So here’s the second post, and I think I see the answer: To wit, WordPress will allow a very long URL. And, in this case, where I copied the title, then discarded the draft (because I thought the URL had been truncated), it appears that it automatically adds a “-2” (because the discarded draft is probably still around.
So I guess the answer is:
- Duplicate URLs shouldn’t happen–probably not even if you deliberately use precisely the same actual title (I’ll test that shortly)
- But WP URLs can get pretty long…
All things considered, I think this is preferable behavior.
You’re supposed to manually edit the slug (the actual term, not “URL”) to one or two words, not live with the defaults. In other words, the way I do it is correct and relying on defaults isn’t.
Joe: “You’re supposed to…”–wow, I must have missed that in the training manual for Correct Blogginess. Along with the assertion that a string starting http://… isn’t really a URL.
On the other hand, your Correctness simply doesn’t deal with the only reason these posts exist: To wit, does the blogging software assure unique addresses? It appears that WP does; it seems that SixApart’s software doesn’t.
Otherwise: Relying on defaults where feasible is the way most of us focus our energies on stuff that matters. I don’t plan to stop doing that.