First: DING! DING! DING! ::: Moderator rings the bell :::
No insults in this forum, please. Expressing your opinions about editing is one thing, but insulting another poster is quite something else. And it doesn’t fly in this forum. ambushed, cool it.
Second: sevastapol, the preview button is inefficient, but posting the damn thing and THEN re-reading it, and then editing is more efficient? You obviously haven’t used the edit button in this system. I am pleased to inform you that previewing and correcting is lightning fast compared to the time it takes to edit an already posted post.
I’m with ambushed Not everyone can compose the perfect post with feeling explained perfectly and nothing said in the heat of the moment. Many people like to get their feelings out while they are fresh, and then reconsider them (or consider that they were correct) I know it’s not ideal but it’s how a lot of people are. Saying that you think carefully before you type the post and then again before you actually submit the post (after preview) does come off as slightly condescending because it’s like you’re saying you’re perfect or superior. Nobody’s perfect.
I also post on boards where the edit feature is enabled (after a few minutes an edit gets a note explaining that it’s been edited. before that it gets nothing) and it turns out to enhance the board. What is wrong with being able to retract something that in hindsight you consider was wrong?
That said I am willing to respect the opinions decisions of the Mods and accept it if there is never an edit feature. Especially if it puts a strain on the server.
[QUOTE=C K Dexter Haven]
First: DING! DING! DING! ::: Moderator rings the bell :::
No insults in this forum, please. Expressing your opinions about editing is one thing, but insulting another poster is quite something else. And it doesn’t fly in this forum. ambushed, cool it.
[QUOTE]
Roger, will comply.
But I hope you see the irony – if not in chastising me for an imperfection I just got through advocating an editing function to help alleviate, then at least in chastising me (as I understand it is your duty) for slightly impolite honesty while giving insultingly sanctimonious condescension a total pass…
You are indeed fortunate to be so relatively immune to human frailties as to allow you such supreme emotional control. I commend and congratulate you. But why do you have no pity for those of us with passion, those who have not reached that level of perfect Vulcan-like detachment that you can so effortless execute even over a short period of time? You and Beauty seem to be merely asserting that because you are nearly perfect, everyone can and should be. Why have you no tolerance for us lesser beings?
Given such an assertion, we must conclude that you have never frequented any board which provides the editing capability we seek. I assure you that the feature is almost never abused, and it always is overwhelmingly beneficial to the participants even though it is theoretically capable of being misused. Please re-read my earlier comments.
If you want an edit window for emotional detachment, how long would that window have to be? Suppose the window were five minutes. Then what about those poor imperfect souls who need ten minutes to cool down? Surprisingly, posting in the heat of emotion does have consequences. You have to either learn not to post in the heat of emotion, or to live with those consequences.
I’ve only been a member of one other message board, and there, editing was allowed. I never saw it actually abused, but it still had the potential for a lot of confusion. A person would make a post, and someone else would point out a mistake in it. The first poster would then go back and edit to correct the mistake. And anyone reading the thread after that point would wonder what the heck the second poster was talking about. Or another case (this actually happened), a visitor to a thread would see an OP about ID cards, and a discussion following that all about ice cream cones. No malice intended, just the OP editing the original post to try to clarify some points brought up in the ice cream discussion.
Just to chime in with a different point of view – I frequent another message board that used to have the edit posts feature turned on. Until people started rampantly abusing the privilege; the last straw was when a miffed user used the search function to find every single post he’d ever made, and changed the text to read “FUCK YOU [message board]”. After that, the edit post function was turned off.
Of course, that scenario would be impossible with the 5-minute edit feature that people are proposing in this thread, but I think the reasons given so far are pretty persuasive against it. This board does move pretty quickly, and it’s annoying to submit a reply to a post, only to find that, oops, it’s been edited, and you just replied to something that isn’t there anymore. (Yes, this has happened to me on another board.)
I don’t think that saying “Think before you post” implies that everything you post should be perfect. There’s nothing wrong with coming along later to clarify or add to something you said in your initial post. I interpret that statement to mean, “Don’t just whip off a post in 5 seconds and then click Submit, but rather take half a minute to read it over and think about if that’s what you really want to say.” I do this habitually whenever I post anything, including emails to friends. Does it make my posts/emails perfect? No, but it has saved me from some awfully bone-headed typos.
against. as it is, i always itch with curiousity whenever a message is edited by the mods.
exactly. it is because they are not perfect which is why they need to cool off and edit what they have to say before they post it. the ‘emotional’ style of posting is fine too, only expect to have to face the consequences (like what happened above :)) instead of going back in time to change what you said.
FWIW, i think the occasional post just to note some spelling error rather cute, and it adds to the board’s flavour just like them pies.
I agree with some of the againsts and disasociate myself from some of the fors (and vice versa of course). I don’t think it’s main use should (or would) be for people who spoke out of character in the heat of the moment. nor should/would it be used abusively.
When I say that nobody’s perfect I mean that it’s impossible for one person to cover all the angles when posting, so when they… oh heck I am thinking of counterpoints to every point I make as I make them in my head so I guess I’ll just shut up…
If I were as ‘perfect’ as some here imply that a non-edit board forces people to be my post count would be about 1000.
I’m in a few other message boards that support indefinite editing, and those don’t seem to be abused, but then again those communities are much smaller and get along with each other better than the Teeming Millions.
It’s just occurred to me that I’m much more circumspect when posting here, than I am on other boards … compared to other boards I find this one quite intimidating, with every word being “taken apart and analysed”, and am much less inclined to post “in the heat of the moment” than I do elsewhere.
Conversely, that’s precisely why I love reading the SDMB - people care enough to respond with passion - but I just don’t have the confidence to do that here. :o
Again, I don’t see what edit can do that preview can’t. If you’re composing a heavy post (the type that might be misinterpreted), type it out and preview. Read another thread, check your email, pet the cat, and then come back to it. If it still gets across your message clearly, post away. If not, fix it up and repeat. Same basic process as editing a post, but with zero chance for abuse and no need to add to Jerry’s workload (or add to server strain, if edit does in fact strain it).
Troy McClure SF The point I and others keep making is that not everyone has that level of self control. I/they/we want to make our point as quickly as we can. It’s quite difficult to write out an important post and leave it unposted.
To summarise edit would be useful the the many here who have more passion than self-control. I admit I lack self control.
If the emotions are running so high that the poster can’t wait a few minutes to preview, reread and rethink before submitting, are they really gonna be calm enough to edit and tone down the post in 5 minutes?
While in past years I’ve been an advocate of a short window for editing, between the present availability of preview (wherein I don’t always catch my boo-boo) and what Dex notes about our collective awareness that we all make typos or errors of accidental omission (“not” being a popular one on that front), I think we can get along as is.
Kat’s point, I believe, buttresses my point of view.
Kal I believe so. yes.
If not 5 minutes then eventually.
incedentally. an example of an edit would be me removing the ‘5 minutes’ part of the OP. because I actually think, in hindsight, that editing indefinately is not so bad an idea.
And your example is precisely why it’s a bad idea. The “5 minutes” part has already been discussed numerous times in the thread. Removing it now would make the thread less coherent.
One thing I like about this message board is that people are held responsible for what they post. I’ve seen other boards where people would make snide comments, or even give out private info in a post, then just delete their entire post later. It is really annoying trying to follow those threads, knowing that you’ve missed what was said. The SDMB has higher standards most, and I like it that way.
I use the edit post feature on another board, where after the first few minutes a line saying “Last edited by [name] at [time]” subscript appears when the changes are submitted. I like it there for fixing typos, and perhaps doing some minor polishing of my language. But that forum is where I hang out for games and jokes and so forth. I rarely post anything substantive there.
When Lobsang first opened this thread, I was on his side. Now, having read the replies so far, and thought it over, I prefer the Dope to stay the way it is on this issue.
I don’t think its really that big of a deal. Firstly, who would want to do that? Secondly, if they do it once they get banned and we don’t have to worry about them again.
