Ethics Should members have the right to delete their post?

[Cedric]

When someone posts on a forum, should they have the ability to delete their post later, or should it stay up as part of the discussion?

Giving members control over their own content seems fair - they might want to remove something they regret posting or that’s no longer relevant. On the other hand, if people delete posts freely, it can disrupt conversations, leave gaps in discussions, and even cause confusion.

Some forums allow deletions within a time limit, while others require staff approval. What’s the best approach? Should members always have the right to delete their posts, or should there be restrictions?

Feel free to share your thoughts!

 

[Bawse]

No. Once content is published, it's owned by the forum.

 

[Cory]

I think a staff member should approve whether a post is deleted. Some members could get upset with a (staff) member and go on a mass deletion spree. It seems like the system could be abused in different fashions.

 

[Phillip]

I think a staff member should approve whether a post is deleted. Some members could get upset with a (staff) member and go on a mass deletion spree. It seems like the system could be abused in different fashions.

Totally agree with this, @Cory - Most of the content on my own site...I let them freely do it as it's a general discussion...but I keep the spam off of it, I watch from head to toe on the site when it comes to spam...but when members abuse that freedom it goes away quickly. So I am also thinking on how can someone limit their own posting to a point of being like 50 posts (to say)...a day or how well does the site react to that posting and threads coming in on it? Deleting completely and removing or deleting from view...which one should be taken?

 

[Ravenfreak]

I usually don't allow members to delete their posts, if they want a thread or post deleted they just report the post and I delete it myself. I'm afraid members might abuse the delete button if they're allowed to delete their own posts.

 

[Cpvr]

I don’t allow members to delete posts, but if they report the topic and/or posts, they can report it.

I do have a high edit time limit as I feel that it’s a good idea to allow members to edit their posts in the short term and long term, especially if they’d like to add something to an older topic or newer one.

 

[Scorpion (Girl)]

I think members should have the right to delete their posts, but with some rules. Letting them delete helps them keep control of what they share. Still, having a time limit for deletions can help keep discussions clear.

 

[fdk]

I wouldn't allow members unrestricted ability to delete their own posts, just because it's too easy for a member with a grudge or who is unhappy about something to go on a mass deletion spree and break up threads and conversations. What I've done on past forums is allow members to delete their post for a certain amount of time after posting (probably something like upto 12 hours after posting) in case they change their mind. On a case by case basis, I'd consider requests either via the report system or email to remove specific posts/threads, but it was a rare occurrence.

On occasions where members did get in contact asking for all of their posted content to be deleted, I reminded them that as part of the Terms of Service they agreed to upon registering, they agreed to give an irrevocable license for the content to be used by the forum.

Legally, you are required (at least in the UK/EU) to remove a member's private data upon their request, but this can be done via "scrubbing" the account via the admin panel and I believe some forum softwares now even offer this as a sort of "built-in" admin function.