# reason for editing/netiquette



## TimeHP

Hi.
Do you find polite - according to netiquette of this forum - writing the reason for editing?
I have to say that I never read other's reasons and that if I edit a post I seldom explain why, for I consider it a loss of time for me and others. 
Now I was thinking about netiquette. 
What's better?
Thank you


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## danielfranco

I do it so that people know that whatever they quoted from me before might have changed. Especially if they disagree with me, they might be interested to know whether I changed my mind, or I finally learned how to spell correctly.


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## Nunty

I do it most of the time, but not always. I think it's a good way to indicate whether or not a change was substantive. After all, I could erase an entire post and rewrite to meaning something utterly different than the first one, which could make the responses of people down the line look stupid.

EDIT: But what does this have to do with netiquette?


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## TimeHP

> I do it so that people know that whatever they quoted from me before might have changed


Yes, this is a good reason for reasons...


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## xarruc

> whether I changed my mind


 
I dont think people should edit their posts like this. The position people take and argue against is reflected in the rest of the thread's tone.



> or I finally learned how to spell correctly


 
This is what I consider fair use of the edit button.

I don't normally put a reason unless I change the content - a clarification etc.


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## TimeHP

> EDIT: But what does this have to do with netiquette?


We're still creating a netiquette. 
Most forumusers ignore some rules that are evident for many others. 
I would like to know if I can be considered impolite or not when I don't write the reason of my editing.

Ciao


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## panjandrum

I agree with xarruc that people should not make substantive changes to their posts.  I don't know about netiquette, but that seems to me to be discourteous.  It can make subsequent posts look strange, if not ridiculous.

Often, the changes I make in an edit are self-evident in the post (a comment prefaced by, "Edit: I've just read ..." for example.  Otherwise, I think it is helpful to note something simple, like "To fix typo."  I'm not sure if I always comment, though.


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## LV4-26

I usually do write reasons but I admit I could spare myself the trouble in most occasions. Somehow I feel it's necessary when the editing (or deletion) comes late, when many other users are likely to have seen the former version.

I do not consider it rude at all if other people act differently.


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## danielfranco

This makes me wonder if the other part of the netiquette would not consist of the person quoting (well, at least in these forums) to actually use the quote button, so that if there were any changes other than typos then his comment could stand on its own.
(I mean, many times people just post: "yeah, what you said.")
That way, the readers would have no trouble distinguishing "original" quotes from "altered" ones.

But, surely, not even cheeky bastards like me change the whole post to reflect something completely different than the original post, no?
I mean, the worst instance of these kind of underhanded tactics that I've used before is to just erase my post when I feel I shouldn't have participated in a thread at all. And I've just done that a few times out of hundreds of posts. I can't imagine this being a frequent occurrence in these forums, right?


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## Nunty

I  was exaggerating about changing an entire post, but it is possible in theory, after all.

The thing about good manners, including netiquette, is just not to do anything that would make the people in your environment feel bad about themselves or to which they would strenuously object. (If I like eating monkey brains, it would be good manners to avoid doing so when I'm sharing a meal with a friend who has a pet monkey.) 

Leaving a reason for editing or not is not, I believe, really in the category of manners. I think of it more like orderly practice.


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## TimeHP

> The thing about good manners, including netiquette, is just not to do anything that would make the people in your environment feel bad about themselves or to which they would strenuously object. (If I like eating monkey brains, it would be good manners to avoid doing so when I'm sharing a meal with a friend who has a pet monkey.)
> 
> Leaving a reason for editing or not is not, I believe, really in the category of manners. I think of it more like orderly practice.


 
Yes, but anyway in the internet things are a bit different...
For instance you should never write a text all bold or capital letters because it's against netiquette.


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## Nunty

AND WRITING A TEXT ALL IN CAPS is "against netiquette" because it is perceived as shouting and because it is difficult to read: both things that make the reader uncomfortable. "Netiquette", like good manners anywhere, is much more than a set of rules. But I fear we are straying. 

If your question is whether people in this forum will think you are rude if you do not leave a reason for editing a post, I think it is clear that the answer is no.


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## heidita

danielfranco said:


> I finally learned how to spell correctly.


 

I sometimes see a mistake in a friend's post and make him/her look at the post again. I always indicate that I do not wish to be mentioned, as it seems customary "Thank you , heidita, for indicating me (privately , I might add) the mistake". I think this is utterly unnecessary and it even seems slightly impolite as it means mentioning a PM.


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## Rayines

I think that if both possibilities are given (explaining the reasons or not), it can't be at all considered out of netiquette (first time I hear this word), except the reason you write is some insulting one .


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