Change ability of users to delete whole threads

M

Murchu

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This has been mentioned elsewhere, but a more formal thread here can't hurt.

Presently when users posts are deleted, any threads they started get deleted (and everyone elses posts who contributed to that thread) go down the drain also. Whatever about a user having the privilege to delete their posts, this privilege should extend only to their own posts, and not others. RFF and the community are the big loser here when the baby goes out with the bathwater.
 
We have a reasonably good working set-up. It is free too.
If technological limitations make it what it is, so be it.
I would not mind if we had a restriction by which no removal of any thread can be done by users when the number of days passed since the OP started the thread exceeds 30 days. On the other hand, what do you do when the OP leaves RFF? Don't you agree that it is her/his "rights" to delete his postings.
 
moderator said:
people tend to get very upset when they cannot delete posts.
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And a lot of other people get upset when their posts get deleted because somebody else wanted their own deleted.

At a certain point, a thread takes on a life of its own as a result of the contributions of many. There is something fundamentally wrong when someone who wants their posts deleted for whatever reason can do or demand that, and everything gets binned.

The way I see it, if someone wants their posts deleted, they can go through every one of them and delete the content. If they can't be bothered to do that, then tough - the posts stay.

Other vBulletin boards that I use don't allow me to delete my posts at all, ever. I can come back years later and edit them, and that's fine, but I can't delete them. As a forum admin familiar with other forum software, it seems to me that this is just a 2-minute configuration change, and should be simple to implement.
 
raid said:
Don't you agree that it is her/his "rights" to delete his postings.
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That is not the problem.

The problem is with all of the "innocent" posters and all of the time and effort that they put into their posts. Is it fair that they get flushed down the drain?

I am not a "heavy" poster, but I bet I lost at least 100 posts because of this recent episode.
 
The OPs comments are tangled up with all the others - I think the only logical options are to make threads delete-able , or not.

Maybe only a moderator should have privilege to delete a thread?


Randy
 
I can understand if a member decides to leave RFf
and deleting their Name/Avatar, membership so to speak
BUT
I do think it is a tad selfish and babyish
when one wants to Delete ALL one's personal Posts and Threads.

You are participating in a community effort once You decide to start a Thread and entice people to contribute..
its unfair to those who have put time and effort into the Creative process

My vote would be if one decides to Leave the posts and threads remain the 'property' to ALL who have contributed :angel:
 
raid said:
Don't you agree that it is her/his "rights" to delete his postings.
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Personally, I don't, and was pretty surprised people had the option to do so here. Some forums I've been to, don't even allow you to edit your posts, or if they do, place restrictions on how many times you can edit them, or within what time frame you can do so.

I wouldn't presume to know how others feel, but just personally find it very disruptive or even redundant reading a thread after someone has deleted posts or images from a thread, and irreparably altered the threads dialogue and flow, and ultimately, value.

Others mileage may vary.
 
On my forum users can edit posts for up to 60 minutes (easily changed in the admin section to whatever time limit) and cannot delete any posts no matter how recent. Therefore, they cannot delete threads, either. Requests to delete posts/threads are pretty rare; I delete or hide threads on my own as a mod with much greater frequency. The forum isn't as big as RFF however (about 20,000 members.)

I have had a few people leave the forum and request that all their posts be deleted. This is easy to do for admins, but it completely messes up the flow of threads so we don't honor this request.

We do it exactly how Helen described. :)
 
Nomad Z said:
Other vBulletin boards that I use don't allow me to delete my posts at all, ever. I can come back years later and edit them, and that's fine, but I can't delete them. As a forum admin familiar with other forum software, it seems to me that this is just a 2-minute configuration change, and should be simple to implement.
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I have been an admin on another vBulletin board - probably an older version than this one - and we set the forum to make post deletion a moderator privilege that was used only in special circumstances. Editing was always possible. Some people went back and blanked out all their posts, which is fair - pruning the content they contribute is their responsibility. We are mostly adults here, last time I checked.
 
zauhar said:
The OPs comments are tangled up with all the others - I think the only logical options are to make threads delete-able , or not.

Maybe only a moderator should have privilege to delete a thread?
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That, for those that are perhaps somewhat cloistered in the RFF world, is how vast swathes of forums around the world operate.
 
Ansel said:
Everything ends at some point. Nothing is forever.
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Agreed. I cannot believe there is anything posted here that is so important that it should be archived forever.

How many thousands of question marks do we see when looking back at old threads? By the OP's logic if one is going to post a picture shouldn't it then be available forever? By allowing a flickr link to go bad aren't threads equally "ruined"?

It's an internet forum not an archive. An internet forum where posts and threads get deleted by moderators regularly without any warning. I can't even begin to count how many times I've had posts removed without my permission. Threads deleted as well. I do get told to stop posting from time to time. If what you post is that important take screen shots so your personal archive can be complete.

Get a grip.
 
sepiareverb said:
Agreed. I cannot believe there is anything posted here that is so important that it should be archived forever.

How many thousands of question marks do we see when looking back at old threads? By the OP's logic if one is going to post a picture shouldn't it then be available forever? By allowing a flickr link to go bad aren't threads equally "ruined"?

It's an internet forum not an archive. An internet forum where posts and threads get deleted by moderators regularly without any warning. I can't even begin to count how many times I've had posts removed without my permission. Threads deleted as well. I do get told to stop posting from time to time. If what you post is that important take screen shots so your personal archive can be complete.

Get a grip.
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No point in posting anything then, is there?
 
Nomad Z said:
Like innocent contributions to a long-running pictures thread?
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The rules are not clear, but nothing is permanent here no matter how loud one complains. Simple fact. You've not been here long enough to know how many times this sort of purge has happened. Get used to it.

(oh, and complaining too loudly tends to end badly. just play the game nicely.)
 
The problem with posts that can be deleted at anytime, is if the first post is deleted, it deletes the entire thread....including other people's posts...

Posts that are editable forever can also be a problem, as someone can go back in time and change what they said, completely altering history.:)
 
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