postedits

Postedits are records of edits applied to online posts on collaborative and user-generated content platforms. Each postedit documents the change that was made, who made it, when it occurred, and, in many cases, why the edit was performed. In practice, a postedit entry is part of a post's revision history, which may also include the previous and current content, a diffs view, and links to surrounding revisions.

Typical fields in a postedit include the post identifier, the editor's user identifier or username, the timestamp of the edit, an optional edit summary, and a representation of the difference between the versions (a diff) or the full before and after content. Revision histories are exposed in various ways across platforms, such as dedicated edit history pages, inline notes that say “edited,” or through public APIs and data dumps.

The primary purposes of postedits are transparency, attribution, and accountability. They enable users to see how content has evolved, to revert to earlier versions if needed, and to resolve disputes over edits. They also support moderation, quality control, and research into editing patterns and content evolution.

Challenges associated with postedits include edit wars, vandalism, and privacy or safety concerns when sensitive information is edited in or revealed through diffs. Access to postedits may be restricted by platform policies or data protection rules, and different platforms vary in how much history they preserve and how easily it can be retrieved.