Edit existing messages on this forum

[i5963c]

I wonder whether it is possible to edit a message that was previously posted on this forum (of course one of my own messages)?

I've noticed that some messages appear to be edited afterwards, but I can't find how to do this.

 

[markw]

In the top right corner of your posts is an ellipsis “more” icon, click on that and choose Edit to make changes to your posts.
When done with your edits, click the Save, or Cancel button, at the bottom of the Edit window.

[walt.farrell]

However, there may be limits on which users can edit their posts, and a time limit on when they can make edits, to reduce spam.

[i5963c]

@markw, @walt.farrell,

Thanks for your replies.

I never saw this 'Edit' option, even when I looked in the '...'-menu (I can confirm that I looked already at this place before!). When checking with my most recent message (i.e. the one above), I finally discovered it.

Verifying this feature for my previous messages, it is never available. Most likely, this indicates that the Edit option had already expired when I tried to do so, also in the past.

Frankly, I don't understand why there is a time limit on the availability of this 'Edit' feature. I have also no clue how this would relate to spam. Spam avoidance looks like an easy excuse to limit the usability of the forum...

Is there a possibility to extend this expiration period?

[walt.farrell]

54 minutes ago, i5963c said:

Spam avoidance looks like an easy excuse to limit the usability of the forum...

Experience has shown that there are a lot of spammers out there, and also that they often make harmless posts, and then sometime later they return and edit their posts to add the spam content. I think the approach that Serif has taken in implementing this function is a good compromise.

I don't know all the parameters of the protection they have setup, but with some of the protections the restrictions are eased over time, based on the length of time a user has been registered and the number of posts they have made. 

[Patrick Connor]

4 hours ago, i5963c said:

Frankly, I don't understand why there is a time limit on the availability of this 'Edit' feature.

You can edit posts for up to 7 days. Spammers were coming and making a series of innocuous posts and then coming back a long time later and editing spam SEO links into them, effectively vandalising the forums invisibly. Most forum threads are read for up to a week and so SEO links added in that short time are normally spotted and flagged for removal.

Once you have posted 500 times you get this restriction on edits removed and can again edit all posts, perhaps that could be dropped to 200 or so, but I am loathe to drop it much further. 

How long a time do you suggest is reasonable to want to change what was posted? Currently this place has very little spam (moderators and staff are doing a great job of making it look effortless, but it is not) I think the forums would be spoiled if we did not take these precautions.

[MikeTO]

2 hours ago, Patrick Connor said:

How long a time do you suggest is reasonable to want to change what was posted? Currently this place has very little spam (moderators and staff are doing a great job of making it look effortless, but it is not) I think the forums would be spoiled if we did not take these precautions.

When I edit one of my posts in this forum or anywhere else online, it's typically immediately after posting because I made a mistake or realize I could have phrased it better. Sometimes later in the day it will occur to me that I left out important information but in that case I would prefer to reply rather than edit because doing so means others will be more likely to see it if they've already seen my original post.

[Pšenda]

36 minutes ago, MikeTO said:

because doing so means others will be more likely to see it if they've already seen my original post.

The forum allows you to view information that the post has been edited, but unfortunately it is not set by default (in my opinion it should be). And if the post is edited again, the already set editing flag is dropped, and must be set again - an annoying (and reported) bug in the forum.

[walt.farrell]

3 minutes ago, Pšenda said:

The forum allows you to view information that the post has been edited, but unfortunately it is not set by default (in my opinion it should be). And if the post is edited again, the already set editing flag is dropped, and must be set again - an annoying (and reported) bug in the forum.

Good points. But even if they were resolved, how would someone know that they should look at that topic again if there have not been new posts in it? And if someone else has posted in the topic, after the edited post, how many people will scroll up to see if anything they'd already read had been edited.

If you make an important change, it's best to make a new post, as that handles both of those problems.