Self editing of answers

[kwicky]

When you post a question most people require a proper answer to their problem. The idea of giving stars to an answer is good but sometimes the replies can be pretty purile or insulting.

Why not give the person who raises a question the ability to remove answers they consider to be in this category?

[gen2]

That would be too open to abuse. There are some perverse individuals on this site who would delight in deleting the sensible replies and keeping the offensive ones.

[kwicky]

But then we have the Editor to delete offensive posts. If you post a decent question you expect reasonable answers.

[Kerplunk]

You have answered your own question kwicky.... We have the editor to delete offensive posts.

Like gen2 says, some people will post daft questions knowing they can then delete people's posts. It would not work.

[Octavius]

Some users could delete the posts that disagree with their views.

See Body & Soul: Corporal Punishment where the user will only give 3 stars to posts that support their views. I suspect � possibly not with Theland but in other places � that mine would be removed.

[brachiopod]

Or, in one of the "Great Muslims / Immigration Debates of Our Time - #'s 1 to 3726" over in News, there are some users who would delete replies that disagreed with their opinion, or replies that actually contained some facts about the issue(s) whilst keeping those that perpetuated hysterical hearsay.

;o)

[brachiopod]

Sorry Octavius - cross-post! But both of us thought of the same danger.

(By the way, If we could remove posts, I'd remove yours, because I thought of it first na-na na-na nah....etc.) ;o)

[Octavius]

brachipod, in days gone by, this was known as propaganda. Now its not propa its just goosey-goosey.

Cross my fingers no returns. Hah!

[kwicky]

But we already have some censorship on questions! I believe if an answer is reported on 2 (or is it 3) times that question is removed. This is far more draconian as all the answers would be removed. For balance we either decide one way or the other!

[honest_joe]

I must admit reading some of the replies to certain questions on AB really turns me off. There is something to be said for moderated sites including the BBC Have Your Say which reaches a world wide audience.
I do prefer the AB site though as it allows unrestricted access. Although it can be a danger for self editing intelligent people would soon see if a post is biased and so I believe is the best way forward. Whether this site has the guts to accept anything they haven't thought of themselves is dubious. ie The topic/sub topic fiasco.

[B00]

still patiently waiting for the 'perverse' people that gen2 mentioned


What? I'm bored!

[Octavius]

Most people think of both �perverse� and �perverted� only in contexts having to do with desire and sexual deviance; but �perverse� properly has the function of signifying �stubborn� or �wrong-headed.�

[kwicky]

Well the previous 2 replies would under my suggestion get deleted. What do they contribute to the question?

[B00]

I know Octavius, I'm not that dim (shurrup!) I was only joking :-(

[Octavius]

Boo, you never cease to dazzle me with your brightness. I didn�t mean to denigrate.

Kwicky, I imagine that if you were systematically deleting responses to your questions eventually you would end up with nobody wishing to contribute to your threads, except those who write deliberate drivel in order to be deleted. Don�t bite the hand that feeds you and all that malarkey.

[BBWCHATT]

I personally enjoy the diversity of answers - even when they don't agree with me, as soon as I am able to accept the possibility that I may not ALWAYS be right:)

[kwicky]

Quite, providing they don't zoom off into outerspace and not related to the question!