We're sorry, but this discussion has just been closed to further replies.
I've recently realized that I feel a little guilty about going back and fine tuning some of my posts. (The composition part only--I'm not talking about changing post dates, etc. That ain't right.) Does anyone else feel this way--that maybe it's cheating to go back and rework what you've written? Sometimes it's an all out revamping, to be honest.
You can also comment here (shameless blog promotion...so sue me.)
I don't see anything wrong with it at all. It's your work. It's like editing a book or article before having it published...but this way, it's a work in progress....you put it out there and then go back and fine tune things. If you completely change your viewpoints or something, though, I'd prefer a note saying that it's been edited or why you changed your mind (even then, leaving the old post and writing a new one would be more interesting)....but otherwise, more power to you to edit and make your work even better than your first or second draft.
That makes sense. Thanks. And if I did a 180 on some topic or had gotten some facts wrong (both entirely possible), I'd definitely acknowledge it. It probably depends a lot on the nature of the writing.
I do it, especially if I dashed something off and it was full of typos. Generally, if you correct something you've gotten wrong (facts, dates), you should use strike-throughs. For typos or sentences that are just plain awkward, I don't.
Sometimes if I want to expound on something I've written earlier, I add "edited" plus the time and go on from there.
I do that, too, even in forums. Adding that "edit," especially if I'm adding something I forgot, really helps out...especially if someone read it 'before' the changes and then came back and saw different stuff. It answers questions before they can even be asked really.
I edit a lot in posts, but quite a lot less in blog entries. Any additions usually come in the form of extra links, typo or link corrections or extra afterthoughts. In any case, any editing is done on the same day as the post was made.
Thanks, Alianora. Forgive my ignorance, but what is the difference between a post and an entry?
Also, why do you keep edits to the same day of the post? Do you think it's bad to edit any further back? Is it a matter of personal discipline or do you think that's a good rule of thumb for any blogger?
I don't think it's unethical - I was guilty of the same thing way before NaBloPoMo. In fact I usually end up editing a post within a half hour of posting - for some reason, no matter how many times I proof-read something before I hit publish, I always find something to change afterward. I've just accepted that it's the way my mind works. So if that's the way yours works, go for it.
I don't see a problem. If it's a minor typo I don't even mention it, if I need to clarify something (especially if someone pointed it out) I put an edit note. I think if you were changing your whole opinion on something it would be better to write a new post and then link to the old one and say, "I changed my mind and this is why." But if it's stylistic or grammatical and you think it makes your meaning unclear, by all means fix it and make a note like "edited for clarity" with the date/time. I made the terrible mistake of not doing that right away with a september 11 post and within days people who believe september 11 was a government conspiracy made me their prime example and to this day they still misquote me. This morning alone I've gotten 3 emails, over 6 years later. (In the original post I said that I knew I'd seen a plane hit the pentagon but I was so shocked that at first I tried to convince myself it was a helicopter or something. By the time I went back and added a stronger statement that I was writing about the weird things that go through your mind when you're in shock, it was too late), So I'm extra paranoid about making sure things are as clear as they can be, and that's an extreme example, but I think my point would be: go with your gut and if you want to fix it, fix it. Even if it's a post about what you fed your cat today, if you want to edit it, it's yours to edit.
I'm on my first cup of coffee. I hope that made sense. It may need editing :-)
It isn't mine to borrow, it is a common practice in many blogs, and instead of borrowing it, you should steal it.
Another common approach is to strikeout really stupid poorly phrased or inaccurate sections, so that people can see what you wrote originally and how you've changed it. I don't do this as often, and sometimes only use it for comic effect.
I have no problem editing my previously published Blog posts, especially if I dashed off the entry and then find typos or better ways of saying the same things.
You could also include a blanket disclaimer on your site that says "I may edit posts for obvious grammar, spelling, and syntax errors, but if the content changes radically, I will include a note." This is the only irritant with RSS feeds; I made a stupid grammar mistake the other day and of course it popped up in everyone's RSS feed, although I fixed it on the main site. Grrr.
As a general rule, I will correct typos without adding any comment, but any factual errors are corrected in the comments section. I am starting to understand that this is a somewhat idiosyncratic method of going about matters, but it seems to be working so far...
I've been working for over 15 years in the (paper) magazine publishing industry in the capacity of Art Director, and the main appeal of this form of publishing to me is that you CAN fix and modify things once it's posted. QuirkyJessi used the term "work in progress" and that's exactly what it is to me, and is so liberating! Sometimes I take out a whole sentence and rearrange paragraphs, always for the sake of brevity and clarity but also to improve the writing itself which is always done super-fast at first. I do A LOT of editing before posting, but for some reason there are certain flaws I only see once it's posted. So I'm a sloppy perfectionist maybe. If you're not altering the message or critical information, nothing prevents you from re-editing.
And here's a bit of shameless self-promo: my post today is entitled On Self-Censorship and somehow might me indirectly related to the topic at hand here.
My rule is usually: If someone has commented on it already, I don't go in and change anything (maaaaybe a typo no one's commented on yet) without noting that I'm changing it. So I might do a sort of:
----
I'm siiiiiiiiick.
ETA (8:30) -- I'm all better now!
----
But I would still leave the part about being siiiiiiiick. :)
If no one's commented on it yet, I assume that no one has read it yet, so I change things willy-nilly.
I don't think there is anything wrong with editing after the fact. It is your site, you are writing, change it if you need to do that.
One time, I had to completely redo an old entry to leave out somethings to keep the family peace, it is worth it to me and if anyone else has issue with it, there are a million other places they can read :)
