back to article Twitter sticks a beak in, Clippy-style: Are you sure you want to set your account alight with that flame?

Although editing published tweets still remains strictly verboten on Twitter, the microblogging anger echo chamber intends to prompt English-speaking iPhone-wielding users to double-check content before posting a reply that they might regret. When things get heated, you may say things you don't mean. To let you rethink a reply …

  1. cornetman Silver badge

    The obvious answer is just don't use it. I don't. The maximum message size is far too short for context and since you cannot change it, there is no way to take it back, or modify it for clarity.

    Fundamentally, there is no mechanism for apology and encourages polarisation.

    Never used it, never will. They can keep their toxic message fest and shove it where the sun doesn't shine.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Yup. Twitter is for twits.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Childcatcher

    Scunthorpe

    Some place names are famous for tripping ill considered "AI".

    1. Rameses Niblick the Third Kerplunk Kerplunk Whoops Where's My Thribble?
      Joke

      Re: Scunthorpe

      Also an issue for those who live in or around Penistone in South Yorkshire

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Scunthorpe

        Don't forget Shitterton in Dorset!

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. fajensen

      Re: Scunthorpe

      I always liked English Village Naming Standards, like: Ham Spray (Marlborough SN8 3QY) and of course Brown Willy, Soggy Bottom as well as; Ascott-under-Wychwood and Pudlicote (there is something devious about Pudlicote).

      The more local attempts, like, "Porrarp" (PornHamlet) in Sweden doesn't have the same ring to it.

  3. RM Myers
    Coat

    "the microblogging anger echo chamber"

    That could be a description for El Reg's comments section when certain politicians or political events are the article subject. Well okay, maybe macroblogging rather than microblogging. What? Okay, Okay, I'm leaving - no need to push me.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "the microblogging anger echo chamber"

      Or anything that mentions religion, for that matter. It immediately brings in the trolls to insult anyone who dares to believe in something bigger than themselves.

      1. Terry 6 Silver badge

        Re: "the microblogging anger echo chamber"

        Or indeed to insult the people who don't.

        And even, come to that, to insult the ones who aren't sure either way.

    2. cornetman Silver badge

      Re: "the microblogging anger echo chamber"

      Nothing wrong with ridiculing stupid ideas. The problem is that religious types are often so attached to their worldview that they believe an attack on the idea is an attack on themselves.

      Troll attacks against people is common on Twitter, but I don't think it is very common here.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: "the microblogging anger echo chamber"

        Pretty much everytime religion is mentioned here, it's held up for ridicule. Typically any expression of belief in a creator of any kind is immediately shut down as ignorant and coming from an ignorant person. It is EXTREMELY common here.

        1. cornetman Silver badge

          Re: "the microblogging anger echo chamber"

          > Typically any expression of belief in a creator of any kind is immediately shut down as ignorant and coming from an ignorant person. It is EXTREMELY common here.

          I call bullshit. Examples please.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: "the microblogging anger echo chamber"

            Try this search on Google:

            creationist site:theregister.co.uk

            Then look at EVERY SINGLE HIT. Both the article and the comments. Or anytime anyone ever mentions the intentionally-insulting phrase "sky friend" or similar in a comment.

            1. This post has been deleted by its author

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sorry Dave ...

    ... I can't let you tweet that.

    1. Mark 85

      Re: Sorry Dave ...

      Make that "Sorry Donald... " That would be a winner.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Only for iOS

    The walled garden meets the walled mind

  6. Gene Cash Silver badge

    You can certainly edit a tweet

    It consists of deleting it and doing another. Just like a punch-card back in the day.

    1. sketharaman

      You can certainly edit a tweet

      Didn't think they kept a screenshot of the punchcard back in the day...

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Never tweeted, but ...

    I can see one really strong argument for preventing edits; to avoid repudiation issues for re-tweets and replies. Imagine the outcry amongst re-tweeters if (for example) POTUS edited an otherwise innocuous tweet to include an obscenity? Or completely changed the sense to the opposite meaning?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: ... edited an otherwise innocuous tweet to

      Clearly twitter would then need version control of some kind - gitwitter, anyone? :-)

    2. Terry 6 Silver badge

      Re: Never tweeted, but ...

      Here on El Reg we get a 10 minute edit slot. Long enough to realise that what we wrote was ambiguous, or wrong. Or just porely speld, if wee bovah.

      On Twitter they do threads, so the word limit is slightly mythical. But that means that delete and retrype doesn't work when yore spelling or you're punctuatshun let's you down. Because the the topic and thread gets even more jumbled than usual. A 10 minute edit slot would be useful.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Never tweeted, but ...

        Or a "see previous versions" button - allow the editing, but there's a way for any viewer to see what it looked like previously.

        1. Terry 6 Silver badge
          Pint

          Re: Never tweeted, but ...

          That'd be fun. The way Twitter works there'd be an awful lot of traffic generated by people trawling back through edits to try and find "gotchas".

          "....but what you said at first was....etc. etc."

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Never tweeted, but ...

            Leading decent twits Twitter users to actually think through what they're going to say, and say it right the first time...

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