# Reasons for editing posts? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 1, 2008, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897 "2008-01-01T17:38:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2008, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/1 "2008-01-01T17:38:55Z")
I am curious. For what reasons do we usually edit our posts? Spelling? After thoughts? For me, it is always, always the same two issues. I forget to bold the name of posters that I mention, so I edit to go back and bold it. Any other time I edit, it is because I have used slang terms. I go back and remove them so that you guys don’t have to put up with what I really sound like! How about _YOU?_ ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2008, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/2 "2008-01-01T17:45:26Z")
Usually spelling though I don’t worry so much about that. Sometimes I realize I didn’t complete my thought and have to add another sentence or two. For some reason these thoughts never come to me when I preview, only after I submit. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/3 "2008-01-01T17:48:46Z")
Often, it’s just that I was typing quickly and not fully paying attention to what I was posting, so I misspelled something, used slang no one here would understand, or brutally raped the English language (grammar). ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/4 "2008-01-01T17:53:40Z")
I notice some people post random letters so that they can quickly fill a post slot (get their post in early) and then spend the 5 minutes composing their message properly now that they’ve got the early slot. ETA: I’m terrible for afterthoughts, so most of my edits are those. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/5 "2008-01-01T18:00:22Z")
Some people edit their posts but don’t change anything. Just to make people wonder what was changed. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2008, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/6 "2008-01-01T18:09:36Z")
My reasons for editing, in approximate order of occurrence: \*Noticed a misspelling or missed word after posting. \*Decided to revise what I wrote. \*Thought of something more to say. \*Saw that somebody else had already said what I said and deleted post. \*Decided my post might be misconstrued and deleted it. \*Hit the submit key accidentally and hadn’t finshed my post. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/7 "2008-01-01T18:22:13Z")
[ul][_]spelling[_]formatting[_]bad grammar[_]add somethingrephrase for better clarity[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/8 "2008-01-01T18:31:24Z")
Mostly spelling or grammar, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2008, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/9 "2008-01-01T18:55:50Z")
Mostly because of an afterthought. If I notice the typos, that’s reason number two – but I usually don’t notice the little sods 'till way too late. _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/10 "2008-01-01T18:57:32Z")
Mostly I edit for missing a keystroke somewhere. The other reason I edit is pre-emptive defense–realizing some dingbat is probably going to take offense to something I said unless I add some kind of qualifier. Edit: No particular dingbats in mind, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2008, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/11 "2008-01-01T19:10:53Z")
Mostly either punctuation or clarification (it just looks unclear when I see it posted.) Second most common is to react to simulposts. Spelling errors are rare – not because I’m such a great speller, but because FireFox has a built-in spell checker. I love FireFox 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/12 "2008-01-01T19:11:21Z")
I end up editing as the result of a misplaced sense of confidence that what I write is coherent on the first try. So sure am I of my authorial brilliance that I often hit “post quick reply” without bothering to carefully review my keyboard blurts. Then, once the post is out there, I have a tendency to read it. Admiring my own insights, I guess, not that they deserve it. That’s when I notice that in my haste I have written one or more sentences that are impossible to understand, so I quickly hit the edit button in order to clean them up. I think I am better about this than I used to be. I usually try to preview my posts now. _Hits “preview post.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/13 "2008-01-02T04:17:16Z")
Grammar. Sometimes I’m feel like I’m rushed to get out a point before I forget it. The grammar suffers. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/14 "2008-01-02T04:23:20Z")
Number one reason is typos. Number two reason is I’ll have composed my thoughts, edited it all and hit post… Then remembered something else I want to add. I’ve never used edit to remove anything apart from the odd duplicated word. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/15 "2008-01-02T04:48:16Z")
Coding errors. Spelling errors. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/16 "2008-01-02T05:04:19Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] Some people edit their posts but don’t change anything. Just to make people wonder what was changed. [/QUOTE] [sup] . - . [/sup] ---
**Author:** ![Will\_Repair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a698b9/32.png) [@Will\_Repair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Will_Repair)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/17 "2008-01-02T05:08:46Z")
'Cause I shouldn’t of wrote that. ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/18 "2008-01-02T05:54:12Z")
Clarification, maybe half the time. The other half is to correct mistakes resulting from many, many revisions. I change things and change them and finally submit and then I realize I changed part of a sentence but not another part, and now it makes no sense, or my verb tenses no longer agree, or I have an unneccessary comma or something. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![enigm4tic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@enigm4tic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enigm4tic)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/19 "2008-01-02T07:41:30Z")
I usually post something, and then look at it, and realize I left two of my thoughts incomplete, and edit them in. I really need to start using preview more, and the quick response box less 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2008, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897/20 "2008-01-02T08:00:27Z")
Fixing a messed up url [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasons-for-editing-posts/431897.md?page=2)