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I posted a question with the title "I need help converting nearly 200 redirects into redirectmatches". Is it okay to shorten the title to "Converting nearly 200 redirects into redirectmatches". I think everyone needs help, and so I would like to change the title. I will not change the text, even to correct my typos since there are already comments and an answer. The answer covers the typos.

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    Generally, if changing a Title (or Body) would make an existing answer no longer apply (or make it apply in an incorrect way), it would be wrong to make the change. Otherwise, any change that improves the question is a good thing. Note that invalidating comments is okay, though it is good to respond to such comments indicating that you have made such a change. Jun 23, 2020 at 0:30
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    You can also flag comments as "no longer needed" if your edit has addressed or invalidated them. A moderator will be happy to remove them. Jun 23, 2020 at 19:00
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    "The answer covers the typos." - although in this case, the "typos" were part of the code block, so they weren't necessarily typos, but possibly invalid code syntax. Changing "these typos" could have potentially changed the question. Otherwise, editing genuine typos is usually the best thing to do.
    – MrWhite
    Jun 26, 2020 at 14:58
  • @MrWhite They were typos. I did not edit them because you mentioned my typos in your answer, so I left them in. Had I seen the typos before your reply, I may had edited them. Jun 26, 2020 at 16:16

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Yes, you can change the title to make it better anytime you want. That type is of edit is the type we encourage here. We often edit questions to remove phrases like "please help, "my question is," or "thanks in advance." As you note, these phrases could apply to every question and are not needed.

You can also change the text of your post. Correcting typos is always appreciated, even if there are already comments and answers. When you edit a post, the edit history is preserved. Anybody can go see the original version. The edit can even be rolled back if it is spammy, destructive, or makes the post worse.

You are even welcome to edit other people's posts including the titles if you feel like you would like to help out on the site in general. Until you get enough reputation, your edits go into a queue to be reviewed. After you have enough reputation (2000), you can make edits anywhere you want across the entire site and we trust that you will do so in good faith. See help: privileges for more details.

Edits that improve posts typically:

  • Remove fluff phrases, greetings, and signatures
  • Improve spelling and grammar
  • Apply appropriate formatting
  • Improve clarity
  • Correct small mistakes
  • Add relevant links and references
  • Use example.com or some-domain.example instead of un-official example domains. Sometimes real domains can be replaced by example domains as well if they aren't needed to answer the question.
  • Remove inappropriate tags or add appropriate tags

When editing posts of other people that haven't been marked as a community wiki:

  • Preserve the original intent, meaning, and spirit
  • Use you own answers and comments rather than adding to the post or communicating with the author

See the FAQ on appropriate edits at Privileges - Edit questions and answers

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  • Stephen, I am often conflicted about correcting grammar posted by someone for whom English is obviously not their first language. While I know what they have written it is wrong even if the context and intention are correct, it seems a little patronising to make what are effectively trivial edits. Any thoughts on that?
    – Steve
    Jun 24, 2020 at 4:42
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    In addition to answering the question for the person who asked, we are building a repository of knowledge about webmastering. Questions and answers are later found by people with similar problems through search. Some questions help thousands of other people. It is important to correct the grammar to make the question usable in the future by others, even if you feel it could be patronizing. However, I have never gotten negative feedback about grammar edits. On the contrary, I often get thanks. Most non-native English speakers realize they need a little help and appreciate it. Jun 24, 2020 at 8:48
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    The few times I have gotten feedback that my edits were not appreciated were for substantial clarity edits. From that I've learned that if a question is a poorly written mess that can be interpreted 5 different ways, it is better to close the question as "requires clarity", rather than trying to guess the most likely interpretation myself. Jun 24, 2020 at 9:00

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