Using strikethrough function in blogs...you may know 'how', but do you know 'why'?

Yesterday, I was twittering about how I needed to edit some typos in a blog post. The question was asked whether I fix the typos or use the "strikethrough" function. That brief discussion sparked the idea for this post.

Most everyone knows how to use the strikethrough, but I wonder if everyone knows why it exists so far as blogging is concerned. If not, perhaps a little blog history lesson is in order.

Since their inception, one signal characteristic of blogs has always been their immediacy. Blogs were (are) very extemporaneous in nature with commentary that often went unedited. There was a strong sense of letting the record stand and "keeping it real."

One blogger who exemplifies this mindset is Tim Warner, who established his own blogging code of ethics, one tenant of which says...

"I will let the record stand; I will not delete posts, or parts of them, unless not doing so would violate one of the foregoing principles, and I will give notice that I have done so. If I modify a post, it will be by adding to it; and I will mark these additions clearly. I will not post an update notice when fixing grammatical errors."

Well-known PR blogger, Jeremy Pepper, has a credo of his own, which states: "When I correct mistakes - if they are beyond spelling and grammar mistakes - I will note that a post has been updated."

The strikethrough function is the HTML tag normally associated with this type of "letting the record stand" form of editing. It mimics the long-standing tradition of striking through non-erasable text. Thus, it's a perfect fit for the keep it real blog mentality.

Blogging has evolved away from use of strikethrough
As blogs have evolved toward more long-form, essay-style journalism, there is a trending away from this coarse style of editing. I rarely ever see strikethroughs any more, at least not among the cadre of bloggers I follow regularly.

Maybe I'm just a follower one of the sheep, but I have to admit using the strikethrough function sparingly myself.  Typically, if it's a typo, I'll correct it without a notification. However, if it's a factual error or rephrasing of a sentence, I'll use the tag.

About a year ago, NY Times  commentator Noam Cohen suggested that bloggers were using the strikethrough in ironic fashion, as a clever way of "simultaneously commenting on your prose as you create it." In other words, rather than using the HTML tag as a correction, it's used to emphasize commentary that the poster wants read.

I hope blogging's evolution as a form of journalism never takes it so far that we lose the historical precedent. While I believe blogging's future is bright, to lose sight of the past would be to do a disservice to the craft.

What do you think?

PS: If you don't know how to use the strikethrough function, here are some links to help:

• Blogging Tips - Strikethrough Text
• Crying Foul Wolf with the HTML Strikethrough Element
• HTML Del Tag

Comments

[Missy Caulk]

Thanks for the info, was sure about the strike through, but now I know. I saw a huge strike through on AR yesterday by Bob Stewart and now I know it means let the record stand.

[Yvonne DiVita]

All to the good, Paul. I also tell people that when you make a correction, folks who subscribe via RSS get an 'update' and without a strikethrough, they will likely wonder what the heck... strikethroughs are a form of politeness, IMHO. Even with a minor typo...how will I know, if you don't alert me? If you make me think, I'm likely to get annoyed.

Strike away! (although I, too, have gotten lazy and either don't fix typos - of fix'em and forget to use strikeout! Mea culpa!)

[Martin Diano]

I had no idea, Paul, about using the strikethrough function on a blog. Thanks for enlightening us all.

[Ann Handley]

My take on strikethrough is similar to yours, Paul: that it's a judgment call. If you correct an error that alters the meaning of the text, consider a strikethrough. If you correct typos or otherwise insignificant errors, there's no need.

[Rose]

Thank you for the linking love. It is always nice when someone finds something on my blog helpful. I think strikethrough is still used by a great deal of bloggers.

[Uruk]

Thanks for the history lesson. I can appreciate the ironic use of the strike-through even more now that I understand the origins.