A Debate about Debate

I don't think that is possible, unfortunately. (disabling deleting things from a post but only adding)

I always have used editing only as a tool to fix my posts, not delete the entire contents. (except in the case of a double post, which is still 'fixing')

Disabling the edit button would drive me nuts, and I don't think the few people who abuse it should have ruined it for the rest of us.

 

I think the no-editing idea is brilliant and would encourage members to really think harder about their posts!

Perhaps, in order to take the potential pressure off of the original poster and to remove the aspect of thread ownership, ideas for debates can be submitted by pm to the moderation team and the idea presented by a Mod Squad post?

 

i really like that idea. then that way poeple who have had arguments in the past dont show up on certains peoples threads just to argue with them


am i confusing anyone? im not saying i see it happen all the time, i dont but if it does it would help? and that way i dont think anyone would feel the need to police a thread either

 

Zagzagael: I believe that would help a lot. I have seen several discussions in this fourm that would be very interesting, but are off to a bad start because of the way the initial question is phrased.

Also n'thing the idea about it being possible to block people from discussions + making debate posts uneditable.

 

I like the idea of removing the option to edit. I can barely follow the arguments in the latest threads because they have been edited so much (as have many of the posts in this thread). If people insist on flaming in the debate threads, I think their statements should remain there for everyone to see, and if they keep doing it, they should be barred from participating. We would still have the "preview post" option to edit before posting if typos are a problem for someone.

 

or what about three strikes for editing posts?



or less then three

like say if you completly deleted a post more than so many times (im thinking once but i guess thats up for suggestions) then you can no longer post in that thread. unless you had a good reason for deleting it like you misunderstood a question and made a post that was off topic because of that misunderstanding


edit: (lol) and i dont think its neccessarily considered imature to delete a post. if you delete just because things dont go your way maybe but thats not always the case

 

I do think it's a shame to penalize everyone by removing the edit feature just because a few immature people can't stand by what they said, but on the other hand I think preserving the flow of the debate, as well as the original wording that explains later responses, is more important than my right to correct a misspelling or add an extra line without double posting.

To borrow the internet meme, THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.

 

on second thought it only takes one deleted post to upset people

 

As one of my choices I voted for "Anyone should be able to start a debate thread at any time"... but with the way it is now in mind, where, if the debate is just totally off, it will be removed.

By checking that, I am not saying that *anything* should be allowed.

I have found the mods to only move/remove/edit/etc debate topics that really need it... so I think the current system is fine.

 

I'm concerned about the idea of not being able to edit posts. Sometimes it takes people's reactions to see that what you wrote is interpreted in a different way that you mean it. Is it possible, perhaps to just add to a post instead of being able to change it completely (which I find annoying since if you come in late sometimes the post has been edited or deleted that prompted all the responses you are reading). However, it would be useful to be able to add to a post to say "Gosh, I didn't realize what I wrote would have that reaction. I never meant to insult anyone's taste in dolls. " while leaving the original content so people reading the reactions aren't going 'what the heck are they talking about??'
Just my 2 cents.

 

thats exactly what i said, someone said they dont think its possible to add something but not be able to delete though =[

 

This is exactly why posts should not be editable - part of the debate/argument process is a learning one. Those who are sincerely involved are opening themselves to learn how they think, how they word things, how they react to how others think and speak. Editing or even ETA-ing a statement is not the best way to further the discussion, however, posting a new post highlighting thoughts about wording and changes in opinions are part of the process! It's a good thing!

 

but then there are those moments when you post something, and somebody else posted something while you were composing your thoughts (in an ideal debate thread, this might regularly take several minutes or more, especially if you're involving extra-thread cites or resources), and you want to respond to that. sure, you can just make a new post, and that's what would end up happening if editing was locked, but would that really be a step on the road to self-improvement?

also, it frequently happens to me that I find I want to make subtle changes to how I worded something. maybe I and the world would be improved by me discussing those changes, but in most cases I think it would get me the too-much-personal-stuff-too-little-on-topic cold shoulder hereabouts. I try to catch these things in the preview, but sometimes it takes a few extra minutes.
edit
for clarity: I don't mean, say, editing the OP to change the wording of your question, or making a major, topic-pertinent change in your post. just, say, attempting to change the tone of something you realised post-post was condescending or belligerent or just awkwardly worded. the sort of thing that's really not related to the issue of debate, but will nonetheless impact how people respond to what you're saying. /edit

I would probably be more sorry to lose the privilege of editing my posts than any of the other controls suggested in this thread. even though it drives me effin nuts when people delete their entire post. nuts, I tells you.

I would love to see this too! it sounds like a way more workable format for the "sumup" idea that was advanced (way less detailed, unfortunately...but I'll go for practicable). of course, it's important to keep in mind that the people who answer polls do not necessarily accurately represent the people who post(ed) in a thread, but still, it would be a nice snapshot. and I'm quite certain that at least in some cases people strongly over- or under-estimate the prevalence of certain views, just because of the way in which they are expressed or the readers' feelings about the topic.

 

I'm sorry ETA? What's that?

 

Agreed. I think removing the ability to correct typos after-the-fact would be annoying as hell, to put it frankly.

Is the massive alteration of posts really such a chronic and wide-spread problem in Debate, or is this just a reaction to certain recent events? (I ask because, even though I've participated in a fair few of these threads, I haven't seen it happen all that often-)

... And as Armeleia says, if someone seriously puts their foot in their mouth, it's likely going to be quoted in-thread (and probably screen-capped, too, for good meassure-). Editing later to cover their tracks isn't going to save them.

 

ETA = edited to add

This is used when a poster does NOT edit inside the body of the already posted content, but rather tacks on something new at the end of the post prefaced with "ETA".

 

wait when we say taking away the edit button are we talking taking it away from all threads? or just debate threads??

 

Just debate threads, the same way you can't edit your posts in the feedback forums.

 

oh ok good, cuz i make so many spelling errors i would die if it was gone for good everywhere. and i havnt spent any time in the feedback area so i wasnt aware of that =]

 

I am all for debates and i participate in them regularly. However I do feel that whilst people will not always agree with each other especially when it comes to controversial issues and will tend to disagree and voice their differing opinions on particular issues being discussed, hence the reason behind the existence of the debate sub-forum. I believe there is a point at which debates should be closed, when for example people make homophobic statements and/ or other statements which could be deemed by others to be offensive also when personal attacks are made. Also i feel that whilst some people may be seen to be 'abusing' the edit feature available to back-track and delete statements they made previously in the thread that they subsequently do not want to have posted anymore. If a person's posts have been quoted by other members then there is absolutely no way the person can really back-track, sure they can edit their post but the can't go and edit the posts of the other people who have quoted them. I don't believe that everyone should be penalised by having the edit feature removed just because of a few people who may want to try and detract their earlier statements made.