note
tye
<p>
I agree that accountability is important. Perhaps even more
important to me is communication so that people know that
their node was editted, by who, why, and what to do it they
have a problem with it.
</p><p>
But there are also a lot of practical details to deal with.
If each edit is going to generate an automatic /msg and some DB entry recording the change so that it can be undone, then I think we'll have a real problem with 4 editors all changing the same <code><pre></code> to <code><code></code> at nearly the same time generating a very confusing situation for the author of the node (and probably for the database and site engine as well).
</p><p>
Don't get me wrong, I <em>really</em> like what [neshura] has proposed and I think it is important. I'm just trying to analyze it carefully enough so that we have a good chance of a workable implementation. I'm also trying to anticipate how hard different approaches will be for [vroom] to hack into place and then to get working reliably.
</p><p>
Then there is the fact that it can sometimes take me 14 rounds of edit and submit before I get my simple change right (not usually, but on rare occasions). I'd hate to be generating 14 "[tye] editted [id 1234]" /msg's to some poor monk's inbox and filling the DB with 14 copies of the node.
</p><p>
For everything but root nodes of unmoderated sections, the "petition for undo" seems nearly (though not completely) pointless since the author could simply edit the node (unless an editor editing a node changes the ownership of the node -- which I would be against since it leads to little problems like the node not showing up in that user's list of nodes, just like happens with Categorize Q+A nodes now]).
</p><p>
Perhaps much of this can be done, at least at first, with more human work and less automation. For example, I'd be fine with a policy that states that [editors] should:
<ul><li>/msg the author when they change a node
</li><li>include an unobtrusive link (or even HTML comment) at the start of the editting process that just notes which editor is changing the node so that other editors are less likely to duplicate the effort and leave but update the link/comment when done, if nothing else, in case they introduced a typo
</li></ul>
as long as this is augmented by at least a log of which editor changed which node and when. As the process matures and time passes, more automation can be introduced.
</p>
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<a href="/index.pl?node=tye&lastnode_id=1072">tye</a>
(but my friends call me "Tye")
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