[Suggestion] Delete/modify posts in own threads

[Nelsaidi]

I know of quite a few sites that will host phpbb forums, and most of them don't allow mods.

And all of them are modded by the hosts, basing features in phpBB based on free forum hosts is an awful idea imo.

I am a member of a forum whose sole purpose is to facilitate games of Werewolf/Mafia (whatever you want to call it). As such, there is a Game Moderator for each thread in the Game Forums. I am on the Tech team at that board and have created custom code to allow topic authors to edit and delete all posts made in their own threads in the specified forums. The modification was actually fairly simple and I may consider releasing it as a MOD in the future. However, that is what I think it should be left as. Because the boards that would make use of this are few and far between, I don't see it as an essential feature in the core of phpBB.

Totally agree with this, whilst some boards this is useful to for a lot it isnt, and mind you having such a feature would encourage admins to try it when they dont need it :/ (it happens, just as users spam every new bbcode you install for a few days, many admins love playing with new features) - Its available as a mod, and if not, why hasnt someone made it? Should remain as a mod, vanilla is for everyone, mods are extras for those that want them and not all need.

[shentino]

I know of quite a few sites that will host phpbb forums, and most of them don't allow mods.

And all of them are modded by the hosts, basing features in phpBB based on free forum hosts is an awful idea imo.

I'm afraid you've misunderstood, I didn't say that I was suggesting this feature just because it's a mod on free hosts.

I am a member of a forum whose sole purpose is to facilitate games of Werewolf/Mafia (whatever you want to call it). As such, there is a Game Moderator for each thread in the Game Forums. I am on the Tech team at that board and have created custom code to allow topic authors to edit and delete all posts made in their own threads in the specified forums. The modification was actually fairly simple and I may consider releasing it as a MOD in the future. However, that is what I think it should be left as. Because the boards that would make use of this are few and far between, I don't see it as an essential feature in the core of phpBB.

Totally agree with this, whilst some boards this is useful to for a lot it isnt, and mind you having such a feature would encourage admins to try it when they dont need it :/ (it happens, just as users spam every new bbcode you install for a few days, many admins love playing with new features) - Its available as a mod, and if not, why hasnt someone made it? Should remain as a mod, vanilla is for everyone, mods are extras for those that want them and not all need.

Any feature can be abused, to be honest. That's an inherent part of being an admin...sitting in the hot seat having every button in front of you.

Mainly I was suggesting it because of its usefulness in RP/auction type boards, and because it's already a feature of SMF and vB. RP boards in particular are a sizable segment of use cases for phpBB.

Speaking of mods though, if it does exist as a mod I haven't yet found it.

My preference for a mod would have it be a custom permission that fit right in with the standard ones that could be toggled yes/no/never in the ACP along with editing/deleting ones post/thread. Maximum flexibility.

[Nelsaidi]

If no one has made it as a mod, what does that say about how much its wanted?

[shentino]

There's no need to be snarky.

[A_Jelly_Doughnut]

And there's no reason to lock the topic because you don't like how the discussion is going.

+1 for EXreaction, by the way.

[DavidIQ]

+2

[shentino]

whoops, sorry about that.

Clicked the wrong checkbox.

Anyway, good points have been made all around. I agree that soft deletion/edit logs would make this more attractive.

Incidentally, however, this thread getting unlocked demonstrates exactly the sort of thing that can mitigate abuse of this feature...namely, moderator supervision to prevent abuse.

This feature is mostly geared towards RP/auction type subforums so that GMs/sellers can moderate their own campaigns and/or auctions without having to pester the staff members, though I can imagine there are other use cases as well...I just haven't thought of them yet.

Anyway, the following screen is where I'd foresee it being implemented...somewhere. Probably either here or under user posting permissions:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/Sh ... enshot.png
or
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/Sh ... shot-2.png

Making it optional for both permissions would be the best way.

At any rate I have to ask a couple questions

1) Is this feature useful?
2) Is this feature hazardous?

For 1, I would say yes. Member-GM run RP forums would be the canonical bread and butter use case, and there are others.
For 2, I would say no, since having it be a toggle would put it under the control of the permissions admin, who is already responsible as an admin. Plus, abuse can be moderated, just as it was yesterday in this very thread.

As a feature that is both useful and harmless (properly managed, as with all features), it should at least be made into a mod. If nothing else it'd be the most compartmentalized way to bugshoot and refine it for if and when it becomes worthy of mainline inclusion, which I'd happily code myself if only I knew php.

[A_Jelly_Doughnut]

1) Is this feature useful?
2) Is this feature hazardous?

For 1, I would say yes. Member-GM run RP forums would be the canonical bread and butter use case, and there are others.
For 2, I would say no, since having it be a toggle would put it under the control of the permissions admin, who is already responsible as an admin. Plus, abuse can be moderated, just as it was yesterday in this very thread.

Unlocking a topic is trivial. However, reverting an edit to a post is not revertible unless the board admin is taking backups of post contents like every minute. This is why I think it would go with a post revision system. (there are other reasons for such a system)

[shentino]

A post revision system to defend against abuse of topic curator, I could get behind that.

[EddieBytes]

This feature is useful all the times, not just for RP/auction/whatever forums.
I hate starting threads then people go completely off topic and there's nothing I can do to moderate my own thread. It's just silly. A feature like this could clean up all the mess in threads in general.
Arguments about abuses are just trolling or excuses to be honest, solutions to those problems exist as has been explained by some fellow users above.

I strongly believe the place for this feature is in the forum's core engine, not some mod. Think about it.

+1