When is it OK to delete a post?

[Image: blogsilly]I think that there are times when it’s totally appropriate to delete a post, and times when it’s totally inappropriate.

That being said, I’m a strong proponent of “do what you want” when it comes to your blog. After all, it’s your blog, and if you’re OK with the consequences, then go ahead and do it. Nobody can really tell you you’re “not part of the blogosphere” just because they don’t like the way you’re blogging.

My hunch is that a lot of bloggers will say that you should never delete a post, because it’s contrary to the spirit of the blogosphere. I think that’s baloney. One of the great things about blogging is its fluidity; it’s the first publication medium where you can really change things after they’re published (splling errrors? I fix them all the time).

It’s OK to delete a post if you honestly screw up. Not if you’re wrong, but if you screw up. So let’s say I’ve posted to Digital Clicker, but I’ve accidentally made the post about something that’s confidential. This is a no-brainer: delete it.

It’s OK to delete a post that’s inappropriately offensive. Let’s say you made a post that was, accidentally, extremely racist. One of the Weblogs, Inc. blogs did this a while ago (I forget which blog, so sadly no link), but they pulled out the offensive bit, and apologized. Smart move.

However, you have to be careful that when you delete a post, it’s because you screw up, not because you’re embarrassed. Deleting the wrong post is one of the things that can really hurt you. If you start deleting posts where you made predictions that turned out to be untrue, or where you find out you’re in the minority opinion and you’d rather not be, you’ll lose your credibility. Fast.