Should I back up original posts when mods modify?

[chadmg]

Should mods be allowed to overwrite the original post when making changes or should you make a backup when posts are modified? Part of me says that I should make a backup of the original post in case the edit gets called in to question or if the mod accidentally deletes more than what was intended. But part of me says I should just have competant mods that can make good edits and who cares what happens to the original post. But accidents happen, and so can an angry vengeful moderator.

So should I back up every post, if they are edited? Should I back them up if it is edited by the user?

[uncle_bob]

I'd keep track of all the changes and versions of messages. They don't take up a lot of space, and you may be glad you did back them up. You're unlikely to be glad you didn't.

[jcoronella]

In my 500+ posts here, I have never needed to retrieve one from backup. I edit quite a bit too - mostly becuase I always forget to preview.

Seems like a good thing to backup moderator edits - just so you have a record of the origional posts... not to restor them, just to have the juicy ones.

[vkaryl]

Um. There is NEVER a reason NOT to CYA.

[chadmg]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm building my own forum system, so I'm taking this step by step. I think it's also a good idea to backup changes made by the poster. If they make some flaming comments that start a riot and then they erase the message, I'd like to see what the fuss was about.

I'm thinking about creating a seperate table just for edited messages. So if a message is edited for any reason, a copy is first stored in the backup table before the main table is updated. Any other better ideas?

[vkaryl]

What are you using for an engine? MySQL et al? You'd have to fork to do that wouldn't you? (Eh - I am NOT a db "marvel", just thinking "out loud" as it were....) Forking wouldn't be a problem as long as you have plenty of space of course.

I highly recommend backing up EVERYTHING for a while - maybe a LONG while - since you're writing your own. You simply can't legislate for inventive idiots. To quote myself: NOTHING is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool!

[rogerd]

As was suggested in another thread, deletion of posts & threads is a slightly different issue. Instead of deleting, mods should move them to a hidden location. This preserves the content, poster identity, time posted, IP address, etc. If you need to document an attack or if you find yourself the target of some kind of suit, having the original posts could be handy.