I know that it is fine to edit old posts, especially if the edits help e.g. accessibility and readability. But should I do it a lot? @gotube has edited a lot of old posts, but @gotube is a moderator and has been here for around 2 years, so I'm assuming normal users should not edit as much?
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1Moderators are also "normal users" too ;P– Mari-Lou AJul 8, 2022 at 9:14
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2You may want to look through the help center. There's guidance there for almost every privilege a user can earn: ell.stackexchange.com/help/privileges/edit There is also an extensive FAQ on Meta if you need more detail.– ColleenVJul 8, 2022 at 14:12
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1All the editing I do, I do as a regular user, not as a mod. I focus mostly on new questions, but the related questions sidebar can be a dangerous rabbit hole, and I improve questions wherever I see the need. There's a badge for editing posts dormant for more than 6 months, so it's probably not a bad thing.– gotube ModJul 20, 2022 at 4:38
2 Answers
To see if only moderators do the bulk of editing (they do not), view this page
Editors: Ranked by year: @gotube♦ is listed in second position. Admittedly this does not show how many of those edits were performed on old posts but it gives an idea of users' housekeeping efforts.
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1@DialFrost And? Are the edits good? Are they superficial? Are they necessary? I really think that sometimes, you could just ping a mod, especially on chat, and ask them directly. Jul 8, 2022 at 10:32
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2What about mods who edit deleted posts? Hmm? One mod deleted an answer and the mod edited the deletion. Unbelievable.– LambieJul 11, 2022 at 18:01
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@Lambie someone who shortens a deleted but v. long post is not doing anything unethical or nonsensical, it just means users with 10K don't have to keep scrolling down the page. It also means they are not immediately exposed to such a negative post. Why wouldn't you be in favour of that? Jul 11, 2022 at 19:23
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If you're upset about the ban, and I don't blame you, write a letter listing all the torts, be as unbiased and objective about the events leading to the ban and then leave it alone for a week. Come back, revise it, and judge whether a third party who's not immediately involved would agree with you and send it to ell.meta.stackexchange.com/contact. It might reduce the ban, if it was your second. If it's the 3rd, then consider not sending it but writing is cathartic. It's helped me in the past. Jul 11, 2022 at 19:25
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@Mari-LouA The post had been deleted. The post was a personal attack. Now, it's nothing. Now, it has lines through it. If people like you are suspended, there is no hope for me. :) Yes, I contacted them once and they still have not got back to me. Grrgh. Maybe I should write up the details.– LambieJul 11, 2022 at 21:31
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And the mod wrote this: removed text for easier scrolling. That is not true. The entire thing now is only visible if you go back and look at the deleted, crossed out text. BUT, the negative comment from one person is now front and center. It is also defamatory (good thing real names ain't used around here). Did you actually see it? It's just crazy.– LambieJul 11, 2022 at 21:38
I'll quote from another moderator's answer to you last week:
I can't imagine anyone complaining about too many old questions on the front page. . . . This is unlike edits to old posts, which have limited value, so they need to be done in moderation.
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… because finally somebody took the time to answer them This is unlike…. There's a difference between editing for the sake of editing, I refer to edits that do not significantly improve a post and posting an answer to a question that has been unanswered for several years. Jul 10, 2022 at 8:35
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