Can I change my Facebook comments once they are live?

We’re all “only human” and will make mistakes when writing our status updates on our Facebook pages (well, I know that I do). Usually these mistakes are typos or a word is forgotten, and it’s annoying when you have written it and then realise oops…

First impressions count on your Facebook page, particularly if it’s relevant to the business, eg. imagine a copywriter who owned a Facebook page which had spelling mistakes on it – it’s very unlikely that you are going to use their services. Or a fashion designer who couldn’t spell the word skirt – not a good look!

When you post a status update on your page you unfortunately can’t change them once they are live. You will need to delete them and put them up again. Annoying yes, but if you are deleting them and putting them up again, remember to copy the update before you remove it. Then paste the update and make any changes to save typing it again, before you hit update.

However, you can actually change comments that you write on Facebook. By this I mean comments that you make on a post (this could be yours or someone else’s). You need to do the change pretty much immediately after you have posted it. To do that:

1. Mouse over the comment you want to change in the top right corner.
2. When the x appears click on it.
3. Now your comment box will appear white again so that you can edit it.
4. Once edited hit ENTER to add the comment again.

If you have left it more than a few seconds you won’t be able to edit the comment.

Unfortunately you can’t edit comments on posts after you have posted them if you are writing them on your iPhone/iPad etc.

Another tip to stop you making status update typos is to use Google Chrome as your internet browser, while using Facebook. Chrome actually checks your typing for spelling, the same as Microsoft Word would, and underlines them in red. This makes it easier to spot the mistakes before you hit UPDATE.

Are you having any Facebook challenges that you need help with? I’d love to hear from you, tell me in the comments below.

Lara Solomon is the founder of Mocks, mobile phone socks www.MyMocks.com, founder of Social Rabbit – your guide in the world of social media www.Facebook.com/SocialRabbit and author of ‘Brand New Day – the Highs & Lows of Starting a Small Business’. Lara’s business LaRoo was the winner of the NSW Telstra Micro-Business Award in 2008.