Editing comments function disappeared

<p>Editing my own comments in my own portfolio under my own photos or in my portfolio in general right now is not a choice. As I recall it was yesterday; am I not remembering correctly or has this function gone and left the table? I use it to make needed and proper corrections more than anything and currently am using the new spell check program (A GREAT ADDITION, JOSH) to correct my thousands of comments in reply.<br>

Right now that no longer is an available choice. I have restarted and re-attempted but to no avail.<br>

Did I miss an announcement?<br>

john<br>

John (Crosley)</p>

<p>The edit option is now there for 10 minutes just like in other areas of photo.net.</p>

<p>I admit that I did not anticipate someone going back and spellchecking thousands of previous comments. I apologize for the fact that you will no longer be able to, but that's the way it is now.</p>

<p><em>"The edit option is now there for 10 minutes just like in other areas of photo.net."</em><br>

<em> </em><br>

That's a bit restrictive, don't you think? I'm not talking about going back to last year's posts and correcting spelling and/or grammar. Some photographers (I'm one of them) often rethink their comments and critiques, and want to go back and rephrase them or add clarification to them. Why put a time limit on something like that...what's the big deal? Does doing that cause some sort of problem or something?</p>

<p>I think subscribers should have at least a 24-hour window to do things like that.</p>

<p>Not that it matters what <em>I</em> think...</p>

<p>The primary issue is/was consistency across the site and the fact that I am tired of dealing with people going back and changing their comments from positive to negative (or vice versa) because of hurt egos (or inclusion into the "cheaters" club) over critiques from others. A secondary issue was keeping the continuity of the critique comments intact to give the photographer and those reading the comments the maximum chance to learn from them.</p>

<p>As for the time limit, changing an already made critique does not do any favors to the photographer requesting critique. They will not receive an alert for the edited post and therefore are far less likely to actually see your revision. Or, if they have seen the original and have asked for clarification on the comments then you change the original in response, you will have messed up the continuity of the conversation. This makes the critique useless for educating a third party who might be reading it, as many do.</p>

<p>Adding a new comment to the image is a far better solution to the issue of wanting to clarify, expand, or answer questions regarding a previously left critique. The 10 minute limit gives plenty of opportunity to correct typos but keeps people from playing games or creating confusion.</p>

The 10 minute limit justification should be adjusted as ...

 

"The 10 minute limit gives plenty of opportunity, *to some people but admittedly not all*, to correct typos but keeps people from playing games or creating confusion."

<p>Parv,</p>

<p>That pretty much goes without saying. There is nothing I can do on the site that will satisfy all of the people who use it. That is simply an impossibility. Too many people, from too many parts of the world use the site in too many different ways for me to make them all happy.</p>

<p>Sure, some are going to be unhappy about a 10 minute edit window. But some were previously unhappy about people running back and editing critiques as "punishment" and some were unhappy about non-linear critique conversations due to edited posts and some were unhappy about the inconsistency across the site. Its frustrating to have a job where you know that whatever choices you make you will hear "You shouldn't have done that", but it comes with the territory.</p>

<p>I like the 10-minute limit for precisely the reasons Josh mentions. I've made comments on someone's statements who have then gone back and changed their original statement making my own response look silly or out of place. It's very annoying when it's done by someone who is looking to save face in public and simultaneously not caring about the honor of standing by their words. I have changed my mind about something I've said many times over the years in both critiques and forums. I do just what Josh suggested. I go back to the page and add a new comment. I reference my original comment and explain that I've changed my mind or have something to add. I think it keeps us honest and genuine. It's OK to make mistakes and to be seen as having made them. It's also OK to learn from them and not to be afraid to be seen learning from them. This site is about growth and learning. Coming back and rethinking old comments is a great way to make such growth and learning obvious. I once deleted a photo because I didn't like the turn the conversation under it took. I learned from that as well and likely would not do it again. A while back, I had a really offensive comment or two from a PN member. I was actually proud to leave those inane comments under the photo, because it said much more about him than about me. If he were ever to realize the extent of his stupidity, I'd not want him to change the comment. I'd want him to acknowledge it and show me that he's moved on, which is just what I hope I would do.</p>

<p>I noticed the edit feature gone too when I tried to correct a typo I made. The change is fine with me, I will just have to be more careful to thoroughly read my responses (either that or just not post when I am tired). :)</p>

A classic example of treating everyone like children because a small minority may on occasion act like children.

 

I often return and edit my comments in the interest of clarity or to simply correct spelling, punctuation or grammar. I have had some people alter comments after the fact and even delete all of their comments from my images. This generated a fair bit if work requiring that I go back through my images deleting responses to now non-existent comments but I would still prefer having to contend with a few rare incidences than having an arbitrary 10 minute restriction apply to my and everyone else comments.

 

I am sad to learn about this decision as it will negatively impact my interest in leaving comments and lets face it, a much bigger issue than a few idiots causing trouble is the fact that it is a struggle to get people to leave any sort of comment on uploaded photos. I realize that I am only one person and that if I comment less it is not of any significances however I feel that any action which has the possibility to give people more reason to pause before leaving a comment is a step in the wrong direction.

 

 

In my view this idea falls clearly into the "You shouldn't have done that" category.

Well, I am entirely content with workaround of posting corrections (as Gordon B mentioned in his second paragraph above) as appropriate after the edit time limit.

<p><em>"...A classic example of treating everyone like children..."</em><br /><br />Gordon you are a mind reader; my thoughts exactly! I appreciate the Administration's desire to maintain the archival quality of the PhotoNet fora and I understand how changing/deleting a comment could lead to some confusion in a thread but I, too, greatly regret the loss of the editing ability. I regret the disappearance on several levels.<br /><br />First,this is not about just simple spelling corrections. I am not that smart of a guy, I need time to think over what I say and write. When I finally get something down on paper it might take me an hour, a day, a week to decide if it is really what I wanted to say. Indeed, it is frustrating for the people to whom I communicate my thoughts, but it is even more frustrating for me because my slowness tends to make me increasingly laconic. If I write something here on PhotoNet I try to be careful the first go at it but it just does not work out all of the time. I always come back and review what I have written and frequently make changes to clarify my thoughts. Now, I ask, what am I supposed to do? I can not make the edits so I will have to paraphrase what was previously said and then add to or change the content. I may need to do this several times for each comment. Then I will have to come back and do it again and again. Think about it...this new policy is going to result in more and more verbiage from me every time I want to say the simplest thing. It is a waste of time and bandwith.<br /><br /><br />On another level, I regret, or more properly resent, this new policy because it does treat most of us as children and throws us into the same stinking barrel as the two or three offenders that have instigated this change in policy. Instead of slapping down hard on the worst offenders the Administration (that's you, Josh) has taken the same stance as was done with the gaming and cheating in the ratings game. There was an active, lively exchange of thoughts in the Critique Forum at one time but that has dried-up and has become quite mediocre. <br /><br />I find it repulsive that many times in the past the moderators have changed and deleted comments to the point that they have completely destroyed the intended meaning of a thread, and this was done so as to make it less offensive. Oftentimes their editing judgment was akin to a battle-ax wielding madman. There was no concern for maintaining the archives in these cases. I was against this but somewhat tolerated it because we, as contributing members, also had the ability to edit what we could say. <br /><br /><br />I probably resent this change the most because the reason for it is not the preservation of the archives but, rather, the unwillingness for the moderator to deal directly with the problem "children". What's the old saying? <em>"To thine own self be true"</em> Be honest about this, it's easier to throw out the system then deal with the offenders. Easier but not better. It is very much a step in the wrong direction. Regards.</p>

<p>As I said, you can't please everyone. There are many legitimate points of view on the subject (or any subject really). But at then end of the way, there is no magic "100% happy" choice. I make the best decisions I can based on a dozen years of seeing this site from every angle possible. Something that very few people are able to say they have. Could photo.net policy decisions have been made better in the past by previous admins? Sure. Every one of us can look at decisions that have been made in the past in our lives that could have been made better. Nobody can predict the future. Hindsight is easy, foresight is difficult. Anyone who tries to pretend otherwise is likely trying to sell you a psychic reading.</p>

<p>So I respect your opinions, I'm happy to listen to them, but I disagree with them in this instance.</p>

" As I said, you can't please everyone"

 

 

 

Judging by this thread so far , other than Fred being happy that he can now have some person wear a dunce cap for all time, you haven't pleased anyone.

<p>Delightful.</p>

<p>I think we've had enough here then. Thread closed.</p>