Hi, I went back to edit a post I had written, but the 'edit' option disappeared. I really need to delete a post I wrote, but how do I do this?

[H3rmit]

Click on the little triangle on the bottom left corner of your post. "Report it" with the information that it's your post and you want to delete it.

Your question is a common one. Maybe it should be in the tutorials section. I didn't see it there:

Tutorials & How-To's - Forums at Psych Central

Thanks, I did do that. I wanted to edit out some of it rather than delete the whole post, but the whole thing was deleted (which might be what I asked for but never heard back from anyone).

Sometimes I have an option to 'edit' and sometimes I don't. I went into my profile earlier today, but I don't recall changing my settings to not be able to edit what I write. Does anyone know how do I set up my settings to edit posts myself so that I don't have to chase someone down?

[H3rmit]

Originally Posted by Autumn Skies

Thanks, I did do that. I wanted to edit out some of it rather than delete the whole post, but the whole thing was deleted (which might be what I asked for but never heard back from anyone).

Sometimes I have an option to 'edit' and sometimes I don't. I went into my profile earlier today, but I don't recall changing my settings to not be able to edit what I write. Does anyone know how do I set up my settings to edit posts myself so that I don't have to chase someone down?

After a certain amount of time you can no longer edit your post yourself. That's why the option disappears. After that, you have to use the report button. I guess they'd edit it for you if it's important, like some personal info you didn't mean to reveal, perhaps.

Yikes. I have a mood disorder, which is difficult enough to deal with; the last thing I need is to log on the next day and be startled to see what I had written the night before without being able to change it.

Aside from that, I felt shame about what I had written. I wrote some very personal, intimate information and got no replies but saw so many had viewed it. I know it's anonymous, and might have nothing to do with me, but shame does not know the difference.

I'm sure I am not the only one who views this as a problem. Might be a deal-breaker for me, in terms of being a member of this community. Either that, or I could participate but not write anything personal. Probably not a good feature of the website for some of us with mood disorders.

[mazing]

You have four hours to edit a post before that option disappears, but you can always report the post and have it edited or removed by a moderator. I remember reading somewhere that they implemented that after they had some issues with members coming back and changing posts so that they no longer fit with the threads content etc.

Ah - found it in the FAQ

You can edit your post or delete it for up to 4 hours after posting your entry. After that time, please contact a moderator (by reporting your own post) to have it edited or deleted. Why do we limit your time to edit or delete a post? We have found that, in the past, some people were using this feature to "change history," which resulted in confusion and member upset.

I really hope that you don't leave us. It really is a great community. I'm sorry your post wasn't answered - with the holiday season it has been quite slow around here . Also, with the views that doesn't always accurately reflect that members have read the post. As this is a public, searchable forum it can be guests that have looked as well as search engines etc.

Why do we limit your time to edit or delete a post? We have found that, in the past, some people were using this feature to "change history," which resulted in confusion and member upset.

Thanks, Mazing.

So the whole forum has to lose this feature because a few got upset? What about those upset because they can't edit our posts? I was upset yesterday, my feelings don't matter? The entire forum can't edit posts to appease a few who got upset?

I don't want a back and forth. This is just triggering to me. Thanks anyway for your response. Happy Holidays to you.

[FooZe]

As H3rmit and mazing said, you can edit your own posts for four hours after you submit them. After that, a moderator or administrator would need to do the editing for you. The quickest way to let us know is by reporting the post with the button but you could also PM one of us if you wanted to: Moderators and Administrators.

We'll delete a post (or even a few posts) if you ask us to. If you want a post edited, not just deleted, please tell us the changes you want us to make to it -- preferably exactly what you want the new version to say.