Editing posts so others can learn from our mistakes.

Question

When someone makes an error in a post, the members here are very quick to offer a suggested change. That's one of the things about this site that is so great. We all learn best from our mistakes (at least that is what we have been told all of our lives!). I would like to be able to learn from others mistakes, as well, so I am proposing a slight change to how people self-edit.

Once someone edits a post, based on feedback in the comments section, the error is deleted and replaced by the correct word or phrase. The correct translation is noted in the original comment, but the error itself is gone forever. I think that I would learn better if I saw both the original post as well as the edited version. There is a very good chance that others would make the same error, and would better learn the correct response by seeing both versions.

If there was a strikethrough feature here, members could use it to correct their errors while leaving the original available for review. Is there a way to add this feature? Do others think this would be helpful?

¿Está un buena idea? Correction: ¿(Está) Es un buena idea?

I really find this idea to be very helpful - Shaunte_Griffin, Apr 12, 2010

I agree 100% Estoy en acuerdo cien por ciento. - ian-hill, Apr 12, 2010

Answer 1

I LOVE this idea!

You can make strikethroughs in your post by preceding with [del] and following with [/del] but use angle brackets < instead of square >

Thanks, Leslie! I thought it was going to be much harder than that because of the complicated computer codes. - --Mariana--, Apr 12, 2010

Thanks! This is good to know, but I still think that it should not be left to the user. I think it should be automatic. This is good information, though. - danrivera, Apr 12, 2010

Answer 2

Actually we alrealdy have a fuction that allow us to see what was the original post. Just between "link" and "flag" there is a "history" if the post was edited.

Ex. in nizhoni1 post when I clicked on her history, I can see she edited Myabe to Maybe.

I did not know that. Thanks! However, this is also the point. As a newbie, I did not know that and I am sure that many others do not know this. We need this "history" to automatically be displayed without any optional inputs or clicks. - danrivera, Apr 12, 2010

Answer 3

I think this is an excellent idea!

I wonder how difficult it would be to add a strikeout feature to the top bar (where the other editing tools are).

If adding the tool is not possible, how about we edit like this:

Original: Como estas usted.

Edited: Cómo está usted.

Marianne - I join you in wanting to have the "Strikethroug" feature added to the Q & A menu bar. I'm not sure about the 2nd part of this suggestion.. I cannot give a ½ vote so you get the whole thing. - Moe, Apr 12, 2010

Answer 4

For educational purposes, I do not think that the strikethrough feature should be optional. I think that it should automatically occur when the edits are made. If this is possible, it would help out tremendously. Great idea!

Y E S - ian-hill, Apr 12, 2010

Answer 5

I just did it using the the angle brackets as you described and the only thing that happened was the "del" part did not show up

Answer 6

Good idea - to see right and wrong side byside. You can go back on your own posts after correcting via the edit button by using the edit buton again and see what you had typed prior to correcting but I don´t know if you can do it on other people´s posts. I dare not try as I am having some computer problems at the moment and don´t want to wipe SpanishDict off the face of the earth or something!

You can edit other people's posts when you get a certain number of points but I think it is safer just to stay in the comment box - nizhoni1, Apr 12, 2010

Answer 7

There is a strike though feature here. I have seen others use it. Maybe they will chime in.

The stike feature is only available if you know how to use computer code...same with large size and colored text. - --Mariana--, Apr 12, 2010