I can't remember where I saw this, so posting this here. I've noticed a few instances in which one person edited another person's comment on a talk page or a forum, fixing things like typos, grammar, or spelling. It's not a big deal, but most wikis treat this as verboten. Just let the errors stand. (I know I leave plenty of my own errors lying around.) These are not like regular articles - it's just conversation. The only time anyone should edit another's comments is to repair markup: unclosed italics, stuff that breaks the page, red links, bad code, etc. As always, people can edit their own comments. — m (talk) 17:43, 4 June 2009 (UTC)
Edit to add: Oh, and you can add a name or "Anon" if someone neglected to sign in first. — m (talk) 17:47, 4 June 2009 (UTC)
- [looks guilty, kicks ground] -- Anon. Corgi 18:20, 4 June 2009 (UTC)
- This is something I am aware of; however, just before I saw this page, I had taken a bunch of other people's comments and moved them. One page, for some bizarre reason, had a /Mad page, and an associated discussion page for the Mad page, where the /Mad page didn't contain any theories, just discussion which should have been on the main page's discussion page. So I put the /Mad page's content where it belonged, and its discussion page's content there too so I could delete the two of them.
- I think I forgot to get rid of the Has-Mad template, though. --Quadibloc 03:47, 5 June 2009 (UTC)
- I see the page (the one for Queen Albia of England) has been recreated - but this time with appropriate content for a Mad page! Good - and fast - work, people! --Quadibloc 03:52, 5 June 2009 (UTC)
- Yes, I should have clarified that moving comments is fine. That has to be done sometimes. Also, there may be times when they're simply deleted (though I can't think of an example offhand). I try to give people a heads up before I move or delete things, though. Sorry for any confusion! — m (talk) 04:52, 5 June 2009 (UTC)
- In one case someone was replying solely to me, but didn't indent their comment at all to reflect that. I added an indent to their paragraph at the same time that I replied back with a further-indented paragraph. Does that count as acceptable organizational movement, or does that venture into forbidden meddling territory?
- This is a wiki. Accidents happen. Part of the rules are to edit boldly and be respectful of others. If you edit something in a forum and the author unedits it then you have crossed a boundary. Learn from that.
- In the absence of clear feedback do as you think best. Arranging comments for clarity, even adding heading for themes and sections seems to me to make a page more readable. If no one objects then it's probably okay. Leaving others remarks verbatim seems to be the accepted norm here. I have been rebuked for the offense of turning a spell checker loose on others writings. So that occurred once then stopped. Grey areas need to be handled with your best judgment. If you get it wrong someone will say. You are allowed to make mistakes. This is a wiki. They can be corrected. --Rej¿¤¤? 04:59, August 23, 2010 (UTC)
- In one case someone was replying solely to me, but didn't indent their comment at all to reflect that. I added an indent to their paragraph at the same time that I replied back with a further-indented paragraph. Does that count as acceptable organizational movement, or does that venture into forbidden meddling territory?