Feedback & Announcements > vanishing posts - and editorial possibilities

[Justin]

Lenny, is there possibly some kind of blip on the site?
I've noticed three times lately that messages have vanished - coincidentally or not, each time when the entire message was quoted in a reply (each time by Mr Guest as it happens): the text is there in the reply but the original post is gone.
It doesn't happen whenever anyone does this, as I just tried it (on the Melanie Benjamin thread, where two of the previous blips happened).
Have you any idea how this happens and whether it can be stopped?

[Lenny]

I don't see there's anything wrong with that topic?

Can you specify which posts you are referring to?
Please mention the poster and the date & time of the posting. Or, copy & paste the link behind this image () in the upper left part of the post.

[ornery]

Two of my posts were edited by someone who signs 'Guest'; the first post I wrote he quotes from it, but erased my post. When I posted again to tell him not to do it again, he edited the message, leaving the original and commenting below. My first posts was edited 5 times in total, my second post was edited 1 times in total (none of which by me)

Can you do something about this? It's very annoying to have my posts manipulated like this.

The thread where this happened was this:

viewtopic.php?t=2130&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

[Justin]

I see what's happened.
Last night I came to the site without logging in (my computer usually logs me in automatically, but for some reason it didn't this time), and found to my surprise that I had an 'edit' option on every post by anyone listed as a guest.
In other words - ANY post by ANY guest poster can be edited by ANYBODY else who arrives at the site as a guest - you can discredit the poster by making them say something stupid, or erase a good point so you don't have to answer it, or just mess them around.

And if you had to nominate the one individual here most likely to manipulate the truth and to treat other posters with that kind of contempt...?

This seem a bit of a major loophole - can it be closed? Might it be a good idea only to permit posts by registered users, like most forums do? Or if you don't like this idea, maybe a strong warning on the home page to guest posters that they run the risk of this happening and encouraging them to register? (If they still don't you'd have to say they're kind of asking for it).

[Lenny]

Oh dear... somehow several forum permissions were all messed up! You're right: guests were allowed to edit posts, which should never have been the case.

I have now reset the permissions. Thank you for noticing!

Unfortunately there is no way to know for sure who edited your posts, so I cannot just ban someone because of a suspicion.

[3rdpoliceman]

Oh dear... somehow several forum permissions were all messed up! You're right: guests were allowed to edit posts, which should never have been the case.

I have now reset the permissions. Thank you for noticing!

Unfortunately there is no way to know for sure who edited your posts, so I cannot just ban someone because of a suspicion.

Wouldn't there be some sort of thingy you can get to trace them, like when people trace telephone calls? Or does that not work with stuff such as this?

[Lenny]

IP addresses of people who post a message are logged.
But I cannot retrieve IP addresses of people who have edited an existing post.

Even IP-addressed don't tell the whole story.
For example, I have noticed that ornery and Freelancer sometimes post from the same address. This could mean three things:
- they are actually the same person
- they live in the same house and share a computer
- they use the same public computer, for example at school or an internet cafe

So, no definite conclusions here.

[freelancer]

It may sound strange, but I don't know 'ornery'. I go to the Internet at an inexpensive ciber-cafe where I live, so, that could be the reason.

[Guest]

I too noticed and complained that i could not edit my own post where before I could...
IO also remember trying to edit my OWN post, and somehow the OP got edited, or disappeared as well.

I did not do this on purpose, nor was I trying to change or remove anyone's comments...

It seems that now I am the scapegoat of anything that happens on this forum...

I never intended that my posts be viewed as contentious, excepting in context of the discussion.

But I have been accused of that or worse, while others here think they can say what they want about anyone they don't agree with and don't like.

The really sad thing is that when I post, and very carefully restate what I mean, and reject out of hand, the many accusations flung at me..the more flack i get, and my subsequent comments are almost ignored to the degree that one lady here keeps telling me that I am wrong on some points, and after she spells them out individually, and AGREE with her, and refer to where in my post I agreed, or to show me where I said the things she accuses me of...she doesn't and ignores me complete, restating her original attacks...!!!!

The people on this board should be ashamed of them selves. They use the lowest degree of debating principles, and just like to fling mud..

[Lenny]

Nobody should ever be allowed to edit other people's posts, except for the forum moderators. If you choose to post as a guest, you are not able to edit your own posts either. If you wish to do so, create an account here.

I am not harder on you than on anybody else. I have also warned other posters about their behaviour, not just you.
I have not sanctioned you for editing posts either.

I am here to moderate the forum and to make sure discussions don't take an ugly turn. I cannot tell people to change their arguments or discussion style.