to think there should be an 'edit' function for posts?

[asbolutelyfabulous]

I am a new poster on Mumsnet, but have been reading it fairly regularly for the last few months.

It strikes me as odd that a poster can't edit her post for spelling and grammar once the comment has gone live. Wouldn't an edit function save the hassle of writing 'corrections' posts and relieve the anxiety that I some posters have in thinking others will think them illiterate if there's a typo or a misplaced apostrophe in their post?

Hmm, you see,I know I never ever misspell words or make grammatical errors but I can type in a rush. An edit button would expose my genuine illiteracy.

but you could post a really scathing post and go back to delete it, thus rending the following posts incomprehensible because the controversial one would vanish....

so it's best not to have one

What Lewisfan said.

Its a very very bad idea. Take it from me who posts on boards where the OP can edit and delete.

other sites have an edit button, where you edit any post within 3 mins, this allows quick corrections but prevents wholesale revision of posts after comments.

There's a preview message button, which I usually forget to use! That should help prevent typos or misunderstandings.

3 minutes is long enough for people to read and reply on a busy site like this.

icer - good idea. I use other boards with an edit button and it does prove useful.

Limited editing is the way to go.

But most boards have edit buttons - I don't understand what makes MN special wrt people maliciously editing.

Every single other board I've ever posted on has allowed editing of posts (usually a little footnote appears that says when and how many times the post was edited). I's weird that Mumsnet doesn't, but it must be a deliberate policy rather than an oversight.

I'm on another board where the edit function was removed after a spate of issues. It's now a much nicer place to be so on balance I'm not a massive fan of editing.

Most people will understand mispellings/typos - ignore the people who try to take you down for it. You can always post clarification afterwards to prevent misunderstandings.

I type in a rush and frequently make mistakes, post instead of previewing and then have to post a correction!

A lot can happen in three minutes on here....it works well on boards where debate tends to proceed at a less heated level and more sedate pace.

Here I could see it causing untold confusion as people who have read an original post and people who read the edited post are working on different assumptions.

It could be very entertaining but i think it would go pear-shaped very fast in AIBU.

The problem with editing is the hilarious japes you can pull.

"Post below if you fancy George Clooney!"

Wait 20 minutes.

Edit post

"Post below if you fancy Michael Gove!"

I too have been on boards where the edit function has been used maliciously. Was solved on that one with a time limited edit function so you could make quick corrections, but it doesn't bother me that there's no edit function on mumsnet.

I think icer makes an excellent suggestion. Drives me up the wall spotting a typo or spelling error in my own post a nano-second after I have hit send.

Also I don't think it would be a bad thing to be able to retract something you've posted in haste, and then realised immediately afterwards (or upon reading it back) was a bad idea.

Perhaps you've realised your post has just become irrelevent in relation to what was said immediately before it - which you may have missed or crossed with. Or perhaps you unwittingly put your foot in it over something, or just bit someone's head off unnecessarily. Three minutes should be enough to undo any damage without changing the context of the whole thread.

I agree it would make for a less exciting MN some of the time, when things fail to kick off as regularly, but we are supposed to be intelligent supportive women, not a bunch of animals in a gladiators' ring!

Besides which, people who are feeling a bit gladitorial know when they have been inflammatory, and are thinking 'bring it on'. Those posts will remain intact.

I type fast ands always make typos, could not care less!!!!! my posts are witty and intelligent enough that a bit of mispelling means nothing

Yes to edit post function but only with a quote post function, to preserve the slaughter of the English language for all posterity.

Off to pedant's corner

No. I don't want an edit function.

We have enough fun with nobs round here as it is, imagine what an edit function used maliciously would do.

I don't think there is any need whatsoeever to have an edit function. It doesn't really matter about typos I don't think - my typing is hideous and i often type things wrong, but it doesn't really bother me or others, I don't think.

ONLY way an edit function would work I think would be if what you were deleting didn't actually get deleted at all, but got struck out instead.

I think an "append" function could be useful but not edit for all the resons given