Regarding this Music Forum thread:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=439687

Why was the first post edited? It seems as if a mod edited the post but did not list any explanation for doing so. Furthermore, there was no reason to edit the post in the first place because the OP was simply utilizing a feature of the product that it was designed for. By not leaving a "mod note", it is easy to assume that the OP edited his own post and that clearly is not the case. This can easily lead to confusion.

What gives me the hot? man-on-man porn!!!

this post may have been edited by randyc

Ripping any content from DVDs is not allowed to be discussed here and the way that post was worded it sounded like that was being discussed. If the DVD contained CD-type tracks that didn't require circumventing copy protection then crossing out that part of the discussion was in error.

As for the bigger question (which I would expect to be brought up by the person whose post was affected), sometimes moderators don't have the time to write moderating notes and they don't want to just do the easiest thing, which is close a thread due to a minor part of the discussion not being allowable. At times other text, such as offensive language and personal attacks, is crossed out in that same way so as to point out what is not allowed to the poster and other members.

It doesn't appear that anybody thought the OP edited his own post and I don't recall an occasion where anyone assumed that to be the case with crossed out text.

I think it would be better if mods left a note. It lets people know what's going on and lets the original poster know what they did wrong (and takes less time than sending an e-mail).

I know you guys are busy and are volunteers, and appreciate the effort you put in, but I'd love to see mod notes in all edits and closed threads. Makes for a smoother running forum.

What happened to auto's original point about wanting to see more man-on-man action in heterosexual porn???

Censorship!

Notwithstanding the inclusion of the words "It seems as if....", IMNSHO the premise of this thread, and its title, is incorrect/misleading.

If a <b>moderator</b> edits a post then, at the bottom of that post, the board software will add the note "Edited by [name of mod]".

If your post is edited and there is no such note then your post was not edited by a moderator.

Confused?

No. I was just looking for an explanation. I jumped to the conclusion that it was a moderator when I really had no idea. Feel free to edit my thread title.

Still, I don't think it would take more than a few seconds for anyone editing a post to make a small note that they did so.

With all the crap that gets spewed around here, doesn't it make sense to know exactly who said what? On these boards, all we are is what we write. That should be sacred unless we are breaking one of the rules.

Didn't mean to make a big deal out of nothing. I had just never seen a post edited without some sort of explanation.

Agree 100%. The "Mods should leave a note" issue has been brought up countless times, but it is never really addressed. And considering that most mods are also posting in the forums left and right, it's not much of a defense to claim that they are "too busy". Heck, they can simply cut and paste explanations, as the violations usually fall into one of a few categories.

Numanoid, as already indicated, if I were to edit a post and neglect to leave an explanation there would still be the "edited by benedict" note at the bottom.... the person involved could email me if there was a problem.

BTW, I strongly disagree with your suggestion that voluntary mods and admins having time to post in their own right means that they should be expected always to leave (even simple boilerplate) explanations when they feel the need to take some or other form of moderating action in-thread.

Although it is my personal practice to try to leave some kind of a note, it remains a fact that there are "repeat offenders" and numerous examples of people who ignore board rules or even forum-specific guidelines i.e. they often either know exactly what it is they have done or else have demonstrated that they are not concerned about following/researching rules or guidelines.

Of course, sometimes an error is made by a mod or admin but isn't that the exception rather than the rule? I'd certainly hope so.

We can all agree on the fact that the mods/admins of these boards do a great service for what can only be a thankless job. I'm not kissing ass and 99% of the members here would agree.

That being the case, would it be possible for any editing done by admins to also result in a [edited by name of admin]?