I can't tell you how many times I've typed a response, sometimes at great length, only to back-space some and/or, then all of it. I do it so often in fact, that I've on occasion gone looking for a post, wondering where it is then, wondering if I actually posted it.
If the post has been replied to and became part of conversation, then deleting it just ruins the continuity and the whole thread becomes even worse.
Read THIS THREAD and tell me if you understand anything at all. See how deletions make all the good responses by other members become totally useless and incoherent. All the time and effort by good member now deemed worthless since the OP just deleted every question/arguments.
"You know the answers but do you know the questions?" --> this is exactly what happened.
Discretion is the key. Unless it's totally necessary and/or offensive, you should not delete. Even EDIT button should be used conservatively and better let others know what you edited.
While that can be done it is slightly bothersome to have to make sure you quote who ever you are talking to. I think the best thing would be to get rid of the delete button and if you want to delete your post then edit it and delete the content.
I like being able to do what I want, when I want with any of MY posts. I like how off topic posts gives a thread character but the again it also depends on the posts. Unless Mr. Admin thinks it is a problem, just let it be.
Posts should not be deleted. Some guys are masters of that tactic and it makes threads hard to read. If you edit content then make it clear that you did.
^ I’ m always happy. I sometimes say inaccurate, crass or wrong-headed stuff. It’s part of the human condition to be wrong occasionally. But so what? I just don’t see the point in deleting it.
It sometimes leaves me puzzled when I come upon a posting that has been marked as new right in the middle of an old thread, without any sign of what has been edited out of or into that posting. Especially when I remember having read that posting before and can't see anything new about it.
Totally agree with you on controlling our own behavior, but that’s the end of it for me. I’m not gonna get worked up if somebody else wants to take their cracked marbles or sour grapes or whatever and go. That’s what liberty is to me.
PS (in a new post??) - I understood you were writing tongue in cheek at the end . . I was just hoping you’d have some more fun and go along and deleted the post I quoted.
I really dislike forums like that. If I read a thread tomorrow and see that I have typo’s in an earlier post I want to be able to correct it.
Regarding off-topic posts. If someone asks a simple question and 20 people answer it and the 21th person goes a little off-topic to a more interesting subject I rather enjoy that.
When someone purposely gets a thread off-topic with a stupid joke I don’t mind that so much. It is a bit annoying when the next 10 posts are more stupid jokes however. That’s a little disrespectful to the OP in my opinion.