Don't Expect a Twitter 'Edit' Option Any Time Soon
Think about every time on twitter when you make a typo, or you use the wrong word, or your syntax sucks. An edit button would make life so much easier, but don't expect one to show up under your Christmas tree.
A report suggested the feature was on the way earlier this week, but that's no longer the case. Former Reuters social media editor Matthew Keys reported on his personal site that Twitter's new edit feature has been "a top priority at the company for months," and it would be finished within "weeks, or months at the most," but a number of more reliable tech blogs have separately reported no such thing exists.
The new button was supposed to help build relationships with news brands, according to Keys, so in emergency situations it's easier to deliver accurate, breaking news. Users would be able to make careful edits — a letter here, a word there — for a certain amount of time, as decided by an algorithm, to make sure a tweet's overall message could not be changed.
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The feature was to have "one of the most-advanced [algorithms] in the industry," that would stop anyone from changing their "BREAKING NEWS" tweet to saying something immature, like, say, "a sphincter says RT."
Everything sounded great, right? It was like all of your dreams were coming true.
But Wired's Mat Honan, who is on record begging Twitter to add an edit button for the very reasons Keys cites, says there is "no tweet editing feature on the way." GigaOM's Matthew Ingram's sources say Twitter "is not actively working on such a feature, although they wouldn’t rule out one appearing in the future." CNET's Jennifer Van Grove reports "an edit option is not something Twitter is paying attention to right now."
Furthermore, Ingram makes the case that maybe an edit feature is a bad idea to begin with. Editing allows people to bury mistakes, Ingram argues, while the current system keeps 'em honest. For now we will have to make do scampering to delete everything the minute we notice a tpyo.
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This article was originally published at http://www.thewire.com/technology/2013/12/dont-expect-twitter-edit-option-any-time-soon/356256/
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