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johncorey
07-28-2015, 08:42 PM
So for the life of me, I cannot edit my postings here. Looked high and low on the actual posts, and even under "thread tools", there is nada for me to enable an edit. Did the search thing, and it came up with a step by step process, but somehow nowhere can I find the pen icon listed in that process. Any advice is greatly appreciated in this matter.

breakingtime91
07-28-2015, 08:53 PM
So for the life of me, I cannot edit my postings here. Looked high and low on the actual posts, and even under "thread tools", there is nada for me to enable an edit. Did the search thing, and it came up with a step by step process, but somehow nowhere can I find the pen icon listed in that process. Any advice is greatly appreciated in this matter.

there is a time limit

EricM
07-28-2015, 08:57 PM
When it is available, it is in the bottom right corner like this:

http://icedesigns.com/echo0603/pf/072815/edit.jpg

ST911
07-28-2015, 09:27 PM
What's the possibility of either extending or altogether eliminating the time limit for editing?

johncorey
07-28-2015, 09:44 PM
Thanks to all. Was not aware of the time limit...I'm with ST911, what is the possibility of doing away with that limit? This is coming from a viewpoint of currently trying to update my listings in the FSOT. I believe that an edit function would tend to work better in such a case.

ST911
07-28-2015, 11:27 PM
Are their other reasons that people would like to edit their posts that I'm not considering?

Thanks Tom, I see the point(s) in your post. My interest in expanded editing is primarily a longer interval in which to tweak verbiage that was clear in the mind and didn't make it to the keyboard. Also the spelling/grammatical stuff that may not be caught except in a later read.

For the EE/FSOT sub-forum expanded editing ability has some benefits, but admittedly also comes with some member antics and frustration for mods/staff as well.

Malamute
07-29-2015, 01:24 AM
That makes sense and I can certainly appreciate the desire to fix stuff that you didn't notice when you first posted. In fact, it's something that I do fairly regularly on my posts.
#modprivilege #regularmemberpostsmatter #hashtag

I'm not sure exactly what the time limit is now, but I think it's 10-15 minutes. What would be a better limit? 30 minutes? An hour? A day?


I believe its 30 minutes now.

It took a bit of getting used to at first, but I did get used to it. I tend to edit to clean up spelling etc, or add ideas. An hour or two is probably plenty from my perspective, but thats the thoughts of just one person.

Its unique to here so far as Im aware, but I like the limit concept.

JV_
07-29-2015, 05:20 AM
by having a small-ish window during which someone can edit their posts, it sort of discourages people from being a raging asshole and then later coming back and deleting it. This is why I like the short edit window.

I often miss grammar issues because of the too-many-edits syndrome, but I'm willing to sacrafice that so that people have to think twice about what/how they post.

BN
07-29-2015, 07:41 AM
A few years ago on the Enos forum there was a frequent contributor who posted some really quality information. For some reason, they went back and deleted every post that they had ever made. The forum lost some valuable information.

On another forum, I see one poster who will have edited his post several times in a few minutes. He is a little hot headed and I am always frustrated to not know what he originally said. :)

I say a few minutes for spell check and then you have to live with what you said. Think before you post. ;)

Drang
07-29-2015, 06:38 PM
I don't mind a time limit for editing, I do sometimes wish the time period was longer, an hour, perhaps. Mostly I do it to fix typos or fat-fingering, but occasionally there's a bit of L'esprit de l'escalier (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27esprit_de_l%27escalier).

Concur with accountability as a justification for the time limit. Maybe the main reason.

JV_
07-30-2015, 03:07 PM
It'd be neat if you could set it for an edit quantity and time. 2 edits or 60 minutes, whichever comes first.

In a heated thread, an hour might be a long time, but if it's that controversial - someone else probably quoted the offending text.

GJM
07-30-2015, 08:43 PM
Seems like something just changed.

I put something in the T2/BUIS thread, from my iPad. After sending it, I realized I made a small typo, which is easy to do from a small device, and immediately edited it. Now it shows as "edited," despite making the change inside a minute. Previously, I do t recall that showing as "edited."

GJM
07-30-2015, 11:34 PM
Yes, it used to be you had 5 minutes to edit until that would be displayed and I changed it so that all edits display that now.

If I am forced to choose between cleaning up typos or looking like a willy nilly editor, I think I will be inclined to stay with the typos. Or not post from devices like the iPhone.

JV_
07-31-2015, 11:34 AM
You could just proofread better before hitting the submit button :)

GJM
07-31-2015, 11:37 AM
You could just proofread better before hitting the submit button :)

JV, get back to me once you reach the age where the combination of small screens on portable devices, and the need for reading glasses, doesn't always make that as easy as it might seem!

GJM
07-31-2015, 12:08 PM
How about not worrying about the "last edited by" annotation? Why does it bother you? Honest question.

Over the years, I have seen enough instances of people substantially changing their posts, that anytime I see "last edited" it raises a red flag as to why they edited their post. This changing posts by editing, either by the author or moderators at various forums (not aimed at PF), is why the "screenshot" came into parlance on forums, as in "you better screenshot that before it goes away."

Now, a competing interest I have, is not having typos, confusing grammar, and other problems in posts. Previously, you had a minute or two to clean up typos, mistakes, etc. This was particularly helpful when posting from a mobile device. Hit "reply," and then look at the post, making sure you didn't miss something. For example, in the T2 BUIS thread, I apparently typed T/T2, when I meant to type T1/T2. Saw it, fixed it, and then drew a "last edited" flag. I find it easier to spot typos in the actual post, compared to seeing them in the reply box, particularly in the quick reply box that shows a limited amount of text.

I personally really liked the old system. You got just a minute or two to clean up typos, catch a mistake, or even tone down a pos that reads harsher than you intended when you wrote it. After that short grace, you then had a limited time frame to make edits, drawing a "last edited" flag, and then you were locked in for perpetuity.

JV_
07-31-2015, 02:13 PM
JV, get back to me once you reach the age where the combination of small screens on portable devices, and the need for reading glasses, doesn't always make that as easy as it might seem!

I was joking. I can proofread something 5 times, and it always sounds good in my head, but what's on paper is often different.

GJM
07-31-2015, 03:13 PM
I was joking too -- trying to say "when you grow up" without sounding old, myself.

GJM
07-31-2015, 03:16 PM
PS: for fun, I just hit the "edit" button, made no changes, and the forum software says "last edited ....." So, I think that edit button should have a guarded switch, like the fuel off switch in a Bell helicopter.