to detect if a member is abusing the modify facility as almost blank posts will show up in threads. Whereas complete deletes of posts only shows up in the security log that only I have access to.

[womble]

How was it being misused?

[kurotoshiro]

Ah, OK. Well, that's not so bad then. I guess it's better, at any rate, when there is at least something in the thread to indicate that something was there, even if the bulk of the text has since been removed. I take it that it's the complete disappearance of posts that causes the most confusion, as it can tend to make other posts in a thread seem nonsensical.

Is there no way to allow deletion of posts but force the system to leave a "This post has been removed by ..." in its place, so that other members can at least see that there was something there?

[Fog On The Tyne Ltd]

I understand why you felt that to be necessary but my worry is that without the option to completely delete a post, people are likely to change one or two words to completely alter the meaning of the post.

[maccafan]

Oh No...

[Chrissie]

Womble, someone has been going through & deleting dozens of their posts & especially their opening posts of threads. In the past someone deletd their posts purely because no on agreed with them.

Yes, Kuro, I believe I could code into the headers & footers to leave a "This post has been removed by" note. However, it would still ruin any thread if that was in the opening post.

Yes Fog, they could do, but I really don't want to take away the "modify post" facility.

Oh yes Macca

[steve386]

This is a common problem on most forums I go on. They removed the delete option on another forum I go on and people used to edit the post and leave "deleted" or just a full stop. In the end they only allowed users to edit their posts for 24 hours, after that they had to ask a moderator.

It also protects people who are buying or selling in classifieds, because the description can't be changed after someone has made payment.

No easy answer. Normally the people causing the problem will move along to another forum eventually. You could do a three strikes policy.

[kurotoshiro]

Aug 22, 2012 14:18:49 GMT steve386 said:

In the end they only allowed users to edit their posts for 24 hours, after that they had to ask a moderator.

This sounds reasonable, assuming mods aren't going to have to deal with too many requests of a trivial nature.

I'd hate to have the modify option taken away. Primarily because I'm quite pedantic (not necessarily about what other people write, but I'm definitely hyper-critical of what I write myself) and I instantly want to correct any grammatical or spelling errors in my posts as soon as I spot them. (Usually a 24 hour period is sufficient for me to do this, though, so I like the idea in steve's post).

[EDIT: case in point. Missed final closing bracket from last sentence. Instant modification.]

[Ellen]

I know this is something I did the other night #icon_sorry# if it caused further problems, I did it in attempt to defuse things at the time.
But I can see why it might be a problem and respect your decision Chrissie

[chrisjw]

[Chrissie]

Ellen, you have nothing to apologise for, it wasn't anything to do with you deleting your posts.

I've thought about coding in a time limit on modifying posts, but it will cause extra work for the forum staff, not only in the classifieds board but also in the vendors board due to the 2 thread rule.

[rosylea]

I have on occasion deleted posts,not sure i have deleted an opening post.I have deleted when i have left as i thought no one would reply when i had left or i have deleted in the heat of the moment or because it was a boring post.Never done in malice though,i can now see that it does cause issues,however it wil prevent me from posting in some threads as sometimes we are wrong or sorry a few days later,especially when we open our hearts in members only and regret it,as i did in the Autism thread,I can fully understand why it has to be done but it can cause member issues too.

[timnowvapes]

.......but are they ok?

Just seen a post I did and noticed that the first reply was gone - which also tells me who it was - it does, memory doesn't serve well, but they replied just after I posted it and the post is no longer there - yes maybe a little wrong and rash - but my question remains - are they ok?