Deleting a posted message

[SandyMcKean]

I made a mistake and double posted. I went to the erroneous post (still the last post in the subforum), but could find no way to delete a previously posted message even if it is the last message in the forum. I searched this forum for any details on how this function may have changed but didn't find anything.

What am I missing?

[carbro]

You are missing nothing.

Members cannot delete their own posts, but it's possible to edit them down to something along the lines of "". It may take a little while, but eventually a moderator will find the remnant and delete it.

However, the BEST way to report an unintended double post is to click the little yellow triangle icon directly below it on the right left, which will bring it to the moderators' attention, together with a direct link to the post. You might include a note explaining your request for deletion (e.g., "Double post").

Meanwhile, I'll try to locate the object of your query.

Edited July 19, 2010 by carbro
Correct which side to find "REPORT" icon.

[SandyMcKean]

Thanks carbro.

Didn't the old software allow the deletion the very last post in a forum by the original poster? If not, I must be thinking of some other forum I frequent.

P.S. I see you successfully found and deleted my boo-boo....thanks

[Helene]

We didn't change any of the permissions with the upgrade. The system settings were all ported over as is.

[SandyMcKean]

Helene, just to be perfectly clear, are you saying that in the BT forums one has never been able to delete one's own just posted msgs?

If so, why is that? Such deletion is possible in other forums I participate in, and I've found it very handy. The way I've seen it work is that one can only delete a post if you are the author, and it is the last post in that subforum. If anyone replies, then you can no longer delete your own post.

This is handy because sometimes within minutes, or seconds even, of having posted a message, you think better of it and wish you hadn't posted it. Usually no one else has yet seen the post much less replied to it. The other time I've found it handy is like the other day when I made a mistake and double posted. For that situation (and perhaps some other error) it can be mighty handy to simply delete the mistaken message immediately.

[Helene]

Members have not been allowed to delete their own posts since I've been a member for the last seven years.

There is no option on this software to allow conditional deletes of one's own posts. Either members can or can't, and with unconditional deletes, it is possible to delete a post to which someone already replied, hence the policy.

What we haven't done is turn on the timer which allows people to edit their own posts for a limited amount of time, after which the edit button disappears.

Double posts are an anomaly, but we usually catch them and delete them.