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PM Guide to editing nodes.

by cheako (Beadle)
on Mar 09, 2015 at 20:39 UTC ( [id://1119392]=monkdiscuss: print w/replies, xml ) Need Help??

Keywords: node editing edit modify posts

I must admit that I assumed the Edit feature was a free for all, add-in. It's a nice feature that I alone consider to be a way to ensure that years from now every node contains concise and to the point useful information about "Perl". The Node's history will be of no consequence to anyone looking to solve the same problem later.

IMHO if you want historical information on a node's past edits, there should be a feature for that like on Wikipedia. A separate tab were all the changes can be laid out in chronological order and even a comment on why the change was made. However I do understand that short term knowledge on how a node evolves is essential or at least I can make myself believe this is important and, more importantly, understand the it's important to others.

I looked for such a guide as this thread should evolve to be and didn't find it after 30 seconds, hopefully this thread will be now be in the "I'm feeling lucky" range. As such I do not yet know how to properly format an edit, nothing listed in the obvious place that should list, reference(this node) or contain anything and everything related to formatting a node's content, but currently does not even contain the words edit or modify.

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: PM Guide to editing nodes.
by ww (Archbishop) on Mar 09, 2015 at 20:57 UTC

    This is why we encourage people to mark their edits -- like this

    EDIT (or UPDATE, etc): (concise summary of the change)

    in the edited node and to use strikeout if they wish to disclaim something previously posted.

    No downvote for this suggestion but I do (and you're encouraged to) consider the changed node for restoration of the original content if it's been deleted ... and I also do, at least occasionally, downvote a node when I know it's been substantially changed without a note making mention of the edit.

Re: PM Guide to editing nodes.
by Anonymous Monk on Mar 09, 2015 at 22:15 UTC

      Unlike chacham, I admire the post I am referring to: It looks pretty nice when viewed from afar!

      However, it would be perfect if it also linked to the one (FAQ or otherwise) post that dealt with editing and would answer the OP's posting in a really concise way... not finding anything better one atm, that has already been done in the first reply by ww.

      Cheers, Sören

      Créateur des bugs mobiles - let loose once, run everywhere.
      (hooked on the Perl Programming language)

      Posting it in such large letters, similar to ALL CAPS, is somewhat offensive, and possibly less likely the person will read it. And you know this, which is why you posted it "anonymously." Are you really trying to help, or are you just letting off steam at the OPs expense?

        Posting it in such large letters, similar to ALL CAPS, is somewhat offensive, and possibly less likely the person will read it.

        Well, many people don't notice links like this when they're all the regular font size

        The FAQ is linked in a nodelet, but this very easily missed

        I explicitly gave the OP the link before (Re^2: PM Leveling Guide.), and OP didn't notice it,

        so now its in big letters, easy to see, hard to miss, in big letters on purpose, for emphasis, because its easy to check the FAQ before ... thats why FAQ is there to be searched

        Its easy to level up if you read the FAQ -- replaying the FAQ is bound to backfire

        And you know this, which is why you posted it "anonymously." Are you really trying to help, or are you just letting off steam at the OPs expense?

        Hmm, I wouldn't worry so much about gamers trying to level up, I'd worry more about antiquated time keeping devices :p

Re: PM Guide to editing nodes.
by Anonymous Monk on Mar 09, 2015 at 21:21 UTC
    The Node's history will be of no consequence to anyone looking to solve the same problem later.

    Sure, but the thread's consistency is important. Newcomers often make the mistake of updating their nodes in a way that makes the replies confusing, and it's ok to get it wrong once or twice until it is pointed out. You've already been given a link to "It is uncool to update a node in a way that renders replies confusing or meaningless" in How do I change/delete my post?, which describes the reasoning in detail.

      I only really understood that ppl were angry at me, never a happy or worm feeling. Till just now I was thinking that if there was something massively wrong with editing ports or that if historical changes to the nodes were important that this was an issue for the Gods. They could either not have an edit feature or have a past history archival feature.

      It never accrued to me that the new content I was posting was the issue. Am I wrong in thinking these are two unrelated actions? One has to do with writing content and the other has nothing to do with putting pen to pepper. Ppl didn't like my posts, but instead what was brought to my attention as the issue was that I had changed my ports.

      Am I making sense? It doesn't seem like I'm able to get what I'm trying to communicate across. "He used the edit feature." VS "He typed something I didn't think he should have."

      Edit:
      My dyslexia is more in control of what I'm writing today than I am.

        Don’t feel bad. I got snapped back and I think temporarily blocked from posting anything early in my time here for too many (silent) edits to a post that was in play.

        They could either not have an edit feature or have a past history archival feature.

        With great power comes great responsibility.

        "He used the edit feature." VS "He typed something I didn't think he should have."

        Just using the edit feature is not the problem, and the first few ninja edits are excusable. It's more like "He used the edit feature in an attempt to trick the people and getting him more upvotes" (as you did here) that I would guess people have an issue with, and as such it's probably counterproductive to your stated goal of gaining XP as quickly as possible. If you want to do that, just be helpful and post fact-checked answers to questions!

        A reply falls below the community's threshold of quality. You may see it by logging in.
Re: PM Guide to editing nodes.
by sundialsvc4 (Abbot) on Mar 11, 2015 at 02:25 UTC

    Personally, I don’t want to see the edits that were made to a post:   this is not a version-control system.   However, it should be stressed (and, it is ...) that a completed thread lives on as a source of future knowledge that will be re-discovered each time it is Super Searched.   Therefore, consider what the Gentle Reader™ will see at that time.   Try to leave the thread as informative as you reasonably can, for someone who will encounter it for the first time (and will be able to read it, start to finish), many years in the future.

    For instance, don’t remove the original question ... even if you’re embarrassed by it now.   Instead, <strike>strike out the misleading or incorrect bits</strike>, and add a summary explanation.   When you discover/fix the problem, add a short summary post that’s more informative and useful than just “Sorry I fixed it thanks,” and consider also adding a short note to the original-post.

    IMHO,™ even though a site like PerlMonks is “a mostly-fun substitute for The Water Cooler,” its real purpose and business-value is as an information archive, which today contains a rather vast number of posts.   Every thread adds to that knowledge-base.   Therefore:   “Please do your part.   Your Gentle Reader™ will someday thank you.”   (Even if you have (oops!) been smooshed by a bread-truck by that time . . .)

      I’m on the fence about this…

      I have given a lot of advice here I would not give today. I would not recommend Class::DBI, Path::Class, IO::All, Starman, or quite a few other things I have before. This is one of the reasons I find StackOverlfow generally odious in spite of its many otherwise merits; Vote to close: questions are answered and never shall they be revisited.

      Some advice I’ve given was good advice at one point but better exists now. Some advice I’ve given was because I didn’t know any better and no one realized or knew the need to step up to show better, so some of it stands as potentially authoritative in some degree.

      There are algorithmic and design discussions here that will be valid for years or decades. Many of the code answers are stale in a year and it’s a great strength of this site that so many monks are willing to entertain revisiting and refining even basic questions.

      And as far as edits: U WOT M8?! There is also nothing wrong with gracious edits that accept responsibility for poorly chosen words, technical or otherwise.

        I have given a lot of advice here I would not give today.

        The other case is just as bad. That is, to go back and change the old posts. History is doomed to repeat itself; if you don't leave the posts there, someone else will "discover" the trick and give out the "new advice." Instead, i would reply to the old post, pointing to what has been learnt. Knowing what used to be thought of as good, and what was learnt over time is best for all.

        Well, except for people who look so quickly they don't read the rest of the thread. For them, an "override" post of some sort would be better. Strike-through does do that, but doesn't usually look that great and a quick reader may skip the message entirely. There are ways to finagle this idea, but posting a reply seems to be what most people do.

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