If I held off posting until I felt like it was perfect, I'd never post anything.  I rarely go back and edit, however, just because I feel like spontaneity is a very important part of most of my posts (especially during high-action sequences in a game).

That said, as Empryss pointed out, going back and making significant changes to a post can hugely impact what people would have written in response to it...and, indeed, I've been in games where one person going back to edit a post resulted in three or four others editing their posts because what they wrote in response didn't make much sense after the edit.  If I haven't responded yet, I don't mind people editing their posts, as I rarely sit down, read a post, and think, 'I'm gonna need a while to process this and decide what to write'...most of my responses start within a minute or two of reading the post.  But if I've already responded, and someone comes back and edits in some significant fashion (tweaking spelling and grammar count as 'insignificant', in my book, because they aren't impacting the content of the post much), I often feel annoyed, even if it ends up being an edit that doesn't necessitate me editing my response...because I have to sit there, analyze their edits, revisit my post, consider if I need to edit, worry about anyone who's responded to my post having to edit after I get done...

I've also been in games with people who will write a response immediately...and then go to the OOC thread and say, "Don't respond to my post yet...I'm pretty sure I'm coming back to edit it at some point."  And I'm fine with that.

Wow, thanks for the quick response and thoughtful input!

Posting rate is also a factor. If you are posting 1-2 short posts per day then I wouldn't be too worried about minor errors, especially if the author is tweaking spelling/punctuation later on.

But if you are only posting 2-3 times per week and each is a bit more substantial then I would hope that the author would then spend a few minutes rereading what they have written, both for errors and also to make sure that they have said what they actually wanted to say.

I'm happy with people correcting typos, but not with altering content.

Someone posting and then asking everyone not to respond to it would annoy the hell out of me, because then everyone has to hold back until that person has decided whether or not the post is the final draft.

Either post quickly and live with your decision, or post after deliberation and risk someone beating you to it, but never, ever, alter the content of your post or ask people to wait for you to revise it, that's just plain wrong.

I  try very hard to get my posts to a level that is readable. being Dyslexic doesn't help but spell check is my friend and I have a pocket electronic speller with me at all times..... Though I still screw up now and then.

I will go back to a post if I think I've spelt something wrong but I never alter the contents without informing people first. Though sometimes I will rearrange text because I've just written something unintelligible but thats more to do with my dyslexia than altering my characters actions.

There are a lot of what sounds like, very strong opinions on this subject.  Does anyone every let people who do it to much and to often.  In the games they play in know that it bugs them?  BTW I see few familiar names of those I play in games with. Expressing themselves here. :)

I let the STer/DM know that I'm a cereal editor. I do, however, try and do that editing within 5 minutes of having made my post though.

If I have used the same word too often in a paragraph (which looks horrid) I'll go back and edit in a synonym.

The grammar problem you have I have too.

Letters sometimes flip in my mind, b's and p's & h's and y's are common culprits.

I'd be pretty shy about editing a post 24 hours after the fact though.
This message was last edited by the user at 09:40, Tue 21 Oct 2014.

Actually I'll be honest, it bugs me. I'm not sure which way RPOL goes on it, but I've been on forums where a edited post marks it as a new message. So this means I have to go back through the posts to discover who edited their post, and figure out if it affects me. If it -doesn't- mark as read, then I have to check every single time I come to the site that someone hasn't been editing posts, and if they have, that it doesn't affect my subsequent posts.

I can live with an edit 5-10 minutes after the fact; I've done it myself. But once you're talking hours, when people have highly likely had a chance to read and post? Gaah. Only if you really need to.

Print preview is your friend.

Bugs me a little to be honest, but I cannot tell you how many times I have not caught errors till after posting, the next day, or even a few days later. Heck one time it took 3 days for me to notice I posted as the wrong character, even worse no one seemed to notice.

As GM and as player, I try to pay attention to spellcheck as I write and try to keep the grammar and vocabulary in line. I usually click back into the thread and read my post once I have posted it (interesting how I see things I missed in composition or even preview) and immediately correct such errors. I also sometimes make content alterations/additions right then.

After someone else may reasonably have seen the post, I never change or add content, though I may still corre3ct typos and such. At that point any substantial alteration has to be shoehorned into a new post.

As GM, of course, I can know for sure whether a player has already read the post and will make more substantial changes needed/wanted. If something is being retconned, I advise the players, generally in OoC.

As a player, if I want to do what amounts to a retcon (changing my action, for example) I get the GM's permission in an OoC or private message.

As a player or DM, I dislike posts being changed for things other than spelling/grammar if someone else has already posted after them. Even if it does not necessitate the other player from changing their post, things have moved on. In real life, we do not always make the best decisions and wish we had done things differently after we had more thought, but we cannot go back and change the past. Certainly in a game, it is an escape from reality, so we do have the luxury of rethinking things, but that should be only to a certain point. To me, when someone else posts after you, that closes that window to make changes. It is only courtesy to the other players and storyteller. But if it is spelling/grammar alone, then I see no problem with it.

However, I am fine with nearly unrestricted changes if nobody else has posted yet in response. Spelling, grammar, content, actions, to me it is fine if you want to change any of it. Someone might have read it already, but if they have not posted in response, then it makes little difference. It is incumbent on everyone to ensure they are staying current with the game, and that clearly includes ensuring they are current on the last post in the game before finally posting themselves. Yes, I might read something and not post immediately to think of how I might want to relax, and might have to change what I had come up with if the post is changed, but that is fine. Since I had not responded, it was all theoretical anyway, so I have not really lost anything.

I do say nearly unrestricted though because if you have rolled dice for an action, then you have committed yourself. No rolling a 2 and then deciding that since you failed, you want to change your action! :P

On the topic of someone posting and then asking others not to post because they might come back to edit it later, I would be against it. It seems rather presumptuous and an imposition on everyone else to hold things up in that way. The only exception I can see for this would be for the storyteller, since they are in an entirely different role. And if they do so, I just consider it a sneak peak or coming attractions that I can start thinking sbout, but have to wait for the finished product.

And I am editing this now...  ^_^

Of course there are exceptions to everything, For instance, I could see a previous post being edited based on misunderstandings that have been cleared up, or if a player clearly has an if… then or other caveat in the post that does or does not come into effect, but even in those cases, I think it would be better to just post an update instead of amending an old post.
This message was last edited by the user at 14:31, Tue 21 Oct 2014.

The main problem I have with the idea of letting players make significant changes before anyone else posts is that they can't tell if someone is currently typing a response.  The GM can tell if anyone has checked in recently, but players can only tell if someone has checking in "today".  The person who is currently typing while you're making your changes gets no warning that an edit was made because RPOL doesn't flag edited posts as new.

Almost nothing infuriates me more than composing my wicked kewl post only to look back at the thread and see that it makes no sense because someone tweaked their post when I wasn't looking.  Granted, it doesn't happen often, but as a GM I would take to task any player who pulled that stunt too often.

That is true, but I am still fine with it. As you do note, it is not something that happens often, since the editor would have to be making their edits during the time the newer poster is crafting theirs, and they would also need to finish their edits and send them before the newer poster did the same. So, while it does happen, it is rare enough to not be a major concern for me. And while I do not know about anyone else, after I send a post or edit, I do go in and check it, both to ensure it posted, and to ensure it has not caused a problem like that, and also to see how it looks, since like others sometimes I do not catch a spelling typo at the time of writing, but only after looking at it in the thread.

Corrections to grammar are okay at any point for me, but you should try to make sure that your post can be understood before you post it.

My gf occasionally has trouble with opposites: she'll say or type "more" when she means "less" and cause confusion about her meaning with "did/didn't" and so on. It's a minor correct, but changes the meaning of a sentence. It's better to fix those kinds of errors fast.

But if you're changing your action because you thought better of it, you shouldn't do that as a GM or player.

Sometimes as a GM I'll add to a post if I haven't had a response in a day or two, but I don't undo what I have already said unless there has been a discussion about it and everyone knows it is coming.

In the games I run, my directions to the players are that they MAY edit posts up and until someone else posts after them. Very seldom do players post on top of each other, so an edit should not affect them. I have yet to see a player declare that an edit behind their post affected them in some way.

As a player I only edit spelling, unless the post is still fresh and upon my re-read of the post I say ... oops and make an edit. However I can not ever remember changing my actions in any way.

Solution:

Can't edit your spelling and grammar?

Play characters like barbarians, frontiersmen, street kids, etc, and claim the bad spelling is "in character".

Or you end up with a situation like mine.  Posted IC on a sub-vocal mike and wanted to emulate it by dropping the hard consonants.  I posted it like I wanted, and I still want to go back and fix the purposeful spelling errors.

The only thing I really find irritating is when people either use the wrong word (their/there/they're, etc) or else write as though they don't speak english. I don't really blame or hate those that don't speak english very well, but it is still irritating.

Dear lord how do you put up with me when I am tired? I get tenses mixed up and everything. Hence why I go days without posting sometimes.
This message was last edited by the user at 02:27, Wed 22 Oct 2014.

Actually, I couldn't care less about grammar or using the wrong word. As long as I can basically understand what you're saying.

Now, this does vary a bit from game to game. For example, in the 3.5 and Pathfinder games I run, I don't reallly mind poor grammar, because it's really all about the 'adventure'.

In a game with a heavier RP-focus though; it can get on my nerves a bit.

For me, editing spelling and grammar is fine (I do it in games I play and run). Changing substance depends on time frame. If you do it, facepalm, and let me know OOC ASAP, then I don't mind as a GM. If days or posts go on before you edit, then I mind.

As a player, I don't change substance unless the GM tells me to. If I'm not as clever as I'd like to be that day, then I fall on my sword of stupidity.

If I'm changing something more than just grammar/spelling, I'll put an "EDIT: HELD POST" Tag on the bottom of my post and talk to the GM first.  That way I can clear it first.

I don't like to see spelling and grammar errors in my posts, so I will go back and fix them. Sometimes weeks later if I'm re-reading the thread. As a GM I can't stand seeing my own mistakes on page. I will immediately 'Close' a thread if I need to edit for content. Then reopen it afterwords. That stops the post while I was posting effect.

I prefer well written characters. If I'm going to read your post, I want to enjoy it. I assume the same about people reading mine. I figure it's easier to clear up mistakes before posting so I try to make my GM posts in a word editor first. Then copy and paste. That keeps any network errors from dumping a 1000 word essay/story update.

But, I always try to give others the courtesy of assuming that this media is a 'rough draft' and certainly don't take offense to a couple of they're mistakes especially when there just trying to have fun and right a good storie. No what I meen? (Ok those were intentional) Even if the mistakes are dis tractors to me, they may not be to you.

Look's like I opened up a big can of worms here.  I'm glad to see everyone is getting a chance to vent a little.  Or justify, with their own internal logic.  Why they do what they do.  Everybody gets closure, or not! :D




Dang, I had to do it again!!!
This message was last edited by the user at 13:55, Wed 22 Oct 2014.

In reply to Merevel (msg # 23):

Merevel, you aren't bad, even if you feel like it. I've seen posts so bad, that a total foreigner with a phrasebook could do better. Seen some so bad that I couldn't figure what was being said despite recognizing the words as english words, most of them anyway.

As for editing, I don't mind corrections of grammer/wording, but don't really like edits of content unless with GMs permission, such as fixing something retroactively (happened a couple times when said they would've interrupted another player partway through their posted actions, or would in character objected)