Just out of curiosity, is someone pulling a Delarla by deleting large number of threads?

The off-topic threads that are deleted are no biggie to me. The thread starter that was putting the info out there knows where the thread needs to go.

But the ones that are deleted that offer any kind of health related information, well, thats a little different.

regarding deleting and editing: I like things the way they are.

Just my 2 cents.....but on ever other forum I have ever been to including the ones I moderate as well as the ones my husband moderates, the only people who can delete entire threads are the moderators and the admin. The only exception is when there is a thread with out a reply. If some one creates a thread they can only delete it if no one else has replied.

I think its unfair that some one can delete an entire thread that they started just because they don't like the response or because what they posted is to personal. This is a public forum ONLINE for goodness sake. You shouldn't post things here that you don't want others to know. I was very shocked to learn here on LBT they allow people to delete their own threads. It's not fair to all the other people who spent time and energy replying.

And besides all that, if LBT is like any of the other forums I moderate no post is ever deleted permanently. The moderators and admins have a whole other section on the forum only available to them. And deleted posts get saved there any way. And not only that, google saves a cache of almost everything that exists in the internet, all you have to do is search and find the cache...which means I can still read the Da Vinici Code thread.....:speechles

For more info on that see this thread.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=5047

I think its unfair that some one can delete an entire thread that they started just because they don't like the response or because what they posted is to personal. This is a public forum ONLINE for goodness sake. You shouldn't post things here that you don't want others to know. I was very shocked to learn here on LBT they allow people to delete their own threads. It's not fair to all the other people who spent time and energy replying.

Well, there are two ways to look at this. People are sharing what is sometimes very personal information. Threads might get started when people are in very vulnerable moods that they think better of later on. We kind of think that it's not too much to give people power over their own threads.

I definitely agree that it's a pain when a thread that was popular gets deleted, but honestly, it's hardly ever been a problem. Most times deletions are just a brief thread the poster has re-thought, or something posted by mistake. Dylansmom deleted all of the threads she started, for some reason, and unfortunately some of them were pretty long.

And besides all that, if LBT is like any of the other forums I moderate no post is ever deleted permanently. The moderators and admins have a whole other section on the forum only available to them. And deleted posts get saved there any way. And not only that, google saves a cache of almost everything that exists in the internet, all you have to do is search and find the cache...which means I can still read the Da Vinici Code thread.

All of this is true.

So how about it? Do y'all think we should change or alter the ability for users to delete threads they started?

Personally, I think anyone should be able to edit a post at any time. If a poster decides to edit their post in such a way as to remove all of their comments, that's up to them, but everyone else's comments are still in tact. Maybe if there is something they really want deleted for a specific reason, they could ask the moderators if they could do it, and then it's at the moderators disgression.

My 2 cents

So how about it? Do y'all think we should change or alter the ability for users to delete threads they started?

maybe we should take a poll.

i vote yes. if the original thread starter wants to delete what THEY wrote then they could edit their post so thats its blank. all the other information that everyone else posts is still there.

maybe we should start a new veggie thread?

I would guess that Kelly deleted her threads because she was hurt. To me, when someone starts a thread they are asking for opinions or answers to their questions. When we post responses we are giving the original poster our input. Once they have the input, they may do with it as they wish. I think that editing and clearing out the original post would only be a partial resolution. There is the Quote option which, if used by someone, would have placed the original post somewhere else in the thread.

Some people are very passionate and have tender feelings. Kelly posted the DaVinci thread in response to her own convictions. I stayed out of the thread because I saw many responses that basically chewed her out and told her she was stupid for her opinion. I personally am proud of her for having the courage to act on the leading that she must have felt. It's never easy to stand up in a crowd of potential opposers and speak out about your conviction. I see nothing "chicken" about her choice to delete the thread and the fact that this thread is aiming more criticism at her is rather sad. It was her thread. She should delete it if she wants without criticism. If those of you who contributed to the thread wish to continue the discussion about the topic, leaving comments about the original poster of the topic out of it, then do so. It's that simple.

I vote to leave things the way they are. If I start a thread that ends up being a source of embarassment and pain for me, I'd like the option to delete it. And for those of you who believe that if you are going to post something controversial, then don't be a crybaby when you get strong replies - well, just remember.. you can post your opinion without attacking the opinion of others and making them feel like crap. The door of responsiblity swings both ways.

Well, we have voted time and time against censorship, and when someone deletes entire threads because they don't like where they were going, they effectively censoring the board.

I sould have every right to remove my content, but I do NOT have the right to delete what other people say. And when someone leaves in a fit if pique, that makes it worse.

No matter what we post, we are contributing to LBT, even if we start a conroversial thread. And when someone removes entire threads, they are doing increadible damage to us all.

I know that Leenerbups put in a lot of work for the veggie thread. Is she going to be inclined to duplicate that effort knowing that someone, one a capricious whim will delete that thread and all her hard work? How many people will put any effort to a large project, say compiling all the mushy recipes, knowing that it will be deleted?

I know that more than once I've been so bloody pissed off and angry because I cannot lose weight that I've been tempted to delete every single post and thread I've started. Would this be fair for me to do the next time I get angry because I'm a failure? Would this be fair for Paula to do, or Alex, or anyone else to do, after they have contributed? How about when Kathy decides to move on that she just delete everything she's contributed? But not just what she's contributed, but what everyone else has contributed as well?

I've put a lot of work and effort into LBT. I take it personally when someone removes entire threads on a whim. Not only have they taken something of value, but they also reduce the level of trust we have here. Why should I bother to spend 30 minutes of my life replying to a thread? Why should I bother to even consider issues worth my time?

why should any of us?

Vines, I think you've made some excellent points and you've changed my mind, at least. I agree that it's perfectly fair for people to delete their own posts, but no posters should be able to delete the work of other people. I think you're right, that by allowing people the ability to delete entire threads they have too much leeway to alter the board as a whole, to the detriment of all the other users.

I never rely on anything online to be permanent. If I want something to be kept for future reference, I copy it and save it on my own system. But I do see your point, Vines. I hadn't thought about, nor did I realize that some threads containing basic helps, recipes, tips, etc were deleted. That puzzles me. What would be the reasoning behind that?

What would be the reasoning behind that?

That's the problem. Only the thread-starter can know why he's moved to delete a thread, and there's nothing to stop deletions that aren't based on anything at all except the starter's whim. And sometimes that whim can really disrupt things for other people in a big way, as we've seen here.

Ok, I debated whether or not to post this because I didn't really want to tell the whole story.

I used to post on LBT under a different name. I was made to feel like a jackass by another member, got my feelings hurt, and deleted everything I ever posted. Then I changed my name and changed my attitude to try to stay away from situations which caused the first problem.

Having gone through the whole deleting thing, I see the need to keep the option open. And I completely agree with Susan that anything you post on the internet should be considered temporary...especially in such a casual environment as a message board.

And I mean no offense by this, but I think the argument that someone is deleting your work product is rather tenuous and pretty self-important. Again, we're talking about the triviality of a message board. I think we tend to get into these LBT wars when we take ourselves a little too seriously.

That being said, if there's a way for the original poster to delete the thread-starting message, but to preserve the replies, that seems like a fair option. And I also dislike the quoting function. It preserves messages I wish could be deleted into posterity.

I just deleted this entire post since I think I forgot how to use the english language temporarly.

I'm now trying again.. I vote to let the person delete and or edit their own post but not remove the entire thread. If others want it deleted they can also remove their parts.... if the moderators want it removed then they have that right.

StrawartS, normally I'd completely agree with your view on the idea of message board postings being "work product" that should be protected in some way. But that was before I realized the potential exists for a user to delete what could be very important reference information or something that someone else really did put a lot of work into, possibly for no good reason. It could be turned even into a tool of spite, come to think of it.

People can delete their own posts now. I'd love to see that ability remain, but the complete deletion of a thread become a function inaccessible to users. Until now I'd never seen the potential for misuse of that function, but now it's obvious to me.

Perhaps there could be a distinction between reference posts and personal posts, one being locked from deletion, the other not. But then you open up a whole new can of worms, and the board feels too regimented.

As legitimate as the concern that important information go missing is, I am more concerned about a user being unable to control her own posts, whether they begin a thread or not. For instance, one of the other reasons I deleted my old self was that I googled my real name and came upon my LBT posts. Not everyone has the foresight to maintain anonymity from the beginning. And not everyone needs anonymity in the beginning.

As valuable as some threads are, most of them are duplicated. Yeah, it's annoying when someone deletes an important thread, but the world doesn't end, the board doesn't die, and someone usually picks it right back up. I would hate to lose the autonomy of each user on this board because someone is upset about a deleted recipe collection.

I have been following this thread with interest... and I have to say that I think a poster should be able to delete their own posts, but NOT the entire thread. I think it was very sad to lose the Scar Stages thread. All those pictures deleted, pages and pages. How many hundreds (thousands) of people viewed those pics to get an idea of what to expect? I know I did. That was a loss of valuable pics/information compiled for months or years.