Do you correct factual errors in another's hub ,when you comment?

1. 70

   itakinsposted 13 years ago

   Do you correct factual errors in another's hub ,when you comment?
   
   I pointed out factual errors in a couple of hubs this week (re-St Patrick's day).On each occasion the author had the last word and deleted my comment.Would you just ignore the mis-information  and say nothing?
   
   

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2. 77

   Wesman Todd Shawposted 13 years ago

   I do sometimes.
   
   I think what matters is whether or not we are leaving a helpful comment  or not.
   
   Of course I've also left comments meant to "destroy" the entire premise of someone's hub, but those were factual too :;

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3. 77

   maggs224posted 13 years ago

   I might if I knew the person whose hub it was and I had a good relationship with them but I think that if I didn't know them I might use the contact button rather than the comments.
   
   As for me if I have something not right then I would hope someone would tell me and I would put it right asap and acknowledge the person who had bothered to help me get it right.

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4. 79

   Barbara Kayposted 13 years ago

   I've done this, hoping to help the person and when I felt it was important enough for the readers to know the right facts. I hope no one took offense.

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5. 83

   BlissfulWriterposted 13 years ago

   An alternative to pointing out people's error in public comment is to send them a private message via HubPages.    But most people will appreciate when other point out error.  I know I would like it when other point out errors in my Hubs so that I can correct it.  And I don't mind if they send me a private message or via public comment.

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6. 61

   Dave Mathewsposted 13 years ago

   Yes, if I believe that the error might cause a problem with someone else understanding clearly.

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7. 63

   wingedcentaurposted 13 years ago

   Hi, itakins.
   
   When I write hubs, I try to document my sources for any factual assertions I make. Obviously, this practice does not absolutely guarantee accuracy. But one should like to be as accurate and truthful with the facts as possible at the time. Documentation is a practice that we all learned about in school. If something is not common knowledge, you cite it!
   
   This way, when someone wants to dispute a factual claim I have made, I can at very least point to where I got it from: full title of book, author, publisher, and year (this is important because information can change over time, though certain continuities seem to remain fairly stable).
   
   I personally tend not to correct people if they have not asked for it -- most people, I find, don't take it well anyway. If I see a hub with no sources listed, chances are the person who wrote the hub doesn't know where he/she got the information, in which case, there is simply no use in getting into an argument about it. Just let it go.
   
   When we assert 'facts,' whose provenance we are unaware of, we will defend them to the death simply because they are self-evidently 'true,' or 'the truth.'

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8. 70

   Beth100posted 13 years ago

   Yes.  If an article is presenting facts, then those facts must be correct or the reader will receive incorrect information.  Many people literally take what they read to be the truth without doing further research.  It is my belief, that if there is an error, it should be corrected.  The author should not take offence, though this is dependent upon the tone that you use to point the error out, but rather receive it as positive feedback.

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