New Limit for Post Edits

[mmm4444bot]

At the request of moderators, the site owner (Ted) has implemented a new 30-minute threshold for editing posts. This limit applies to all regular members, regardless of join date or post count.

What this means: If your post has been on the boards for more than 30 minutes, you will not be able to alter it. After 30 minutes, changes generally need to be added to the thread in a new post.

You may choose how you prefer to provide changes to your thread, in these added posts (eg: copy the entire original post and highlight the differences, skip highlighting and clearly instruct readers to ignore the original, post only the altered sentences or additions). We'll see how it goes and address issues as they arise. In circumstances where you feel the original post really ought to be replaced with your updated version, you may contact a moderator by private conversation for that. (Your reason needs to be better than 'I don't have time to point out all the changes'. Please provide a good reason.)

This policy will:

(1) prevent latent spam insertion by fake members who post requests for math help (i.e., threads which appear legitimate because they contain work or cogent replies) only for the purpose of returning days, weeks, or months later to edit spam into their post(s);​

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(2) help reduce wasted effort by tutors who didn't realize an exercise had been changed since they first read it;​

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(3) make clear that additional information requested by tutors has been provided, versus leaving it unnoticed because the OP edited a prior post instead of replying directly;​

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(4) help reduce instances of members erasing content in threads that ought to remain intact for future readers.​

Please feel free to add comments to this thread.

?

 

[mmm4444bot]

We're looking into whether our daily contributors can get a pass on this …
\[\;\]

 

[Steven G]

.... including Denis?

 

[Steven G]

Oh, of course not. Denis may be a daily poster but he surely is not a daily contributor.

 

[Denis]

I "follow" all the reasoning for doing this Mark;
however, wouldn't it be better/easier if the "last post"
can be edited up to the time that a subsequent
post is made?
In other words, the "last post only" can be edited...

 

[MarkFL]

I "follow" all the reasoning for doing this Mark;
however, wouldn't it be better/easier if the "last post"
can be edited up to the time that a subsequent
post is made?
In other words, the "last post only" can be edited...

That would require custom coding, whereas imposing a time limit via usergroup permissions can be done via the settings.

 

[Ted]

I "follow" all the reasoning for doing this Mark;
however, wouldn't it be better/easier if the "last post"
can be edited up to the time that a subsequent
post is made?
In other words, the "last post only" can be edited...

Denis,
I've run into problems on other sites that work that way, where I'll carefully edit my post only to find that someone has snuck in a response right before I clicked Post. It's annoying.

In general I'm pro-edit on message boards. My only reason for a 30 minute limit is to stop people from completely changing posts after the fact. I'm open to making it 24 hours even if this limit proves to be too short.

 

[Denis]

Ahhh....I see...thanks Ted and Mark.

 

[mmm4444bot]

… In other words, the "last post only" can be edited...

If that were the case, then a fake member could return to the last post in a thread they'd planted weeks ago (last post: "Thanks for helping!!!!!") and edit spam into it. There's no way for moderators to find those URLs, without manually revisiting threads.

Could you volunteer to check old threads daily? It would really help.