A little housekeeping note

Since I just did some of it, I thought I'd take a moment to outline my policy on editing posts after they first go up.

When a post is changed in any meaningful way, the word Updated in bold type will be placed at the very beginning of the post. At the very end will be an explanation of what was changed or added.

I will go back and edit posts to correct typos, grammatical errors, and the like without making an announcement.

The same is usually true of correcting or cleaning up syntax, which I usually do to make the piece more readable. However, if the correction is made because I think the statement as originally expressed might have confused someone as to my meaning, I will mark the post as having been updated.

I will mark a post updated if I add any information, including additional links or references.

I almost never remove anything from a post and would do so only under very limited conditions such as a material misstatement of fact. The only time I recall doing so was one occasion when I learned through comments that I had accidentally quoted someone as saying something they had not said. I removed the quote, marked the post Updated, and explained the change.

If, however, such misstatement affects any conclusions I draw in the post, I won't change it. Instead, I will do a new post, linking back to the old one, withdrawing or adjusting the conclusion as needs be. The old post will be marked as Updated with a link to the correction. (Note, however, that this doesn't mean that I'm going to keep going back and updating or correcting every conclusion I ever drew or prediction I ever made. That would not only be tedious for me and boring for readers, it would be stupid.)

One last thing: I often do not mark as Updated any changes of any kind that get made within the first two or three hours after a post goes up. Frankly, my readership is so small that I really don't think it probable that any meaningful number of people will have seen the post in that time - especially since I tend to post late at night.

So, in short,

1. I will correct typos, grammatical errors, and sloppy syntax, things that affect the readability of the post, without notice.
2. I will announce any changes that add new information to a post.
3. I will announce any changes, whether additions or deletions, that might affect or clarify the understanding of a post.

What I will not do is change a post in any way that changes the meaning of the post, including any predictions I make or conclusions I draw. I will not edit posts to cover up my mistakes or bone-headedness. If I was an idiot, I was an idiot and I can un-idiot myself with a subsequent post.