Sometimes, when you’re in a hurry or just not paying attention, things are spelled wrong when you post a comment on a Facebook thread. Typos happen to the best of us. Not too long ago, Facebook made it a possibility to edit spelling and grammar mistakes within a few seconds of posting a comment. Now, the social network has added to that editing possibility by increasing the amount of time that you have to fix a mistake. Instead of a few seconds, users will now be able to go back to a comment and fix a typo at any point in time – but there’s a catch.
While it is now possible to fix a comment way after the fact, it’s also possible to see a user’s editing history. So, if you write something controversial and someone who follows you on Facebook sees what you wrote, you can’t really get rid of that comment by erasing it (really not a good idea!). I’ve tested out the new Facebook editing feature, and here’s what you can expect and how to edit your future posts and comments successfully.
Find a Comment and Erase It
Did you make a mistake? Did you mean to write “it’s” instead of “its?” Whatever your spelling mistake might be, you can now fix it with ease. All you have to do is remember what you wrote and where you wrote it. Then, head to that comment and choose the “edit” option. From there, you can effectively edit any comment that you have made. To do this, click on the small pencil icon at the top right of any comment you’ve made on any post. Then, choose to edit or delete the comment. If you choose the edit option, you will be able to write whatever you like in the empty space, just as you would a regular comment.
This feature is really easy to use, it will certainly come in handy when you’ve made a mistake, and it’s just one more way that Facebook is trying to make its social network the friendliest of all. But, let’s go back to that earlier warning for a moment. You know, the one about not deleting a comment entirely because someone can see what you wrote originally? If someone had edited a comment, all it takes is one peek at the thread history to see that original comment. Individual users should avoid deleting or editing anything other than pure typos, and businesses should especially avoid this tactic. Everyone makes mistakes, but trying to cover up those mistakes by deleting them really looks bad in the business world.
Facebook Just Keeps Getting Friendlier
Why does Facebook keep rolling out these new features (yesterday, the social network released a new set of chat emoticons, because you really need those!)? Facebook is still very much in competition with other social networks including Google Plus. Google Plus has had an editing feature for some time now, and Facebook simply can’t afford not to offer users the same option. Plus, people want to be able to erase mistakes to simply avoid being viewed as incompetent (nobody wants to be made a fool, right?). Oh, there’s one more good reason: thanks to all of those smartphone autocorrects, it’s really easy to write something that you never intended to, and now you can fix that problem!