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!

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

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.

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, [mention=6]Cory[/mention] - 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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

well, then you can have a user go on a mass deleting spree if they become rogue/disappointed. It’s not a good idea if you have staff members in place. Members shouldn’t be able to delete content as that’s a duty reserved for staff members. Editing posts is a function that should be enabled with a time frame depending on the board.

 

However, deleting content is not a member’s right. It is apart of a forum’s terms and conditions.

I think it also kind of depends on the content focus of the forum. In a creative writing platform like, Prismatica, deletion would cause a nasty mess, as it would completely disrupt the flow of the story being crafted. So I disallow deletions for a majority of my boards. However, members have the Right to petition a Moderator or other Staff Member to delete posts--this provides Value given to a class of members, Staff. I do allow my members to edit their posts. And reflecting more on this, I find it uncomfortable when I see a post has been deleted. Maybe it's the cat in me that wonders "I wonder what was said?"

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

So, if they post an image that is copyright protected and the owner comes after you and demand payment, should you be the one who pays?

 

Effectively, you're responsible because as you said, the content is owned by the forum after it's posted.

 

How does your terms or rules define this?

 

I think you're right about it and wrong at the same time.

 

I don't think members should have the right to create a topic that abuses another member and then delete it to try to hide their abuse. Giving the ability to permanently delete content is asking for abuse and spam.

 

However, I think a soft delete or if the content is deleted but instead moved to a private staff-only section - could be the answer to this. That way the previous content can be vetted to see if abuse or spam had occurred and if the OP needs action taken against them for the deleted content.

 

I just think we need to be careful about saying the content belongs to the forum.