I don't think the moderators read every post - perhaps for new members, but not in general. My impression is that posts are moderated after someone reports them.
My typo 'gargogyles' in the post http://www.indusladies.com/forums/e...th/43682-english-matters-142.html#post3063343 instead of gargoyle made it more grotesque than the gorgons! Ease up on edit entitlement, please.
Dear Sokanasanah, Ansuya, Uttaraa, Srama et al, Thanks for starting the thread and for the conversation. The reason edit window was reduced to 15 minutes was that some members were posting their query in the forum, get responses from everyone and having satisfied their personal need, delete their original post and move on. That is awfully selfish and not in the spirit of the helpful community that we want to build. There are several members who don't ask questions, but learn by reading the situation and opinion of other members. This self-deletion practice was starting to create holes in the site and hence we decided to reduce edit window to 15-minutes. We thought 15-minutes would be enough for members to edit any last minute typos, sentence construction issues etc. But from this thread, 5 of you are saying that it is too short. You all can help with the solution. This is what we are trying to balance.. We want a window long enough to enable happy editing, but short enough to prevent this self-deletion (after responses). What would be an acceptable compromise? 43 minutes? I know you will negotiate and we will land in 45 minutes? Jey
Hi Jey, I liked the suggestion that the 24 hour option should be kept open for all posts except for the OP. I doubt the shortening of the edit period would ease the moderator's job if there are even a handful of members who want to keep editing posts in their quest for perfection and had to revert to the moderator for changes. (Sorry folks, I am not referring to those of you here who felt you like to edit your posts, but believe me, there are some members like that on this site. I too like to edit mine, and if the mistake is something awful, yes, I too would have to ask the mod to help). That would only increase a mod's job. How does that option sound?
Jey, thank you for coming here to respond. Truly appreciate it. Trust me, I completely understand the reason behind the edit time being reduced. It is not fair to all the posters who take time out to answer only to see that the OP (original post) has disappeared. I have been thinking about the time period and come back with no particular number. Since the problem seems to be because of OP getting deleted, I think it is fair to reduce the edit time to OP and keep the 24hr option to others. Thank you Jey!
Jey, I second Srama - thank you for responding to this issue. I agree that an OP deleting his or her original post renders a thread senseless. Have we appealed strongly enough to people not to do this? It is not just an issue of site-wide structural integrity, but also one of not respecting the time and trouble of the people who have responded to the thread. I would hope most, if not all, OPs would realize this. Is it possible to bring this to everyone's attention? It would be nice if we could, to some extent, rely on the good will of people. After this notification, if some stubborn OPs still choose to delete entire posts, is it possible for moderators to restore deleted posts? Or is this technically impossible? I'm thinking of ways to solve this problem that would require the least amount of actual technical/mechanical modification of the site as a whole. I, too, would like the edit window to go back to 24 hours. I thought 15 minutes was enough, but now I cannot even go back and read my error-ridden posts, because I am powerless to rectify them.
Hello Jey! It took only a couple of dozen posts to get your attention? How can you become a media baroness if you remain that accessible? (I wonder what it would take to get Rupert Murdoch's attention? I would perhaps have to pretend to be Tony Blair texting Wendy, reaching Rupert by mistake!) Now that I have been unmasked by Anusya, this thread cannot live much longer. I admit you chose to respond at the perfect time.I like the suggestion above, originally proposed by Uttara and seconded by The Alchemist, Satchi, Srama & Ansuya: 15 min for the OP, 24 hours for everyone else. Additional frills such as tiered edit privileges for the different levels of membership may be entertaining, but not really necessary. I can see that gaps in the threads can be frustrating. I do not know the stats on that, however I would guess that this does not happen very often. Even when it does, it does not bother me. Posters in the relationship threads often seem very distraught. If, after some reflection, the OP sees the post as intemperate, regrettable, embarrassing, excessively revealing or anxiety-provoking in some way and wants to delete it, who am I to insist that she not do that? I am willing to let it go. When I respond, the main aim is to offer a degree of solace. Nothing more. The OP's well-being takes precedence over any annoyance I might feel. Now, if you are encouraging me to start a new campaign, I must say the people who truly bug me are the ones the Education / career / employment forums - those who post some hurried query and disappear forthwith. There, I value my time. It strikes me as almost 'unprofessional' to blithely leave dangling the thread that they themselves started. I wouldn't want that person as a colleague, I think. I want to say to these people: "You're fired!" (even before you're hired!). Feel free to smite them from on high. PS: Please send me the names of the two naysayers in the poll. I assure you that these errorists will be treated in accordance with the statutes of the Geneva Convention, unfashionable though it is these days!
I have an idea for Jey. When someone clicks on the button to "Start a new thread", instead of a blank page, the window might be designed to open with a very brief message (readable in a single, quick scan) about not wasting the responders' time. Read, delete and type your post. This may serve to reinforce basic thread etiquette.
Was this well-packaged sarcasm OR one of the many, rare typos from Soks :confused2: If this is not possible, maybe we should be able to 'edit" our poll choices or start a fresh poll. I am sure the 2 nays got converted to ayes after all the fun debate we had, at least one has already changed her position it seems, just saying :coffee
I vote for reverting back to the 24 hour edit window for all. OP's deleting their post is a problem we can live with. At least in the relationship forum, there are hardly any problems that are unique. If one thread has a missing first post, there is another similar but intact thread, for those who utilize the forum in read-only mode. Further, like Sokanasanah said, women who post their problems in Relationship forum are often distraught. Penalizing these women for deleting their post in order to aid readers who don't post their problems doesn't seem fair.
