Pony request - edit/remove a post?

November 6, 2005 11:35 AM

Feature question (not necessarily a request) -

The ability to edit/remove a post after you have submitted it. Is this something that we Don't Have, or something that we Don't Want?
posted by afroblanca to Feature Requests at 11:35 AM (25 comments total)

Why do you ask? Have yor eyelashes stopped smoking yet?
posted by StickyCarpet at 11:37 AM on November 6, 2005

oh boy. imagine the fun that would cause.
posted by andrew cooke at 11:38 AM on November 6, 2005

The ability to which you refer is something we don't want.
posted by nthdegx at 11:41 AM on November 6, 2005

I dunno if it's something we don't want. I do know it's something I do want for myself, but I don't want anyone else to have. And since that's not going to happen, my second preference would be for nobody to have that ability.
posted by Bugbread at 11:43 AM on November 6, 2005

If you really screw something up, the administrators can fix it if you email them. The way I remember mathowie explaining it, when comments mysteriously die or get reworded, it interrupts the flow and the direction of the conversation.
posted by onalark at 11:47 AM on November 6, 2005

Hmm... Well, I could see how re-wording a post could cause problems, although it would be useful in the case of typos and such. However, what is the harm in allowing people to remove their own posts?
posted by afroblanca at 11:56 AM on November 6, 2005

Also, I should mention that I mean this in the case of POSTS (FPPs, AskMe questions), not comments. Allowing people to remove or edit comments after-the-fact would most likely lead to trouble.
posted by afroblanca at 11:59 AM on November 6, 2005

I get two or three requests to edit comments or posts per week, usually for typos & the like. It doesn't seem like this is something that folks need terribly badly, and the downsides to having posts be editable seems great. I think one of the concerns with people removing their own posts is that it could lead to situations where if people don't like the way the comments are going, they just take the post down after people have put energy into contributing to a thread. This makes many people feel bad and is generally something best avoided. Or, what bugbread said.
posted by jessamyn at 12:05 PM on November 6, 2005

Thanks for the answer, Jessamyn. I definitely see where your coming from.

It's interesting - in an environment such as Craigslist, where you can edit/remove your post at any time, it seems like the idea is that "you own your post." However, on Metafilter, it seems that the idea is that once you contribute something, it belongs more to the community then it does to you.

This makes sense for a number of reasons, namely being that MeFi/AskMe/MeTa is not a classifieds services. However, it still is an interesting distinction to make.
posted by afroblanca at 12:11 PM on November 6, 2005

In Soviet Russia, your posts own you!

sorry.
posted by mullacc at 12:25 PM on November 6, 2005

I think it's also a question of responsibility, or owning your posts in a different sense. That is, you ought to be sure you want what you say to be attached to your name. Of course, it is questionable whether it does stop people from saying (more) inane things. It hasn't seemed to stop me.
posted by dame at 12:41 PM on November 6, 2005

And then you get people wanting to leave MeFi and take all their posts with them. There was some dude who asked mathowie to take all his FPPs off on MeTa if I remember correctly.

The community reacted warmly, as I recall.
posted by Count Ziggurat at 12:42 PM on November 6, 2005

The community reacted warmly, as I recall.

Heh. I remember that.

I think it's also a question of responsibility, or owning your posts in a different sense. That is, you ought to be sure you want what you say to be attached to your name.

Yup.
posted by languagehat at 2:00 PM on November 6, 2005

He wanted to be obliviated, as I recall.
posted by rebirtha at 2:11 PM on November 6, 2005

Hahahaha. I'm surprised "Please obliviate X" hasn't become the next "All your base...."

I'm totally going to start using that.
posted by afroblanca at 2:40 PM on November 6, 2005

If you can't handle posting what you later decide was silly shit you have no business delurking. (And I should know, right scarabic?)
posted by davy at 3:30 PM on November 6, 2005

This reminds me of a post a while back about drunken posts and self-flagging. If I really screw up beyond what can be fixed by apology, I'm flagging myself. At least it shows effort.
posted by snsranch at 4:05 PM on November 6, 2005

Measure twice, cut once.
posted by loquacious at 4:10 PM on November 6, 2005

I'm surprised "Please obliviate X" hasn't become the next "All your base...."

People do say that rather a lot, don't they? Or did? I'd've thought it was somewhere in between 'Administrator, please hope me!' and 'WHAT. THE. FUCK. MATT?' in the memorable MetaTalk phrases pantheon.

Jesus, I can't believe I just used the term 'memorable MetaTalk phrases pantheon'. Sorry.
posted by jack_mo at 4:48 PM on November 6, 2005

"Don't want"
posted by caddis at 5:53 PM on November 6, 2005

Don't want, don't need. Mostly don't want. This is one feature that would suck the big hairy one because, as as already been so eloquently put: "... on Metafilter, ... once you contribute something, it belongs ... to the community ...".
posted by dg at 6:35 PM on November 6, 2005

Of course, I would like to have the feature just for me, so I could go back and fix those typos that I don't spot until the instant I hit the "post comment" button.
posted by dg at 6:36 PM on November 6, 2005

For what it's worth, I really think metatalk should be renamed metaltalk and then we can just talk about iron maiden all day.
posted by cmonkey at 8:26 PM on November 6, 2005

I've been a member of groups that allow post deletion. It's a very bad idea. Think before you post. If you feel that you've made an error online, then say so. Any reasonable person will have more respect for someone who admits making a mistake.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 9:36 PM on November 6, 2005

snsranch, I hadn't thought of flagging myself. That sounds almost like fun.

First self-flagging, then some self-abuse, then self-flogging, then a little snooze.
posted by davy at 9:59 PM on November 8, 2005