Maybe, but almost no one is asking for that, just a longer edit window.
I respectfully disagree. These points have been raised:
- The 5-minute limit is unusually short and many message boards operate successfully with longer windows.
- Numerous posters have described problems with the 5-minute window because of time-outs or multi-tasking.
Further, if this board were open to change, you could alter the window to 15 minutes for a three-month trial period, thus gathering objective evidence as to whether it would work or not, then decide whether a permanent adjustment was warranted.
The fact that TBTB won’t directly offer a logical response to the above, or consider testing a longer window, points to that “adamantine devotion.”
To repeat myself repeatedly, personally I’m not especially bothered by that. While I think a longer window would be better (15 minutes seems like a good middle ground), the short window (and the resistance to change) is part of the ethos of this place.
I was amused this morning when I did a search for all the threads I have ever started on this board and I found this one from about 8 years ago.
I swear that I have absolutely no memory of starting this thread. It just seems kind of “funny” to see and compare it to the current thread - especially the last sentence of the 8 year old thread.
I think the recommended search method is to Google “site:straightdope.com foo”, where you replace “foo” with whatever it is you are searching for.
Example: “site:straightdope.com edit window”
Result: https://www.google.com/search?q=site:straightdope.com+edit+window
~Max
For what it’s worth, I concur with all of this. I often have timeout issues when editing posts and I often rush through my edits so I don’t miss the window. I think 15 minutes would be plenty, and a 3-month trial period sounds like a great idea to me.
Also: I started reading TSD in about 1987. I bought all the books and I’ve been lurking on this site since about 1996. I get the strong impression that we on this board are collectively aging and there aren’t many new members to freshen things up. (Mods: is that a fair assessment?)
In light of that, maybe we shouldn’t cling so tightly to things like a 5-minute edit window that are unusual for an online forum. The silverbacks on this board may like it, but it may also feel a bit unfriendly to those accustomed to other forums. Given that there are no new SD columns forthcoming, why not loosen the policy a bit and see how it goes? It would be nice to do what we can to keep the community vibrant as long as possible.
On a related note, the board owners require the mods to shut down discussions of certain topics; I understand that this is non-negotiable, but I also understand that many of the restrictions could have been written by the RIAA in 2001. The restrictions at best seem somewhat parochial and out of date to younger people. At worst, they give off a petty-tyranny vibe (even if it’s undeserved).
Since the discussion restrictions aren’t going away, why not try loosening up where we can? A three-month trial of a 15-minute edit window seems like a pretty low-risk thing to try. We can always revert to the way things are now.
Well, another related question might be: Whose intervention would be required to make this, or any, change?
Can the moderators change the edit time limit? Or do they need to send the request up the food-chain to get it done?
Can the Board Administrator (to-wit: TubaDiva) do it?
Or does it need to get sent even further up the programming staff to happen? If so, that would likely be a roadblock right there. We’ve already known for a while that the upper management doesn’t want to invest a whole lot of personpower in operating this board.
It is a simple change in the vBulletin admin panel. I think TubaDiva is currently the only Admin for the SDMB.
Might take 15 minutes to find without Googling it or 5 Googling, but 5 seconds to change once located.
Moved.