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Can anyone edit a question that's on-hold, or only the person who asked it?

I'll use a specific question as an example:

This question was asked on March 29, 2016. To paraphrase, the post was about seagulls that had been observed making certain sounds during various activities, such as resting, and eating food which had been thrown to them by the user. The question was seeking help understanding what those sounds might mean in the context of those activities.

Approximately an hour after the question appeared, a user posted the following comment:

I'm voting to close this question as off-topic, but it could have been "unclear what your are asking" as well. I feel like questions purely about animal behavior belong to biology and even if it is on topic, it is not clear to me, what you actually want to know.

Although I have review privileges, I had not been watching the review progress, so I wasn't sure what the status was. I checked back the following day, March 30, 2016 (the time of this writing) and found that a few hours after posting, the question had been put on hold as off-topic, using the standard off-topic reason:

This question does not appear to be about outdoor activities within the scope defined in the help center.

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.

Based on certain criteria, which I can provide if you'd like, I believe it's in scope. I have an edit in mind that may help, but now that it's on hold, should I leave it alone? It would be a suggested edit, as I don't have full edit privileges here.

The exact wording of the on-hold reason doesn't say that only the person who asked now has the option to reword, but is it implied?

If quoting the specifics of that question was inappropriate, I'd appreciate someone editing this. Thank you!

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  • A mod can make the edit if it's appropriate. I'm looking at that question now as it has 4 reopen votes.
    – Russell Steen Mod
    Commented Mar 30, 2016 at 17:37
  • @Russell Steen Thanks for the clarification. It's exactly what I was looking for. Now I know to leave those alone in the future, and if I have an edit to suggest, I should get to it before the question is on-hold.
    – Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL
    Commented Mar 30, 2016 at 18:01
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    Please do add your reasons to the new meta post I created for that purpose. meta.outdoors.stackexchange.com/questions/751/…
    – Russell Steen Mod
    Commented Mar 30, 2016 at 18:02

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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As you can see in the What if I disagree with the closure of a question? How can I reopen it? help page anyone can edit the question in an attempt to reopen it (emphasis sort of mine).

Be sure that you've read the close notice and any comments on the question so you can address any concerns raised there. Addressing the concerns often means editing the post, which any user may do.

Of course an edit is no guarantee that the question will be reopened, and all the standard editing rules apply.

As for the specific question you cited I feel it was off topic, and voted as such for the reasons I gave in a related meta answer. I've been wrong before though, so I hope you contribute an answer to that Meta question if you feel differently.

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