Jul 31, 2009
do you edit?
Last night my husband and I were having a discussion about the integrity and credibility of blogs, which turned into a discussion on editing. Hubby told me something I'd never considered before: if you edit your blog post after it's been published, some readers consider that a serious breach of etiquette. Well, I'm guilty. Many, many times I have noticed when glancing back over my own blog, that some little typo got missed, or even an awkward sentence, and I'll go back and change it. Hubby says the proper way to do this (if you do it at all) is strikethrough your error, and write the correction next to it. I didn't know. Do you ever edit your posts after hitting "publish"? Do you use strikethroughs, or just make the correction quietly? Do you feel it mars a blog's integrity if they tidy up words tardily? I know I'm going to be far more careful in my own proofreading now, and do my best to avoid editing after I publish. I usually spend less than an hour preparing a post, and sometimes rush through it if the kid is tugging on my arm, and I've already got in mind what I want to say- but then looking back later find it's not as clean or precise as I'd like... Perhaps I just need to find more quiet times of day to do my blogging in. Here's hoping I don't loose any readers for making this confession...
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Yep, I fix typos all the time. I can see how changing a post's content after it's been read and commented on is problematic, but just fixing words seems fine to me.
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't usually look at it after it is posted. (Well, sometimes, if I am writing a review for a sequel, and I need to refresh myself on what I said on the previous post!). When I write my posts, I usually do it over a day or two, and edit as I go, then read it over one last time before I hit the button!
ReplyDeleteI can see where changing the content of your reply might be a problem but fixing typos and spelling is only cleaning things up
ReplyDeleteNymeth- phew, so I'm not the only one! (hubby made it sound like no one even should fix typos) I never change the content of what I've said, and only sometimes add something onto the end- with a notation marking that it was added later. And add links to other reviews, of the same book, of course.
ReplyDeleteSandy Nawrot- An entire day (or two?!) If I took that long to write a post, I would probably not look twice at it, either. I just don't have that much spare time... and if I did, it would be spent reading!
Dana- thanks. I guess I haven't been doing things wrong, then.
I'm with Nymeth - if I notice a typo or spelling mistake I try to fix it, but I don't change the content.
ReplyDeleteYour husband's idea that changing anything makes a blog less credible is really interesting to me.
I think it's fine to correct a typo without notifying everyone. When you change the meaning of what you've written it's a whole different thing.
ReplyDeleteI'll fix typos or really bad grammar if I notice it later and I'll go back and add links to other people's reviews for the same book, but for the most part once I hit publish, that's it for the general content.
ReplyDeleteLezlie
I am totally guilty of tweaking my post after it's been published. I had no idea this was a breach of etiquette!!
ReplyDelete--Sharry
KT- we actually rather an argument about it. He frequents a lot of political blogs and online forums; I guess it might be a stricter code of conduct there?
ReplyDeleteBermudaonion- I don't think I've ever changed the content, other than add on a link perhaps...
Lezlie- Yup, me too. So I'm glad I don't have to feel guilty anymore!
Xalwaysdreamx- me either. I'm starting to wonder if it's just my husband's circle that feels this way.
I'm with everyone else. I fix typos, add links, etc., all the time. I don't think that is a big deal.
ReplyDeleteI will admit that early on in my blogging, I went back into several review posts and added content or rewrote content, a couple of times. At the time though, it never occurred to me that people would care or that it could be a credibility issue!
Now, I realize that if you change the meaning/point of a review or significantly change the content then I think readers should know, and if I did that, I would add an amendment to that fact.
Well, I do edit typos and fix links, if you don't do that, your blog may end up being thought of as a badly presented one. But I don't alter my content, that would be like a breach of etiquette.
ReplyDeleteI fix typos as well. Or sentences that I discovered were fragmented. (This is only when I don't proofread, though most of the time I do. I go back and fix something if another mentions it.) I would never consider it a "sin" to do so, though my boyfriend has teased me about it. (This is because I typically apply too much thought to my blogs, anyway!)
ReplyDeleteAnd my comments, by the looks of it...
I go back and tweak stuff all the time..awkward sentences, mispellings, forgot-to-link, etc. It would drive me crazy to let that kind of stuff stay up there. It would be like spinach in the teeth. Toilet paper stuck to my heel. A big wedgie.
ReplyDeletePlus, it's my blog; I can do whatever I want with it. Even though people do read it, I'm still under the impression no one does because my family doesn't. But in case they do, I want them to read prose that I've proofed to my very best effort.
Editing posts with regard to typos, grammar issues, adding links is fine, and I do it. However, if someone is editing posts in another way (changing what they said about a book based on someone's comment, for instance)...I don't agree with that.
ReplyDelete--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric
I'm guilty of editing typos and the like. I don't think I've ever made a huge correction although for the most part I don't think that most things would be bad. Only like what Anna said, about changing your opinion in a review.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like the pervading view is that editing typos and grammar flaws is fine, changing content is not. I'm very relieved to know all along I was doing the same as anyone else. Thank you all for the helpful comments!
ReplyDeleteIf I found some spelling mistakes, I'll fix them! However, I won't edit a post to change my point of views... that's like cheating to me.
ReplyDeleteWell if fixing typos is a no-no, I confess to being a bad blogger *laughs* I fix any spelling or typo errors I find no matter when I find them. Re: changing content...nope I don't do that. Once I made an "error" in a review by saying the book had not been professionally edited (it was self-published) and the author emailed me to correct that misconception. I added a sentence as an "update" (and made it obvious that it was an update) correcting my error. I don't use strike-throughs...but I will put ** in front of my corrections or updates.
ReplyDeleteI also fix typos, usually a day or two after publishing. After that I just leave it for the whole world to see!!
ReplyDeleteI have a few times, added information when I realized some fact I said about the book/author was in error- once I added it at the end, clearly marked with the date it was added, another time I just put a note at the bottom of the post to point readers to the comments, where the author had corrected my assumptions.
ReplyDeleteI'm late joining in, but I edit after posting all the time. It's a personal blog, not a scholarly journal or something. Sometimes I just don't catch errors beforehand, try though I might.
ReplyDeleteI don't change content, but typos and grammar issues I'll definitely correct.
ReplyDeleteI often go back and change spelling mistakes, grammar, and awkward sentences if I see them, but I always keep the same content or idea of what I said. I do not strike through, star etc what I fixed, its a spelling mistake, and I doubt my readers would be upset if Improved my post to make it more readable and rid it of spelling mistakes, I find the strikethroughs within a post distracting.
ReplyDeleteThe comments section is where I can add stuff based on another person's comments, if they pointed out something I missed.
I never realized there was "etiquette" for blogging in this regard. I mean it's odd some would change their whole post to please someone or a commenter, but it's your blog, and I think you should be able to do what you want with it.
I keep meaning to look up how to do a strikethrough... but nope, for now I just fix typos & stuff by changing them. If I had a different purpose for my blog, I might be more inclined to make notes of edits made after the initial publishing.
ReplyDeleteBut now that you've got me thinking about it, I'm looking up how to do strikethroughs.
Jeane, I do the same thing you do! I'm always making typos because children are needing attention, so I end up rushing through, or it's late at night and I'm half asleep. I can't remember how to do strike-throughs anyway, and i love them!! lol I think it has to do with changing the post itself - but even then, we have the right to, if we make it clear what we have changed and why. Just my opinion, but since I own my own blog, I do have the right to alter something if it isn't clear when I finally get the chance to check it over. In a perfect world....
ReplyDelete