Comment about double posting

[Nightblade50]

So...
Double posting is not allowed on this forum. We have to instead edit our original post.
That makes sense.
But!
If somebody sees the new message due to an alert, then they will not know if the other person might edit their original post. If they do edit it, then it will not appear on a red alert.
Many messages will go unanswered for long periods of time because of this.
Maybe not even ever be answered.
So what I say is this:
I think that alerts should show edits to posts as well. Because if not, well, many messages will go unanswered.
Does anybody else have this problem and agree with me?

 

[HexMozart88]

Yeah, but I can understand why they keep that rule. I think maybe if it can be changed so that alerts are given for edited posts, that would be good.

 

[Nightblade50]

Yeah, but I can understand why they keep that rule. I think maybe if it can be changed so that alerts are given for edited posts, that would be good.

Yes I totally agree.

 

[Puruiro]

That's nice idea, but wouldnt it be annoying to get alarms for everytime the poster edits the post to fix his typos? Maybe a way to turn on or off alarm notification in the edit box, like DeviantArt does, where when you edit your journals/description you can check a box, wrether to notify the followers with the updated post or not.

 

[Nightblade50]

That's nice idea, but wouldnt it be annoying to get alarms for everytime the poster edits the post to fix his typos? Maybe a way to turn on or off alarm notification in the edit box, like DeviantArt does, where when you edit your journals/description you can check a box, wrether to notify the followers with the updated post or not.

Oh yeah that would cause problems but yeah, I think your idea sounds great!

 

[McTricky]

I feel like this is why the "Read First Unread Post" function exists.

 

[Silenity]

I know some forums will auto merge double posts. But maybe its to prevent post farming for access to some boards? idunno

 

[Harrumi]

I believe that if you want to post again after no one has posted you have to wait 3 days

 

[Shaz]

I'd just like people to not edit their original message after someone else has replied, but to make a new post in the thread instead. There have been a number of times I've been helping in a thread and asked for further information, only to have nothing for a few days, and then someone upset that I didn't help them. They had edited their original post with the info I asked for, instead of posting after me. I don't want to have to re-read posts I've already read to see if there's new info, even if it's made more convenient by getting a notification. I'd rather they just posted after me so it shows up as new.

 

[Wavelength]

The problem with double-posting is that it's disruptive to the "flow" of boards - it makes it easy for people to keep bumping their topics at the cost of burying other topics, and increases the vertical length of the thread unnecessarily.

Most of the time, when people add to their own post via edits, they do so just a couple minutes after their original post - which means that people who check the thread out via "red alert" will probably see the edit as well when they check it out, for example, an hour later.

If you do have a legitimate reason for double-posting, like you're making an addition 19 hours later that significantly alters the nature of your original response, and you worry that an edit will be either confusing or too subtle for the important nature of your new post, then I recommend adding a quick note to the mods at the top of your post noting that you're aware you're double-posting, and briefly explaining why you feel it's important that you do so in this instance. You should not need to do this a lot - I think I've done so 3 times in 3,100 posts - but when I have, the mods have been very understanding and have allowed it without written "please don't double post!" warnings.

 

[Poryg]

@Wavelength That's actually a great compromise. In a czech rm forum we had no reports, so we had to apologize for double posts in posts.
Once I had to apologize there for a quadruple post, because I couldn't post more than 2 image links per post and had 8 images.

Anyway, I agree. Double post rules are necessary. And oftentimes you can at least send a PM to an OP in case of for example a fixed bug in a plugin or stuff.
And when you NEED to break the rules, just explain yourself. It's not like stones get thrown here for breaking the rules, I've broken so many of them that I would have been banned twice if that was the case (Although interestingly enough, I've never double posted here). And people missing an important alert is a legitimate reason.

 

[LTN Games]

A real simple solution is to get the Xenforo Auto Double Post merge add-on. Basically if the user created a new message after their previous message they Auto merge into one post and notifications still work.
I used to be a mod over at another RPG Maker website and it helped a lot.

Add-on
https://xenforo.com/community/resources/auto-merge-double-posts.6028/

 

[mlogan]

@LTN Games Does this allow exceptions? I mean, we do allow bumping here after a certain period of time (24 hours or 72 hours, depending on the forum here). And I would hate for say, someone to add new content to their game dev topic or resource topic and it automatically merge it.

 

[LTN Games]

We had this problem come up, where a resource or development thread was Auto merging when it was not necessary for those kinds of topics.
From what I understand is you have an option to allow posts to no longer merge after a set time. I was only a moderator so I don't know the details of the add-on but we did have a solution that allowed resource topics to not Auto merge.

 

[Nightblade50]

I'd just like people to not edit their original message after someone else has replied, but to make a new post in the thread instead. There have been a number of times I've been helping in a thread and asked for further information, only to have nothing for a few days, and then someone upset that I didn't help them. They had edited their original post with the info I asked for, instead of posting after me. I don't want to have to re-read posts I've already read to see if there's new info, even if it's made more convenient by getting a notification. I'd rather they just posted after me so it shows up as new.

Something happened to me once recently. So, I was looking at someone's free music resource shop. After some discussion, he told me, "okay I'm making your track now!" I gave that post a like. Then sometime later he has something else to say. Since double posting is not allowed, and since I did not actually put another message in, he edited his original post. I didn't see it for quite a while...so what about that?

 

[Llareian]

If it's been 72 hours or more, you should always make a new post (in my opinion). Double-posting is allowed in those cases.

I'm not sure how I feel about having posts auto-merge. That's sort of like having a toaster that pops your toast back up right away when you push it down a second time...does the system really know better than me what I want to do? Sometimes, maybe...but not all the time.

If the forum software can separate the idea of bumping a thread to the top from notifying anyone watching the thread, then I'd agree with your original post...but this seems like a pretty big distinction for the software. Otherwise you're just going to have people spamming the Edit/Notify option the same way they do with double-posting to keep their thread at the top.

 

[Nightblade50]

If it's been 72 hours or more, you should always make a new post (in my opinion). Double-posting is allowed in those cases.

Yeah, but what if it has not been 72 hours, like my example just a bit above?

If the forum software can separate the idea of bumping a thread to the top from notifying anyone watching the thread, then I'd agree with your original post...but this seems like a pretty big distinction for the software. Otherwise you're just going to have people spamming the Edit/Notify option the same way they do with double-posting to keep their thread at the top.

All of the ideas go against each other xD

 

[mlogan]

Something happened to me once recently. So, I was looking at someone's free music resource shop. After some discussion, he told me, "okay I'm making your track now!" I gave that post a like. Then sometime later he has something else to say. Since double posting is not allowed, and since I did not actually put another message in, he edited his original post. I didn't see it for quite a while...so what about that?

See, I feel like this is where a bit of personal responsibility comes in. If it's that important to you, check back and see if there is any new information. You can follow threads so they are easier to check back on. You can also use the "Your Content" feature to find things you've commented on, as well as going to your profile page and looking at "Postings".

The only way I could feasibly see notifications for post edits to work is if you could follow individual posts - not just a thread. And I don't see that happening. Perhaps I'm wrong and there is some forum software addition that could do it. I dunno.

 

[GrandmaDeb]

Great scott, @Shaz , I had no idea this was you!

I encounter these problems quite a bit, but I do not see any better solutions than what I do already.

When I am gathering resources and things to help someone, I start with one link and add on as I go, editing my post. I usually ask them to check back for more and refresh, but *shrugs* there is only so much you can do.

You cannot always help that someone is posting while you are editing. I am sloooow in the keyboard and I talk a looooooot. So, overlap problems occur. =]

I agree, Shaz, that if someone is being helped, it is totally on them to monitor the thread and see if there are replies and ensure that any updates to the op are noted. It just doesn't always happen that way without effort.

In the case of your request, @Thomas Smith , a PM would work, of course. I wonder if that would be an exception similar to the resource board for allowing double posts when resources are added.

Nonetheless, doubleposts do not bother the devil out of me, but they do get awfully messy, and newbies spawn them like little rabbit babies. =D

I'd just like people to not edit their original message after someone else has replied, but to make a new post in the thread instead. There have been a number of times I've been helping in a thread and asked for further information, only to have nothing for a few days, and then someone upset that I didn't help them. They had edited their original post with the info I asked for, instead of posting after me. I don't want to have to re-read posts I've already read to see if there's new info, even if it's made more convenient by getting a notification. I'd rather they just posted after me so it shows up as new.

Something happened to me once recently. So, I was looking at someone's free music resource shop. After some discussion, he told me, "okay I'm making your track now!" I gave that post a like. Then sometime later he has something else to say. Since double posting is not allowed, and since I did not actually put another message in, he edited his original post. I didn't see it for quite a while...so what about that?

 

[Nightblade50]

See, I feel like this is where a bit of personal responsibility comes in. If it's that important to you, check back and see if there is any new information. You can follow threads so they are easier to check back on. You can also use the "Your Content" feature to find things you've commented on, as well as going to your profile page and looking at "Postings".

The only way I could feasibly see notifications for post edits to work is if you could follow individual posts - not just a thread. And I don't see that happening. Perhaps I'm wrong and there is some forum software addition that could do it. I dunno.

Yeah that makes sense.