Many thanks to everybody who took part in this topic that Arthur started.
We have seen many people giving their opinions and their experiences of people editing their posts after others have replied. We've also heard from people who find it a benefit to be able to edit their posts in this time too. It has been a very interesting and lively read.
To this end then, as many have had the opportunity and time to contribute, I feel it's time to bring this topic to a conclusion.
As always with topics such as this one there can be many different views, sometimes with no clear consensus.
A time limit of 24 hours was put on the post editing option. This was seen as a balance between allowing people sufficient time to edit their post, and reducing the likelihood of the abuses of editing a post. In general it has worked well.
The reasoning behind the editing time limit of 24 hours (and no shorter) was explained
As with many matters in life, things are very often a balance between a number of different ideals. This is an example of one of them.
So to those who wanted the editing time to be made shorter, I'm sorry to disappoint you. To those who wanted the editing time to be made longer, I'm sorry to disappoint you too.
If a person is seen to abuse the edit facility then use the "Report to Moderator" function. The matter can then be looked into, where we can have a quiet word with them. If this is not forthcoming then then there is there are options that we can take, including having the edit facility removed from individuals on a case by case basis.
As always we are always amazed by the resourcefulness of RootsChatters in helping others, and the lengths that so many people go to to find that crucial nugget of information. There is quite naturally frustration and disappointment if a person then alters their post which can then make somebody else's reply look daft. It can also make the person who replied feel hurt by not being thanked or acknowledged.
Equally somebody may have taken a long time to type out a topic, painstakingly letter by letter. They may struggle with their sight, coordination, language, dyslexia, they may have memory issues or be unfamiliar with a keyboard. They then will post their message, and after a nights sleep re-read their topic only to realise that their post has spelling mistakes or things in there that may make themselves feel embarrassed. Some people may even reply and pick up on them typing in capitals, nit-pick on something else, or criticise their punctuation. For them, they can then edit their post and make the corrections in that time.
The good thing is though, is that we are all mucking in and helping each other as best we can. The same goes for the RootsChat itself and all the volunteer moderators running the site too.
Trystan
