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I was sure this is a duplicate, but cannot find my answer, through searching questions or help (faq).

When editing a question that ends with "Thanks", or some variation thereof, what do I put in the edit summary?

I have received an edit ban for not using the edit summary properly. I am not sure if it is a signature I am removing or if I should just put 'remove "Thanks"'.

EDIT NOTE:

I have read every answer to: Should 'Hi', 'thanks', taglines, and salutations be removed from posts?

The answers to this question do NOT answer my question. They are different questions. Please remove the vote to close. If you insist, please show the quoted answer to this question elsewhere.

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  • 4
    Dont mention it.
    – asheeshr
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 3:41
  • 4
    Important to mention you got banned also due to misusing the backticks aka inline code: don't just mark any random keyword as inline code. This edit of yours is plain wrong and bad.
    – Shadow Wizard
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 6:49
  • @ShaWizDowArd that is irrelevant to the question - I don't need you to do an expose on my profile. I asked a question, don't need you all to post my entire failures on here. it's embarrassing enough don't you think?
    – user310756
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 9:54
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    @Yvette it is relevant since you said "I have received an edit ban for not using the edit summary properly" which is not true and my comment explains why it's not true.
    – Shadow Wizard
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 9:59
  • Related meta.stackexchange.com/questions/2950/…
    – ABC
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 12:22
  • @007 YES it is related, but not a duplicate, thank you for pointing this out, it has already been posted here and deleted
    – user310756
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 12:25
  • je, it's the second fellow stacker I see (around 1k/2k) that's discovering the system and go on a "thanks" removal spree. I'd suggest that, if you mention, write on the summary something like "Say thanks by upvoting useful answers".
    – brasofilo
    Commented Jul 13, 2013 at 4:08
  • @brasofilo what do you mean the second fellow stacker around 1/2K go on a thank you removal spree? If you are going to make a comment, can you make it meaningful, as writing on the summary means little, as not many read them, and it does not change the edit. So think before you move your fingers and type meta.stackexchange.com/questions/188623/…
    – user310756
    Commented Jul 13, 2013 at 4:50
  • @ShaWizDowArd I am taking some advice often given to me on Meta, and going to go take a deep breath and (in my case) have a nap, I've only had 2 hours sleep
    – user310756
    Commented Jul 13, 2013 at 4:52
  • @Yve, apologies for the lack of context... When one learns how edits work here, suddenly we see all this noise detracting from the substance, out with it! ... If it's an edit on my own posts, I don't feel the need to write summaries. If it's blatantly obvious, neither. For the rest I put an explanation why I edited, and trying to prompt the OP to improve his/her next post. And finally, some curious user may benefit from that.
    – brasofilo
    Commented Jul 13, 2013 at 5:03
  • I apologize for the reaction , just very sleep deprived
    – user310756
    Commented Jul 13, 2013 at 17:16
  • @Yve sorry not sure what you mean. Over a month passed, pretty long time for a nap! :D
    – Shadow Wizard
    Commented Jul 13, 2013 at 17:38
  • Hahaha to a recent comment, u know I'm prone to feistiness. I could do with a long nap though ;-);-)
    – user310756
    Commented Jul 13, 2013 at 17:56
  • Oh I got it, forgot I tagged you I went offline instead of having a brawl on meta
    – user310756
    Commented Jul 13, 2013 at 17:57

4 Answers 4

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Don't edit a post to simply remove a salutation ("Hello" and "Thanks" are salutations). You should edit a post to remove a full signature like:

Jameson T. K. Wooblezbob

Chief Oxygen Processor

Yoyodyne, Inc

.. and if you see salutations in the same post, go ahead and take them out. They aren't really needed.

Occasionally, some people are very adamant about saying "thank you". If the user puts the salutation back - there's no need to go any farther. A random spattering of politeness on the Internet isn't exactly the most horrible thing that someone could stumble upon.

As long as folks know that the real way to say thanks on one of our sites is to use the vote button and pay it forward by answering a question or two that they can, that's fine.

That brings us to your edit summary, which should look like the following:

Fixed typos, formatted code, removed salutation (please use votes to say thanks)

Or possibly

Removed signature, your information is shown on your user card under your question, there's no need to include it

But never:

Removed salutations

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  • are you saying that if the salutation hello and thanks are both used in the one post, then to remove these?
    – user310756
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 4:35
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    @Yvette - No. Don't edit unless there's more to do than remove salutations. You can remove them while fixing other things that may be wrong with a post, but you shouldn't edit just to take them out.
    – user50049
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 4:35
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    ok, you have answered my question well, I appreciate the clarification, and also, how to fill the edit summary
    – user310756
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 4:37
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    @Yvette See my answer. If you remove salutations as part of another edit, you can simply use "removed salutations" - but again, do not edit just to remove them, if this would be the only summary, just skip it.
    – user50049
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 4:38
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    I understand Tim, you have completely answered my query and cleared up an area of misunderstanding ty
    – user310756
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 4:41
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    That guy stole my position!
    – Cole Tobin
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 23:57
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    I fully agree with your conclusions about how to deal with salutations and the like. But do you really expect edit summaries as elaborate as the ones you show here? When seeing this I felt guilty for not usually providing edit summaries as carefully crafted as yours. Are your edit summaries really like this most of the time?
    – jogojapan
    Commented Jun 10, 2013 at 1:15
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    @jogojapan When edits are obvious, they don't need an elaborate summary. I was being more illustrative than practical.
    – user50049
    Commented Jun 10, 2013 at 2:41
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I usually write, "removed unnecessary text". This applies to a wide variety of little comments we see a lot like 'thanks', 'hello', 'sorry my English bad', etc. It also provides a good indication to the OP why I made the edit.

However, I would generally recommend doing more than just removing one little 'thanks' in an edit. Look for grammatical or formatting errors you can correct as well (they're frequently present in these kinds of posts anyway).

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  • this is also a helpful answer, and I could also have marked this as the answer ty
    – user310756
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 4:39
  • true, but it gets old when you see a lot of questions with the standard template of "I am new to X AND/OR I don't speak well English [...] suggestions? Help! Thank you! Regards! [name_here]"
    – haylem
    Commented Jun 10, 2013 at 0:29
1

Just put "deleted thanks", but I believe there should be more than just that edited.

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-11

Usually, I'll put something like 'signature removed', or 'deleted thanks'. If I'm feeling particularly saucy, I may do something along the lines of 'WHY DO THESE NOOBS KEEP ADDING THIS TO THEIR POSTS'.

But in the end, it hardly matters, the edit summary is far less important than the edits made in my opinion, and for something that trivial no one will notice.

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13
  • can I get an edit ban for taking out things like "thanks"?
    – user310756
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 3:10
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    @Yvette I doubt it, unless you missed other obvious errors in the postpost, then you should be fine. In the end, it is up to the reviewers, so if you have a few rejected, ease back on those kinds of edits
    – Richard J. Ross III
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 3:11
  • what do I do if I get a ban for this? there is no one to go and say, hey pls tell me what I did wrong?
    – user310756
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 3:12
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    Contact [email protected], they're probably the only ones who can help you if that happens. It takes quite a few rejected edits to be banned as far as I know, so just pay attention to rejected edits and you'll be golden.
    – Richard J. Ross III
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 3:13
  • how do i know if an edit has been rejected? apart from waiting to see if it's been accepted?
    – user310756
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 3:19
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    Don't think that nobody will notice; people can get quite indignant about having their "thanks" removed. Nor should you automatically assume reviewers will find such an edit worthwhile. Edit suggestions like this being rejected as "too minor" is a very real possibility; reviewers prefer that edit suggestions focus on more substantial issues.
    – user102937
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 3:29
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    -1 - don't discourage edit summaries. Explain they're less important for obvious to trivial edits. Not that trivial edits are good.
    – djechlin
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 3:31
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    Don't call people noobs. Revisions are open to all visible eyes.
    – SomeShinyObject
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 4:11
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    @EngineerDollery, By your standards noob isn't an insult but anytime you denigrate someone based on a status you hold over them it's wrong and unfair. People may come on here and yes, be SO newcomers, but they may have been developing software longer than you and I combined. You don't know their status because you don't know them. Don't be so quick to judge based on the very little information you have. That's why people come to this site and get a bad taste in their mouth.
    – SomeShinyObject
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 8:13
  • To caveat, weren't you just complaining about the level of professionalism on this site
    – SomeShinyObject
    Commented Jun 9, 2013 at 8:15
  • @ChristopherW -- please don't raise the 'p' word in this context. I hate that. I'm a professional software engineer and I use language that would make a senior saint blush. Professional means, 'for money," nothing else. Also, you'll notice that I just said 'please,' when asking you to do something. Issuing dictates will likely get you flamed -- it's usually best if you don't respond to flames, like mine, because it only encourages people to start hating on you.
    – Software Engineer
    Commented Jun 10, 2013 at 14:06
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    @EngineerDollery: Contradictions abound. You flame, and then suggest that people shouldn't respond to flamers. You dismiss the way we use the word "professional," but still say "please." You claim that "noob" is an insult, and insults are one of the things that we specifically don't allow. You can't have it both ways.
    – user102937
    Commented Jun 10, 2013 at 16:40
  • What, are you suggesting that I'm the only person in the world who shouldn't be hypocritical? Wow! Ok, you shouldn't respond to flames -- I didn't say you shouldn't start them :) I didn't say that 'noob' is an insult -- I said that it isn't, @ChristopherW said that it's an insult, I said that it isn't. Also, I just gave a bit of a lecture on not associating professionalism with any particular vocabulary yet you go do exactly that when you associate the word 'please' with being professional. I'm bored!
    – Software Engineer
    Commented Jun 10, 2013 at 18:21