[wp-meta] [Making WordPress.org] #6722: Support Forums: Timeframe to edit posts or to add further posts should be longer

[Making WordPress.org]

#6722: Support Forums: Timeframe to edit posts or to add further posts should be
longer
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 Reporter:  abitofmind      |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  enhancement     |      Status:  reopened
 Priority:  normal          |   Milestone:
Component:  Support Forums  |  Resolution:
 Keywords:                  |
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Comment (by Ipstenu):

 The only real benefit of keeping a post open is that it makes it easier to
 think of where to reply. But that could be solved by a message and a link
 "Hey this post is closed, but if you're having the same issue, click here
 and make your own post!" Give people direction. And bonus you could auto
 link those back, so the new post links back to the original and gives more
 context.

 Cons of allowing unending edits:

 * No email alerts for edits (only new posts/replies -- can be done, but
 would have implications on our email service etc, and we already have
 problems getting blocked for too many emails, like Yahoo...)
 * Not enough existing tracking for what was edited (i.e. we now have to
 code in more saved revisions and address DB size and how to protray them
 -- can be done, but hard and messy)
 * Opens us back up to people editing hateful comments to 'hide' them
 * Lost context -- if people change the 'past' then replies don't always
 make sense (if you've seen those reddit threads "Leave a comment and then
 edit it to make my reply make me seem evil" that's what we DO NOT want)

 Cons of leaving posts open forever:

 * Lack of 'personal' attention. If you reply to MY thread about issue X
 with a similar one, the people helping now have to context switch between
 us or, worse, one of us gets ignored.
 * The speed code at which changes means a month old post can be wildly out
 of date.
 * Longer threads can be hard to narrow down what the problem is, causing
 poor help
 * If the thread gets massively derailed or problematic, more posts have to
 be removed, causing context gaps

 > (Note by me: Expected this on forums which deal with politics etc.
 Rather surprised to read that this is an issue on a tech support forum.
 But yeah, moderators know the dirty reality "behind the curtain")

 This should surprise no one. Hateful people exist everywhere. Today was
 someone spouting homophobic and antisemitic content because _Jetpack stops
 blocking spam when removed._ Seriously. Every community, be it for little
 kids or adults or seniors, will have this. People are people. If you don't
 prepare for it, you're going to get burned.

 If you're only reactionary (as in you only remove the comments when seen)
 then you're absolutely missing a TON of things, and you will lose members
 because they don't want to be around a place that allows that kind of
 thing (witness the exodus of a certain social media site).

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Ticket URL: <https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/6722#comment:7>
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