Why You Need to Edit Your Blog Post
In publishing your article/post, do you edit them first or just publish your work without re-reading your work? Why is editing your post important? These are some of the questions that I wish to answer in this article.
As a writer for many years, I find it inevitable at times to commit errors in writing – typos, omissions and grammatical. Often, these errors were not due to stupidity but time constraints. With some experience in the printing business, time pressure is always something that made us tick and in our attempt to beat the deadline, some errors have become part of the whole process of coming up with a newspaper, school paper and the like. Up to now, I still have this huge tendency to commit errors in my blog posts, I humbly admit.
However, I make sure my write-ups in my blog are edited before I upload them (whenever I have enough time). Sometimes, my biggest sin as a blogger is not giving my write-up a second look prior to uploading. Well, I’m sure every blogger experiences this once in a while. On the other hand, it has become my habit to re-read my posts after an hour or two in order to correct whatever mistake I have committed. Sometimes, it took me days before editing my work. It even makes me laugh to see errors in my write-ups after a few days they have been live on the internet.
In my opinion, it’s still best to edit your article before publishing them for several reasons:
- The article will be more readable;
- More readers will be encouraged to comment;
- You won’t have to worry about your mistake after publishing the article, hence, you can concentrate on responding to comments (if that’s your style);
- Your article will look more professionally-written; and
- Your blog can attract more readers in the long run.
These are my observations whenever an article is well-written. Sometimes, the length of the article has something to do with the length of time a reader stays in your site. For ordinary bloghoppers, a long article can be boring and considered a waste of time. However, when your article is well-written, readers will usually read them even if it is 20 pages long. Generally, a well-written and/or informative article can be engaging to the readers and fulfilling to you as the writer when you know that you have been thorough in your discussion. But however long or short are your articles, editing them is a lot better than just posting them, forgetting them and move on to writing the next post.
So, how about you? Do you edit your work?
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Tags: Blogging, Writing
huhuhu…. tinamaan ako dito sa post na to!(sigh)… Anyways, thanks for sharing your expertise , it will really help me to be more conscious next time….
bregie’s last blog post..mY bEt wOn…. another deserving wiNNeR
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jps61974 reply on March 1st, 2008:
Bing,
Even I am not perfect. I sometimes overlook some things about my work and really, I spend more time now in editing my work because I know fully well that it will look a lot better if I do so.
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My opinion is also the same, Before you HIT the Publish Button, you must read it out once to make necessary corrections.
Shanker Bakshi’s last blog post..Plugin for Photos from Flickr to Your WP Blog
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jps61974 reply on March 1st, 2008:
That’s correct…
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I also edit my post, before I hit the publish button, kaya nga inaabot ako ng 100 years before I can publish a post, hahaha…Baka kasi mali ang grammar, spelling, etc. Pero kung mali pa rin talaga, pag pasensyahan na, kahinaan ko na talaga yun.
Amor’s last blog post..Toddler No More
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jps61974 reply on March 1st, 2008:
Fren,
We share the same experience at times. I will have to admit here that there are many articles in my personal archives which I haven’t published yet. This is because they are either unedited or unfinished.
Don’t worry about your writing style… If you feel like it’s not good enough, soon after practicing some more, it will certainly improve. Learning how to write well takes a lot of practice and patience.
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it’s very difficult to edit one’s own post right then and there. sometimes it takes days or weeks before we find our errors and poor sentence structures. For the professional bloggers, it is often best to hire an editor.
ceblogger’s last blog post..5 Reasons Why I Blog
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jps61974 reply on March 1st, 2008:
Yeah, same here. However, for small bloggers like me, it’s not feasible to hire an editor. For blogs that are enjoying good traffic, your suggestion is very good. They really have to make sure their articles are well-written.
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I always take time to edit Kuya, but since I am not a good writer like you, I could still see many errors. Pag na-post ko na at marami ka pa ring nakitang errors despite my editing effort, puede paki-edit mo nalang nang libre, bwahahahahahahaha!
Scotty’s Princess’s last blog post..Guest Blogger At The What Have You Site
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jps61974 reply on March 1st, 2008:
Ellaine,
Sure, why not?
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I use Microsoft Word to write a lot of my blog post. When I am finished writing, I simply highlight the entire text and press F7. This function will spell and grammar check my writings. Has helped tremendously in keeping down on the number of typos.
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Shirley,
I use MS Word also at times but then again its editing capabilities are limited. Hence, a blogger should still edit his work manually by reading his article (unfortunately) line by line, just like the old-fashioned way.
It’s a great tool though to have it working for you.
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It depends on the article or the post. If it’s just about tags and awards normally I don’t edit it. But if it’s a longer article, I do edit it using microsoft word or just edit it again in blogger. Sometimes, I write articles and save them and when in time I want to post it, I just copy and paste it and hit the submit button. Although kahit how many times you edit your work, still after days meron ka pa rin makikitang mali.. :] eh yon la na akong magagawa hahahaha..
Yeey! post ko na comment ko.. :]
twinkletoe’s last blog post..Keep It That Way
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jps61974 reply on March 1st, 2008:
Twinks,
Ok na tong comment mo. See? Akismet is that strict and sometimes I have this huge tendency to just delete everything in my akismet bin dahil madaming spams na naca-catch ang Akismet everyday.
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hello kuya jessie hehe
gheeeh i do also recieved remarks from other readers mostly regarding of my font size and colors hehehe halos nagamit ko na lahat ng kulay para lang tumugma
minsan naman mali ang grammar at minsan dikitdikit yung words hahaha nakakalimutan king mag space
have a greatday and by the way i have a tag for you kung okay lang
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jps61974 reply on March 1st, 2008:
bluedreamer,
well, tlagang ganyan. ako man nung naguumpisa ako sa blogging eh naka 20 na palit yata ako ng theme until i settled for the simplest one (which is the present)… pero careful ka lang sa CSS. you might end up with a messed up blog if you play too much with ur CSS.
for your article, normal na minsan yang mga errors but just the same, you have to give your article more time. edit it once or twice before uploading it.
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As an online writer, I am used to editing, refining and glamming up anything I write - most especially my posts. It is my way of showing my readers that I value them and that they deserve nothing but my very best.
Besides, I don’t want them walking away with a bad aftertaste in their mouth for reading a half-baked stuff - the way I feel everytime I stumble upon a carelessly-written post. Sometimes, I can hardly quell the urge to edit their work for them.
Keep on posting - you really write interesting stuff, you know.
HotMama’s last blog post..Bond. Mommy Bond.
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jps61974 reply on March 3rd, 2008:
Hotmama,
Very well-said, my friend. More often than not, a half-baked article is a turn off to most readers especially those who really seek good articles to read.
Btw, thanks fro the compliment…
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Hmmm…i really envy people who are able to write well. I do agree that everything that one writes should be edited. However, I may be one of the few who still finds a lot to be edited despite rereading and looking for typos and grammatical errors. One thing I can’t seem to get rid of is having redundant words
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jps61974 reply on March 3rd, 2008:
Rj,
It will take some time before you can get used to the workarounds of publishing an article. Just be patient and soon, you’ll over the habit.
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I usually edit my post before publishing it, but sometimes there are still errors i miss to correct after publishing it. What i do is read it again and again online and edit again if necessary. Sometimes i’m just lazy to read it again.
I don’t really mind reading other’s post with grammatical errors or something, as long as i understand the content cos even the native speaker of the (english) language commits error in writing. In all aspect, a readable, comprehensible and interesting post counts in blogging.
Marlene’s last blog post..Obsessed With Peanuts
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jps61974 reply on March 3rd, 2008:
Mhy,
Exactly! I cannot agree more with what you said. Just like you, I also have that habit of re-reading my work even after publishing it for some reasons. One of which is the length. I usually write long articles and I think it’s inevitable to commit mistakes especially when I’ve been writing for hours. lol!
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You are very correct. It pays to go back and edit your posts. As ceblogger said, it is hard to go and do it right there and then. I find that if I go back to a post a day or so after I have published it, I may find a thing or two that needs fixing.
One person that helps in this respect is my wife. She sometimes reads my posts and makes any necessary adjustments. A fresh pair of eyes is always a good thing,
Gerri’s last blog post..Sell Online with the PayPal Storefront Widget
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jps61974 reply on March 3rd, 2008:
Gerri,
Thanks for your comment. you’re lucky to have a wife who is willing to help you with your blogging tasks. You’re right in saying that fresh are can be so handy when editing time comes. Sometimes, we really can’t see our own mistakes.
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Ngayun ko lang nabasa to ah? Haha..Minsan conscious akoa sa post ko pag paid siya but if not k lang. But like you Jess natatawa rin ako pag nakita kona mga errors ko. Tsaka kona siya edit. Kakahiya naman kahit sa sarili natin lang. Yung iba naman kasi wala paki at parang di nagbabasa panu minsan ganun ako wahaha..Dito lang ako sa page tumatagal sa pagbabasa.
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[...] Why You Need to Edit Your Blog Post – J.P. [...]
This is a great post!
As a blogger we often neglect simple things like reviewing our post. I’ve always seen post with writing errors and it always had a bad impression to the readers.
izzy_dizzy’s last blog post..The Politics
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There is no questions, if you plan to generate revenue from your website, it’s worth the few dollars to hire out an editor. Yes, it does eat into the bottom line a little in the short term, but in the long term the quality of the posts will keep readers coming back to your site. I think the 5 benefits listed in the article are spot on as to the importance of having a professional editor or proofreader review your posts.
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