Facebook's mobile app.
The first draft of anything is terrible, Ernest Hemingway once said (though in slightly more colorful language). Facebook is applying some similar thinking and allowing users to edit their posts.
Starting Thursday, Facebook's website and its Android app will allow users to make changes to posts after they have been published. The feature will be coming to iOS soon, a Facebook spokeswoman said.
With a digital eraser, users could potentially twist the meaning of their friends' comments and likes, intentionally or not. Imagine posting about an accomplishment, receiving a wave of congratulatory comments, and then changing the information in the original post.
But Facebook is more focused on the grammatical advantages of the tool. It can be used "if you notice a typo or get tripped up by auto-correct," a spokeswoman said via email.
Users can access the tool by tapping the down arrow on the post and choosing "Edit post." People can see a history of their changes after the post has been edited, the spokeswoman said.
On the Web, Facebook already lets users edit comments, but not their initial posts. Facebook rival Twitter does not yet allow editing of tweets.
Zach Miners covers social networking, search and general technology news for IDG News Service. Follow Zach on Twitter at @zachminers. Zach's e-mail address is zach_miners@idg.com
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