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well that was fast...editing posts?

Discussion in 'Empty Closets Help and Feedback' started by niallhoran, Feb 1, 2013.

  1. niallhoran

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    I'm new here, so I guess it's not exactly a shock that I'm in here, haha. But I was just wondering about editing posts. When I make a post, the edit button is right there in the lower right-hand corner. But if I come back to that post later, the edit button is gone! Is it supposed to disappear? Thanks for the help. :slight_smile:
     
  2. awesomeap88

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    If I remember correctly, you can only edit your post within 15 minutes of its initial posting. After 15 minutes, the edit button disappears and you can't edit your post.

    I hope this helps. :slight_smile:
     
  3. photoguy93

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    Yeah, I wondering that, too. I think it has to do with all the privacy/posting/etc stuff going on here.
     
  4. niallhoran

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    Oh, I understand. Thank you both :slight_smile:
     
  5. Rakkaus

    Rakkaus Guest

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    Is there a specific reason why this forum gives such a small window of time for editing posts? Most fora I've posted on allow you to come back at any time and edit your posts.

    At the very least maybe full members could be allowed to edit their posts?
     
  6. BudderMC

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    ^ I assume the main issue is to prevent people from breaching the off-site contact rule. While I'd hope that full members would know to not share their info publicly either (particularly with non-full members), it's yet another risk we can't take.
     
  7. Rakkaus

    Rakkaus Guest

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    But how does post-editing pose a threat to the off-site contact rule?

    People are going to post contact information and then edit it out?

    There's nothing preventing someone right now from posting contact info and then editing it within the 15-minute window after someone saw it.

    I started a Pokemon survivor thread and then realized survivor threads won't work here because I can't go back and edit to update the OP with each survivor elimination.
     
  8. Chip

    Board Member Admin Team Advisor Full Member

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    Budder nailed it. The restrictions on post editing is primarily there as part of our overall security provisions. Without it, someone could post contact information and then remove it, which would circumvent our security provisions. That's also why you can't edit or delete wall posts or blog entries. While you could post contact info and delete it within the 15 minute window, it would most likely (a) not pass the contact info to the people you want, and (b) get noticed by the moderation team (who are constantly reviewing posts and threads on the site, 24/7) and get you an instant ban.

    Additionally, allowing editing of posts for full members would not work either, as they would then be able to communicate off-site contact info with regular members, again violating our security policy.

    While there are some inconveniences to the security provisions we have, those same security provisions are also what make EC the unique, safe, and pretty much creeper-free community it is.
     
  9. curlycats

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    i've always assumed it was to preserve the post itself. for example, if a huge flame war broke out and a mod/admin wasn't around, people could flame and leave their flame in place just long enough to upset someone and then quickly edit their post to remove the flame so a mod/admin couldn't come on later and point the finger at them. however, the damage would be done and the mods/admins wouldn't know who was the blame.

    locking posts preserves potential evidence of abuse.

    edit: err... Chip posted while i was typing lol.
     
  10. Rakkaus

    Rakkaus Guest

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    But actually if posting contact info is an instant ban, then the person would be banned before they got a chance to edit the post, no? This security provision seems to rest on the notion that it would take longer than 15 minutes for the moderators to notice contact info, which seems like a security vulnerability in itself.
     
  11. curlycats

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    such a vulnerability is inevitable, no? it's impossible to make sure at least one mod or admin is on the forum at all times and even more impossible to have that one person looking at every single post posted anywhere on the forum within 15 minutes of it being posted.
     
  12. Rakkaus

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    Well, actually that would contradict Chip's statement that posting contact info would "get noticed by the moderation team (who are constantly reviewing posts and threads on the site, 24/7) and get you an instant ban."
     
  13. curlycats

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    .....and i so over looked that "24/7" part. i can't help but wonder how literally he meant that. either way, the last part of what i said still stands. surely it would be hard to accomplish that?
     
  14. Rakkaus

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    Well it'd have to be pretty literally, or else all the creeps would figure out what time the moderators went off each night and then swoop in for their prey while nobody is watching.
     
  15. Owen

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    It's definitely hyperbole. We don't notice everything immediately (that's why the post report feature exists), but we are pretty good at catching those kinds of things.

    Unlikely. Creeps are more proactive than that. They won't just post saying, "Hey, contact me here so we can chat." They'll want to contact another member directly, to make sure their efforts have a decent chance of payoff. That's why PMs are only available to full members; so the creeps see that there's an obstacle in place to them preying on people here and decide it's not worth the time to earn PM privileges.
     
  16. Martin

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    Not exactly. Any post that is edited gets automatically logged by vbulletin so that both versions can be compared by staff. If somebody does it with the 15-minute window posting then we will know about it, even if we spot it outside of that period after it has been edited.

    The 15 minute period just happens to limit the number of incidences we would check edited posts for this, otherwise we'd potentially have people going back months to edit a random post, which then takes staff bloody ages to find too. Additionally, curlycats nailed it with the post preservation point. If a conversation is to flow appropriately, then that is best done when it is preserved, otherwise you risk having edits made to it (or certain posts edited so the content is removed) and before you know it the thread no longer makes sense. At least if members have to request for such a removal then staff can be aware of what is being removed, so we aren't left with any potentially important threads missing posts that were essential for understanding what was said. :slight_smile: