Deleting threads?

Is there no way to delete threads, once they're posted? I accidentally double-posted this one, and can't figure out how to get rid of it.

Sorry.

For clarity a "thread" is the entire conversation comprising several "posts" (responding to the Original Post).

A "post" or "comment" is the individual content published by a Uer/Member via their login.

A User/Member can edit their own post but only for a short period of time after the post has been made: this is to provide a short editing period to correct typos and spellos etc..

A User/Member cannot delete a "thread".

A User/Member cannot delete (or edit) their post after the aforementioned editing period is over.

Note also that User/Members must not post duplicate questions, in different forums

I note that you used the editing period to change the contents of the Opening Post in this thread (originally your content was about an BB67) - that's OK - I think you were attempting to fix up a mistake.

We shall leave this thread as is, because it might provide useful information to others.

WW

that also means you can make material changes to content which may not be all that bad a thing.

When PN allowed edits long after the initial post was made, I thought quite a few of the material changes made were a bad thing. They often made someone else's responses sound somewhat bizarre, because those responses depended on the original poster saying what he or she had said which, once changed, pretty much destroyed continuity and often subsequent points made. Several times, a poster decided to take back something stupid or mean they had said, which had already been responded to. That would have the effect of making the responder look bad, since there was no original offense left standing.

I, myself have said stupid things I regret. Rather than editing them away, I prefer to take responsibility for them and either apologize or otherwise change my tone. I just think, for honesty and authenticity's sake, we should stand by our comments as made and add to them as we see fit if we feel we need to clarify something. There's nothing wrong with changing your mind and doing that publicly.

Over 800 years ago, Omar Khayyam wrote:

"The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit, Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it."

Today, that's still true for most Website forums. Some do allow limited edits, but none I know about allow a user to delete his own posts.

The Roman senator Caius Titus was more succinct:

"Verba volant, scripta manent." (Spoken words fly away; written words stay.)

For clarity a "thread" is the entire conversation comprising several "posts" (responding to the Original Post).

 

A "post" or "comment" is the individual content published by a Uer/Member via their login.

Yes, that hasn't changed since the pre-Windows days when I used to run what were then known as BBS's. However, deleting the ONLY post in a thread, in systems that allow it, effectively deletes the thread, hence there is no real-world difference.

A User/Member can edit their own post but only for a short period of time after the post has been made: this is to provide a short editing period to correct typos and spellos etc.. A User/Member cannot delete (or edit) their post after the aforementioned editing period is over.

Why is that? In my case, I discovered my error less than a second after posting the duplicate post, so I wanted to correct my mistake. It took me a bit longer to get back into the thread, but there was no obvious mechanism for deleting the post/thread. You say we cannot delete it after the editing period is ending, but how about before it's ended? And how long does one have?

What is the point of such strict control? This is not the Congressional Record. History will not care what was said by whom, here. Some threads may have some educational value in the future. Others are simply wasting bytes on a drive, and preserving them benefits no one, unless the owners of this site get some kind of minor thrill from watching the thread count climb. Even potential advertisers aren't going to care. Active user count is a selling point. Number of useless threads is not.

Note also that User/Members must not post duplicate questions, in different forums

Yes, well that's pretty close to what I was attempting to correct, except that both threads are in the same forum.

Over 800 years ago, Omar Khayyam wrote:

"The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit, Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it."

 

Today, that's still true for most Website forums. Some do allow limited edits, but none I know about allow a user to delete his own posts.

 

The Roman senator Caius Titus was more succinct:

"Verba volant, scripta manent." (Spoken words fly away; written words stay.)

With all due respect to your dead guys, their point was that one should choose one's words with care, not that their laundry lists should endure for eternity.

My first response was not precisely clear and I see now that it has added confusion, sorry for that – I will seek to fix that.

This is the confusing sentence:

“A User/Member cannot delete (or edit) their post after the aforementioned editing period is over.”

It should read as below and there should be another sentence added:

“A User/Member cannot edit their post after the aforementioned editing period is over.

“A User/Member cannot delete their post.”

***

Yes, that hasn't changed since the pre-Windows days when I used to run what were then known as BBS's. However, deleting the ONLY post in a thread, in systems that allow it, effectively deletes the thread, hence there is no real-world difference.

Yes that is correct. But, if the functionality at Photo.net is as I think it is, that fact is not relevant to the Photo.net site, because Photo.net does not allow for a User/Member to delete a post.

That is why I clearly articulated the definitions of the words "post" and "thread", prior to me describing the functionality. I assumed it would be clear that there is a difference between the meaning of the words "delete" and "edit" and what exactly are those different meanings.

I think the description of the functionality should be clearer now, especially given the correction and addition that I made above.

***

. . . Why is that? In my case, I discovered my error less than a second after posting the duplicate post, so I wanted to correct my mistake. It took me a bit longer to get back into the thread, but there was no obvious mechanism for deleting the post/thread. You say we cannot delete it after the editing period is ending, but how about before it's ended? And how long does one have?

My above should explain the bulk of those questions.

I am not sure about the exact time of the editing period; it used to be 10 minutes, but I think could be about 15 or 20 minutes now.

BTW at the creation of the site I understand it was zero: once a post was made there was no editing facility for a User/Member. I think this functionality was in place for many years and I think it was changed to a 10 minute editing period sometime roughly around 2010. Fred G (above) refers to a time when "PN allowed edits long after the initial post was made" - I am not sure when that was, or how long that editing time was.

***

What is the point of such strict control? This is not the Congressional Record. History will not care what was said by whom, here. Some threads may have some educational value in the future. Others are simply wasting bytes on a drive, and preserving them benefits no one, unless the owners of this site get some kind of minor thrill from watching the thread count climb. Even potential advertisers aren't going to care. Active user count is a selling point. Number of useless threads is not.

My understanding is that it is not about control, but that each User/Member has the responsibility at the time of publication for everything that they publish under their login. This is outlined in the User Guidelines and Terms of Use.

I understand there was much debate about allowing any editing period: what I mean is there was some resistance to introducing it.

***

Yes, well that's pretty close to what I was attempting to correct, except that both threads are in the same forum.

Possibly both were originally posted by you in the Medium Format Forum – but when you edited the opening post of this thread to be a question about deleting threads I assume that it got moved to the Site Help Forum, where it now resides; that is my guess. I did not move it.

WW

With all due respect to your dead guys, their point was that one should choose one's words with care, not that their laundry lists should endure for eternity.

As I understand that is exactly the point being reflected in the User Guidelines and Terms of Use of this site.

WW