Users deleting their own posts

[homersboy6]

Apply a time limit to when users can delete their own posts.  Make it long enough for someone to correct mistakes, but short enough that people can't reply, wait for the OP to read it, then delete it.  Some people are doing this so that the thread will not show up in their "unread replies to your posts" list.  It really makes the thread confusing and is quite annoying to open a thread with three posts by a single person, two of them replies to someone unknown.  It's like listening to one side of a phone conversation.  I'd suggest a time limit for deleting posts of 30-60 minutes.

In order to accomodate those that want to keep their "unread replies to your posts" list clear, add a check box in that list to have threads never show up in that list anymore.  This has been suggested in this forum in other threads.

[homersboy6]

Unfortunately, that's not the only reason people delete their posts.  Knowing that posts will live on for all posterity would, in all liklihood, make many people so wary of their words that it would stiffle advice and communication.  I, for one, would actually prefer the other extreme, whereby the deletion of a post also deletes every instance of that post being quoted by other posters (I know, it's not possible, but it'd be cool).  I think we have to ask ourselves what is the bigger harm: that some third-party enters a thread and doesn't understand some piece of advice that was given earlier, or that posters who have helpful advice to give but who don't want their words to linger indefinitely don't bother to post it all.  If the changes suggested by the OP were adopted, I know I would probably never post here again.

If you don't want your words to be read over and over again by anyone, then you would probably be better off using Private Messages.  This is, after all, a publicly accessible message board.

[homersboy6]

Unfortunately, that's not the only reason people delete their posts.  Knowing that posts will live on for all posterity would, in all liklihood, make many people so wary of their words that it would stiffle advice and communication.  I, for one, would actually prefer the other extreme, whereby the deletion of a post also deletes every instance of that post being quoted by other posters (I know, it's not possible, but it'd be cool).  I think we have to ask ourselves what is the bigger harm: that some third-party enters a thread and doesn't understand some piece of advice that was given earlier, or that posters who have helpful advice to give but who don't want their words to linger indefinitely don't bother to post it all.  If the changes suggested by the OP were adopted, I know I would probably never post here again.

If you don't want your words to be read over and over again by anyone, then you would probably be better off using Private Messages.  This is, after all, a publicly accessible message board.

That's a circular argument.  I could just as easily say that if you don't want people deleting their own posts, then you're better off going somewhere else, since this is, after all, a board where that's allowed.  Quite frankly, private messages are just as bad becuase the other user gets to preserve what is written for as long as he/she so desires.  At least when posting in threads, I know that I can delete the original post at any time.  I don't have that control with PMs.

There's nothing to stop anyone from copying what you've written into another post or onto their own computer for later use.  With a PM, only one person can do that.  With a regular post, anyone can do it as long as they do it before you delete your post.

[homersboy6]

...All of that outweighs the minor annoyance of third-parties who missed the post the first time through.   

It does to you, anyway.  I'd be interested to see what others think.  I personally would rather have people be more careful with what they post if they think it might come back to bite them later.  I don't see that this would be an issue with most of the posts that are worth reading.

For what it's worth, I appreciate your posts, and would be sad to see you leave if this recommendation is implemented.  Perhaps a better solution would be to have a time period when you can't delete your posts, say between 1 and 72 hours.  If you screw up, and want to delete it right away, that's fine.  And you can delete it after three days after people have had time to read it and its replies.  Would that be acceptable to you?

[FossilJ]

Co-signing the OP here.

As for Tutti's second suggestion, Tutti, that's basically impossible, unless Andrew codes it himself.


And I doubt he has the patience for that.

[jacy85]

I've been around here for quite a while, and deleting posts/thread is the worst thing that's happened to LSD.  Its lame, and if you don't like your posts being read, then you shouldn't be posting.

It's detrimental to the main purpose of lsd - a source of information and guidence to people going through the process of apply for law school.  I'd perhaps feel differently if the deleting was limited to the off-topic board, but it's not.

[dunson6]

I've been around here for quite a while, and deleting posts/thread is the worst thing that's happened to LSD.  Its lame, and if you don't like your posts being read, then you shouldn't be posting.

It's detrimental to the main purpose of lsd - a source of information and guidence to people going through the process of apply for law school.  I'd perhaps feel differently if the deleting was limited to the off-topic board, but it's not.

Agreed.

[jacy85]

...All of that outweighs the minor annoyance of third-parties who missed the post the first time through.   

Vapid just said goodbye, with a post count of 26 or something.  Quite a few people chimed in, saying goodbye, and thanking them for being so helpful.

New comers will never know how helpful this poster was, though, since they deleted almost every post they made.  It's ridiculous.