Although I am not that regular on Twitter, the concept of 'Edit' actually intrigues me. During my short stint on this social platform, I have made innumerable typos— some costing me reputation and even friends. That said, lately there has been a lot of talk regarding the inclusion of a certain feature called 'Edit' which was backed by several users and even mulled by many.
In this article, I will be sharing my personal experiences which might or might not influence the readers in accepting this feature, with an open mind. However, before moving further into this article it will be appropriate to get an overview of this presumed change.
Quite recently, Jack Dorsey, CEO Twitter took to this platform and started asking tweeters about the type of changes they would like to see. While expectations poured in, quite a lot of talk was focused towards the 'Edit' feature— allowing users the power of editing their words and sentences, in case a change is required.
Contradictory Thoughts
While a form of edit is definitely needed, head honchos are actually zeroing in on the actual application of this concept. For me, quick edits are what Twitter should look at as there are many analogies that might drive in a sense of separation among users.
Moreover, anything other than Quick Edits would force Twitter to change the entire changelog, making things cumbersome for the users. That said, it can even take the platform down for a few days. People are advocating different school of thoughts when it comes to this feature. While some are suggesting a time-based window for making these edits, many lethargic users are optimistic about the 'Edit Anytime' feature.
While both the concepts sound convincing in some way or the other, I am actually upbeat for the former as a time-bound editing feature would make a lot of sense.
Let us take a closer look at both the analogies before delving deep into the pros and cons of each.
The Time-Bound Edit Option
This approach allows users to edit their tweets within a given time frame. While nothing has been decided up till now, I am looking for a time frame of up to 5 minutes— before which the tweet can be edited for mistakes, grammatical errors and even typos.
The Concept of 'Edit Anytime'
If tweets could be edited at will, it will surely please a lot of users over this platform. However, this approach comes with a minor glitch as similar to Facebook, Twitter will also have to include a revision history to keep records of the original post.
Moreover, this idea could damage the trust factor within the platform, as a shady user can readily change the original tweet upon receiving replies to the same. The tweets can be altered at will, making it hard to detect changes— which can even be detrimental in nature.
That said, the 'Edit Anytime' feature— if implemented— is expected to help the likes of 123movies app, YouTube and players which offer streaming based services. These players can readily change the nature and content of their tweets, depending upon the featured programs. Moreover, if the content team goofs up, there is always an option to get the tweet back on track— without deleting the same.
Other Concepts
Some of the other improvements which have been suggested alongside the 'Edits' include the concept of bookmarks. Apart from that, the safety aspect will also get a boost— with Twitter allowing users to report bullies.
I am actually excited about this 'Edit' feature and expecting Twitter to get a lot innovative with the same. It was only yesterday when I made a small mistake and published the tweet. It got overlooked and garnered pretty good impressions from my community. However, the realization came quite late and I had to delete the entire tweet.
Twitter needs to get this fixed and any approach would suit my kind of tweeting.
Do let me know if you feel differently.