the deletion or hiding of posts without explanation

[Jonesboy]

I think if one has to worry about saving ones writing to a PPD then something is wrong.

[Zhongyongdaoist]

I think if one has to worry about saving ones writing to a PPD then something is wrong.

 

I'm sorry, but I find this ambiguous, do you mean that there is something wrong the board policy that someone should be concerned about the disappearance of their posts, or that someone who is worried about losing a post on the Dao Bums has a personal problem about their posts that they should be addressing?

 

For anyone who puts in a lot of time here posting well thought out and referenced posts like I try to do, there is a lot of time and work that goes into them that isn't reflected in the time it takes someone to read them.  I insure against loss of posts by doing almost all editing offline using a word processor.  A good free one that amounts to a free office suite is:

 

Apache Open Office

 

If I am replying to a post I will quote that post and then use the little toggle switch in the upper left of the reply editing box to go from formatted text to HTML code and then copy the code into Open Office, in that way I have a complete record of the post to which I am responding, then I start to prepare my own response and at some points may copy it from Open Office and past it into a response window which I have already switched to to "code mode" and then switch to displayed text, here I will do such things as italicize or bold text, experiment with pictures, and also with links when I like the way it looks I will click back into code mode and copy that code text back to Open Office, this gives me a complete record of what will be posted including the necessary HTML codes to reproduce it exactly,  Only then do I post the response online.  In this way one has a record of one's posts and can access them at any time and also use them for other purposes, such as collecting the really good ones into a longer discussion.  This is a little time consuming and requires a little thought and practice to get right, but if you "lose" a post on the Dao Bums through it being "hidden", you really have no one to blame but yourself.  I have seven years of files like this.

 

Also remember that the Dao Bums exists somewhere between the whim and the good will of Sean, and could disappear at anytime.  So if you value the content which you have contributed here, you should make your own backups anyway.

[Jonesboy]

I am saying that what I share and the effort I put in to researching quotes like many here do should not be so easily deleted. I find it disturbing to have to worry about it being deleted by someone just because they can and that I should have to copy and save my posts.

 

If it is in there personal section I have no issues with that.

 

I find no value in posting something I experienced years ago from a saved file. I could be accused of just making things up. Providing a link to the post that shows ones experience years ago is a whole lot better.

 

What you do is rare saving your posts in a file. I hope it stays that way to be honest.

Edited January 29, 2016 by Jonesboy

[Zhongyongdaoist]

I am saying that what I share and the effort I put in to researching quotes like many here do should not be so easily deleted. I find it disturbing to have to worry about it being deleted by someone just because they can and that I should have to copy and save my posts.

 

If it is in there personal section I have no issues with that.

 

I find no value in posting something I experienced years ago from a saved file. I could be accused of just making things up. Providing a link to the post that shows ones experience years ago is a whole lot better.

 

What you do is rare saving your posts in a file. I hope it stays that way to be honest.

 

Thanks for the clarification.

[Daeluin]

It is a pretty good point that these forums could disappear at any moment. There are any number of reasons why this could happen. Especially these days with sophisticated hackers and botnets.

 

The future is ever changing and largely unknown for most of us.

 

So much of what has been built up here is based on trust and good will. Look how far it has brought us. I've only been here a short while relative to many of you, and your contributions are part of what drew me to start posting regularly here. And should it disappear tomorrow I will look happily move on with fond memories.

 

In any case, even if a user did go rogue and deleted a slew of posts they were not supposed to, it would be caught and very easily undone. All the removed posts show up in a single place, and all a mod needs do is scroll down the page clicking "Restore." Nothing is deleted.

[Daeluin]

I feel like this thread could use a good dose of this.

[Basher]

Nah, ELECTRIFY THE FENCE.....50,000 Volts should be enough !!

 

(LOL)

[Marblehead]

And I still remember my French whore and I did and still do love her dearly.

[Marblehead]

Now if Wilfred would "Thank You" for my above post I would be tickled pink.

[rex]

In any case, even if a user did go rogue and deleted a slew of posts they were not supposed to, it would be caught and very easily undone. All the removed posts show up in a single place, and all a mod needs do is scroll down the page clicking "Restore." Nothing is deleted.

That's good to know! In that case I withdraw my earlier alarmist comment about a blasé DaoBum Management Team. Cheers!

[rex]

Sorry, just another clarification if possible please. Deleted posts can be easily detected and restored. Is this also the case with rogue editing of other members posts?

[Marblehead]

That's good to know! In that case I withdraw my earlier alarmist comment about a blasé DaoBum Management Team. Cheers!

But isn't what you spoke to only adding more work to the Mods job?

[Brian]

Sorry, just another clarification if possible please. Deleted posts can be easily detected and restored. Is this also the case with rogue editing of other members posts?

No.

[dawei]

Sorry, just another clarification if possible please. Deleted posts can be easily detected and restored. Is this also the case with rogue editing of other members posts?

 

You'd ask staff to unhide it.

[Brian]

You'd ask staff to unhide it.

It seems that ownership of a thread not only permits hiding of but also editing of another's posts, from what I gather. In this scenario, it is not so easy to undo.

 

Of course, adherence to the guiding principles and the spirit of the agreement would make all this unnecessary but...

Edited January 29, 2016 by Brian

[dawei]

It seems that ownership of a thread not only permits hiding of but also editing of another's posts, from what I gather. In this scenario, it is not so easy to undo.

 

I don't believe so on editing... there is a setting for that and it is set to NO.    I'd have to be pointed to a directory which appears to allow that to see if the settings were correct in that area.

 

The only reason we didn't give unhide is that then everyone would see the hidden post.... not so hidden... and it's easy to mix up the toggle and unhide.  So can easily be unhidden by mistake. 

[Brian]

I don't believe so on editing... there is a setting for that and it is set to NO.    I'd have to be pointed to a directory which appears to allow that to see if the settings were correct in that area.

 

The only reason we didn't give unhide is that then everyone would see the hidden post.... not so hidden... and it's easy to mix up the toggle and unhide.  So can easily be unhidden by mistake. 

I never asked for ownership permissions so I have no first-hand knowledge here and was just interpreting (perhaps incorrectly) what I though I heard others saying, and I currently have elevated privileges as Steward+ so I can't establish a safe test-case on my own, but I'd be glad to recruit a couple volunteers and conduct a controlled test if you'd like.

[dawei]

I never asked for ownership permissions so I have no first-hand knowledge here and was just interpreting (perhaps incorrectly) what I though I heard others saying, and I currently have elevated privileges as Steward+ so I can't establish a safe test-case on my own, but I'd be glad to recruit a couple volunteers and conduct a controlled test if you'd like.

 

We have a staff test account for various testing.  We could talk about that in Welcome+... but then I think only a staff would test with it.

[rex]

But isn't what you spoke to only adding more work to the Mods job?

My prime concern here was with the risk of rogue deletion of posts, with the deleted posts being unrecoverable. That they can be recovered is a relief.

 

The mods have the unenviable task of balancing the provision of global editing priviledges with establishing processes to monitor, detect and rectify abuses of those priviledges. The choice is entirely up to them, but if maintaining forum integrity proves too much of an overhead, then perhaps the global editing priviledges should be removed.

 

@Brian/@Dawei - I'm following your exchange on the question of rogue edits, thanks. If rogue edits cannot be detected and rectified by an active monitoring process then this is a big show stopper and really a no brainer - Owners Permissions should be withdrawn.

 

Doesn't the safety and integrity of board members trump the granting of far reaching abusable powers to anyone who cares to request them?

 

edit: Multiple tpyos

Edited January 29, 2016 by rex

[dawei]

My prime concern here was with the risk of rogue deletion of posts, with the deleted posts being unrecoverable. That they can be recovered is a relief.

 

The mods have the unenviable task of balancing the provision of global editing priviledges with establishing processes to monitor, detect and rectify abuses of those priviledges. The choice is entirely up to them, but if maintaining forum integrity proves too much of an overhead, then perhaps the global editing priviledges should be removed.

 

@Brian/@Dawei - I'm following your exchange on the question of rogue edits, thanks. If rogue edits cannot be detected and rectified by an active monitoring process then this is a big show stopper and really a no brainer - Owners Permissions should be withdrawn.

 

Doesn't the safety and integrity of board members trump the granting of far reaching abusable powers to anyone who cares to request them?

 

edit: Multiple tpyos

 

There is no global editing of posts... this has been already answered

 

The only edit ability is to a Title.   An Topic starter is allowed to edit their OWN TITLE.

 

Let's get it clear before we keep yelling fire in a movie theatre:

 

 

You may use your Owner's Permissions ONLY in threads you start.

 

You may hide your own posts;  This is not much different than the fact that you can edit out your own posts anyways.

 

if you use the permissions for anything else, you risk losing the Permissions and even being suspended or banned.

[rex]

There is no global editing of posts... this has been already answered

 

The only edit ability is to a Title.   An Topic starter is allowed to edit their OWN TITLE.

 

Let's get it clear before we keep yelling fire in a movie theatre:

 

 

You may use your Owner's Permissions ONLY in threads you start.

 

You may hide your own posts;  This is not much different than the fact that you can edit out your own posts anyways.

 

if you use the permissions for anything else, you risk losing the Permissions and even being suspended or banned.

 

Thank you for your gracious and patient response to genuine community concerns -  sorry, from your exchange with Brian on edits there didn't appear to be a clear answer.

[dawei]

Thank you for your gracious and patient response to genuine community concerns -  sorry, from your exchange with Brian on edits there didn't appear to be a clear answer.

 

 

I don't believe so on editing... there is a setting for that and it is set to NO.    I'd have to be pointed to a directory which appears to allow that to see if the settings were correct in that area.

 

The only reason we didn't give unhide is that then everyone would see the hidden post.... not so hidden... and it's easy to mix up the toggle and unhide.  So can easily be unhidden by mistake. 

 

I said the setting is set to NO...    maybe this one was overlooked.

[Brian]

I said the setting is set to NO... maybe this one was overlooked.

This has also been tested and verified in back-channels. I either misinterpreted a comment by someone else or that comment was speculative in nature but it is irrelevant because it has been confirmed that members cannot edit the posts of others.

[Marblehead]

I have been tickled pink.

[Starjumper]

Hi, I would like to hide or delete someone's post on a thread I started but can't see how to do it.  It's in the Daoist Discussion forum in case that matters.  Thanks.