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BY EVAN THOMAS
ANCHOR LOGAN TITTLE
Facebook typos could soon be a thing of the past. According to The Next Web, Facebook
is preparing to give users the ability to edit any of their comments, any time.
Until now, users have only been able to remove comments, or edit them in a brief 30-second
window after the initial post. With the new feature, it appears users will be able to
edit any comment they’ve made, going as far back in time as they like.
It’s not all good news, though. TechCrunch points out there’s potential for intentional
manipulation, or compulsive image control.
“While useful, it could also let people retroactively change their opinions and cause
subsequent comments to make no sense. Combined with Timeline, you could essentially go back
and edit your whole life, which could make people overly self-conscious and nit-picky
about what they’d said in the past.”
Before you get any ideas, The Verge says, there’s a history feature built into editing,
so others can see what it is you’ve changed.
“Basically, should a commenter completely change his or her comment (which is a fairly
common form of trolling, truth-be-told), everybody else won't wonder why the comment thread seems
nonsensical.”
Editing will only work on Facebook’s web client, for the moment. Digital Trends hopes
a mobile solution isn’t far behind.
“Facebook management hasn’t made any indication that this feature will roll out to… the
mobile interface in the near future. Anyone typing on a smartphone would probably love
to take advantage of this new feature as it can be easy to type incorrect letters on a
virtual keyboard.”
It’s an incremental change, but VentureBeat says the improvements to the Facebook experience
could be disproportionate.
“One of the most annoying parts of commenting on Facebook (or tweeting for that matter)
is the inability to go back and fix your mistakes. I’m actually surprised Facebook didn’t
offer this feature sooner. It’s one of the little user experience details that makes
a big difference.”
Facebook says editing should be available to everyone in the next couple of days.