Editing posts

Dean · Post by **Dean** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 1:06 pm

When someone replies to the original post then, quote the whole post!

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 2:04 pm

Sometimes I'll add information to post as I discover or think of more to add, rather than make another post and force the reader to associate the two. And I don't think that people have to suffer through my typing mistakes.

As to the other behavior, I don't think that there's anything wrong with reconsidering an inappropriate opinion. There's always the "edited by" tag that appears to clue one in.

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 9:55 pm

I also edit for grammar, syntax, clarity, etc., and still occasionally don't catch mistakes. When I ask a stupid question, or make a stupid comment, I deserve what I get.

Just like most other things in life, it's a matter of maturity and integrity: thinking it through the best you can before you post, and being adult enough to take whatever comes and learn from it.

Hey, it's just a forum. If you think it's so important you feel you need to save face by altering the substance of a post instead of coming clean and simply making a subsequent post and dealing with it, well, you need some private counseling for self esteem.

Personal example on this forum: a long time ago someone asked about attaching coins to rotary paddles. I stupidly suggested super glue. Diplomatically, yes, but I was put in my place about the hazards of cyanide gas coming off the next time the horn would be worked on such a fix. Did I change my post, or try to make up something not meant? No. I swallowed it, apologized for my lack of understanding, publicly retracted my statement, and spread the warning. We're all human. I learned a lot, and am thankful for the rest of the forum pointing out a hazard I didn't know existed.

Anterux · Post by **Anterux** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 5:38 am

Sometimes my English is terrible. Therefore I come back to correct it when I spot the errors. Sometimes I come back several times...

Wyvern · Post by **Wyvern** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 7:29 am

As well as going back to edit for grammar, spelling and punctuation, I sometime edit because I feel what I have said is unclear, or I have just had an additional thought.

It is silly to deny what you have said, but we all have second thoughts, think what we have said was rather harsh, or rather dumb, or have a change of view, so may not want that comment on the web for posterity. I don't see anything wrong with that, as long as the post is not edited to make someone else look stupid.

PS To check spelling, I would recommend downloading the Google toolbar (http://toolbar.google.com) - I find that useful, particularly as spelling is not my strongest point.

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 2:10 pm

From the double-vision sides of the coin(s), I couldn't make myself intelligible half the time without being able to go back and edit. Not only am I a crappy speller, but I can drop letters and even words with the best of them. I don't care if it says that I editted, but I say it works fine the way it is. This is a BBS, after all, not an English lesson!

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 2:16 pm

i should gammer you're saying attention more to pay

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:26 pm

Yes, remember that spellcheckers treat friend and fiend alike.

Rick Denney · Post by **Rick Denney** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:34 pm

If I'm debating a particular point, then I'll quote what I'm debating, so that future readers will know what I'm responding to. I also usually quote relevant bits so that readers won't have to go back to the message I'm responding to.

If I complain about the propriety of a post, I usually won't quote it because I won't want to perpetuate it. But I also usually keep my post general enough so that it will reflect my larger views, and thus won't need to be edited even if the person to whom I'm responding edits his post.

I will edit to fix errors, but not meaning, unless my own propriety has been successfully challenged. If I've been confusing and must clarify, I'll explain in another post so that the conversation remains intact.

Rick "too lazy to fix all errors" Denney