Editing Comments to Show Nothing but a Full Stop
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One for Deepak or Kelsey I think (whoever the developer is).
I've replied to a few people on posts here, only for them to edit their comment to just show a full stop. It then makes my response look completely out of context. Could we stop this and encourage members to think a little bit more about what they are writing on a public forum? A history of edits being available would do the trick.
Thanks.
Hi Dennab I understand what you are saying about people thinking twice before posting. I believe sometimes people may have second thoughts or have realised they have posted personal information etc and as they cannot delete their comment fully all they can do is edit it to leave a full stop. I agree it can make replies look out of context at times.
Dennab I'm not too sure if they could get away with posting a "really out of order" comment then editing it, I would imagine that like most other things on the internet some trace remains of what was said to those having access to it.
Perhaps someone can clarify?
I do know for certain that on Quora the pre-edited version remains in the log - and also on YouTube that there is an indication that a comment or reply has been edited,
On YouTube if a comment is totally deleted (which the commenter can do) then all replies to that comment will be removed too. Perhaps that way, if possible, could be adopted here which would resolve the OP's concern regarding responses being out of context.
Dennab That is a good point about it enabling people to write anything and then be able to edit it. It should be looked into.
Dani1 I can't be certain but think that if a person were to edit out something really against the rules or the law (such as a death threat) then thought better about it and edited it out they wouldn't have destroyed all traces of it, it would, I'm reasonably certain, still be accessible to the site owners.
I suspect a very recent incident (which probably prompted this topic) where someone posted something about pregnancy and was told that they were asking the question in the wrong place, probably just deleted (except for the dot) so as not to disrupt. It is reasonably clear what probably happened. That's a typical case of where complete deletions and responses to the comment, on that thread, might be beneficial.
davidstockport Yes that prompted my post but I've had experiences in the past online where somebody has said something harsh, I have responded with a suitably-worded response but then ended up being the one accused of wrong-doing when my response is suddenly sitting there on its own. That was the concern personally but looking at the bigger picture, making people responsible for everything they write online is important.
Dennab I agree, it is sometimes useful to screen shot any comment that you think might be removed, just in case it's edited. I actually received a death threat recently (which I didn't take too seriously). People doing things like that are usually "not right in the head". The one who did that is so immature (almost childish) he thought that by telling people how clever he is, people would believe him.
Sanitation1234 Hi, it's okay that you have had to edit comments when you've made a mistake. I have too when I've realised spelling mistakes etc. Please don't worry 
davidstockport Hi, that is good to know that the owners have access if needed. I think that is a good idea that if the comment is edited to full stop that the replies are deleted also.
Dani1 It's strange how spelling mistakes are never noticed until seconds after you've pressed the submit button (no harm in editing)
. I feel though that if substantial edits are made it should be mentioned when editing, so as not to make any repliers look foolish.
davidstockport agree I never check my comments until recently until a certain person keeps pointing them out 
Ann1984 But you did ask me to the second time Ann (and the first time was to save you further embarrassment).
davidstockport I did yeah but goes to show people do make honest mistakes before hitting send
Dennab Hi, thank you, I didn't realise. Hopefully the developers will get back to you about it. People should have a level of protection. Have a lovely day.
Sanitation1234 Hi, I do understand that you would want to delete your personal info in comments if you were going to leave the site. I hope that you are feeling much better about being on here now. Hopefully things will improve. Have a beautiful day
davidstockport I probably only notice a small percentage of my mistakes 
That's a good idea about substantial edits
Sanitation1234 Thank you. That's so lovely, have a brilliant time at the party later. Take care and see you tomorrow
Dani1 It is usually more difficult to spot our own mistakes, and we all make them, some more than others
Sanitation1234 You did not do or say anything to annoy or upset me. So stop worrying.
It is those who do annoy or upset me who should worry.
Sanitation1234 Hi, good evening. I'm glad you had a lovely time at the party and hope you can rest up today. Thanks and I hope you have a lovely day too
Hey Dennab 
You were right to tag me in (I focus on the geeky stuff at LD!) and sorry I haven't got back sooner!
I can understand the frustration but I'm not sure we have any plans to prevent a member from editing their posts at the moment. We'd much rather members felt they were in control of their comments and content and could remove/update a comment as they saw fit (especially in the age of data protection and privacy - we wouldn't want to lock people out of being able to remove their own personal details for instance).
Whilst I agree in principal that people should be mindful of LD being a public forum and therefore considerate of what they write, mistakes can understandably happen and I think, on balance, it may be better if people can rectify that?
All that said, we do have a way to internally see recent edits of comments and so you shouldn't have any fears of your comments being taken out of context from a moderation perspective. We able to see what someone originally replied to and take that into account.
We are, as with pretty much everything, open to change though. I feel this is an example where there isn't a clear cut answer and there are pros and cons to whatever approach we take.
As perhaps a compromised approach it may be nice if a comment/post at least publicly stated if it had been edited (and when). Not the details (so personal info etc can safely be removed) but would at least give some indication to people that stuff has changed since a reply? Do people think that might be helpful?
I often edit posts if I notice spelling or grammatical errors after clicking 'post' but would not alter the meaning, context or content as that would obviously make replies appear like gobbledygook.
Thanks for confirming, what I suspected and mentioned, which is that when a comment is edited the original isn't lost to you.
Other than minor edits (spelling usually) I only edit by an addition - which is clearly stated to be an addition.
Lynibis I have said, or implied, virtually the same thing, but adding that if I do wish to add to a comment (something I think about or find out about later) I make it clear it is an addition to the original.
ADDED BY EDIT: I usually put "ADDED BY EDIT" before something that has been added after the original comment was posted. Lynibis
davidstockport yes, it is always favourite when adding something to preface it with 'edit'.
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