Edit forum posts for a year

[+howarthe]

I don't like the 24-hour limit on editing forum posts. I want to be able to edit them forever, but if there must be a limit, I would propose a year. The reason is because I just started a thread in the Northwest called Caching Across Oregon. As people volunteer to maintain a cache in each county, I update the lead post in the thread to reflect which counties still need volunteers. I've participated in other forums like this. As it is, I need to copy and paste the list, so I lose all my links, and people reading the thread have to scroll through to find the current list - much less useful.

[+The A-Team]

I don't like the 24-hour limit on editing forum posts. I want to be able to edit them forever, but if there must be a limit, I would propose a year. The reason is because I just started a thread in the Northwest called Caching Across Oregon. As people volunteer to maintain a cache in each county, I update the lead post in the thread to reflect which counties still need volunteers. I've participated in other forums like this. As it is, I need to copy and paste the list, so I lose all my links, and people reading the thread have to scroll through to find the current list - much less useful.

As a workaround, why not post your list somewhere else? There are many places online that will allow you to make your own website for free. Heck, you could even just use a spreadsheet on Google Docs.

[+niraD]

If people wouldn't use the edit feature to remove their posts (rendering the thread incomprehensible) or to "rewrite history" by replacing their original posts with something completely different (ditto), then there wouldn't be a need to limit how long posts can be edited. Or at least, there would be less need to limit how long posts can be edited.

 

Also, many forum systems don't notify users when content that they've already read has been updated, while they do notify users of new content. Thus, from a usability perspective, it makes sense to encourage posting new content rather than revising existing content.

Edited August 1, 2013 by niraD

[AZcachemeister]

If these forums parameters are not performing the function(s) you want them to, perhaps these forums are not the best way to do what you want to do?

 

Not to be unsympathetic, but the forums are what they are...expecting changes to be made solely to suit your needs is unreasonable.

[Keystone]

Your content, and other similar forum threads like the list of geotrails with rewards, would be better suited to a wiki page, Google docs, or any of a number of other editable places. Forums are for conversations, questions and answers, and debate. If you want to feature a reference source, start a thread with a link to a permissible separate site.

 

Veterans of this forum will well remember miscreants who changed posts long after the fact in very inappropriate ways, people who got mad at the responses to their angst and edited their prior content, etc. We still see this, but the behavior is confined to a 24 hour period.

 

24 hours is sufficient time to edit out typos, add a link you forgot when you posted, correcting a name you misremembered, etc. These are legit purposes for editing in a forum.

[+Bigmada]

Use Google docs and post the link to it would be the best way and less of a headache on your end.