# Do you discard intended changes or additions to posts on forums that limit edit time?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 25, 2014, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532 "2014-09-25T15:18:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/1 "2014-09-25T15:18:49Z")
Sadly, a lot of forum impose strict time limits to editing a post. No need to name them. Everyone knows who they are.
If you add additional information to a post and get burned by the timeout what do you do?
!. say F it and not include the new information?
2 start a new reply?
I’m curious how much information edit time outs cost forum threads. I know most times I just disgustedly say F it and don’t post. Once in awhile I’ll add a new reply but thats pretty rare.
How about you?
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### Author:  [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/2 "2014-09-25T15:21:18Z")
Typically the former (ignore it, leave whatever else unsaid).
In fact, unless it’s RIGHT after I post, I don’t even bother trying to beat the timer since I’m not going to waste time adding to a post just to get a “Time Exceeded” message when I try to re-post it.
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### Author:  [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/3 "2014-09-25T16:10:58Z")
If it’s a trivial change (fix a spelling or grammar mistake…) I just drop it. If it is more substantive I add another reply.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/4 "2014-09-25T16:20:49Z")
> [@PastTense](#):
>
> If it’s a trivial change (fix a spelling or grammar mistake…) I just drop it. If it is more substantive I add another reply.
This, I guess. Even if there weren’t a time limit, I’d be hesitant to add new information to old posts, since many people wouldn’t see them, having already read the original post.
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### Author:  [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/5 "2014-09-25T16:32:36Z")
I just add
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### Author:  [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/6 "2014-09-25T16:41:12Z")
another reply.
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/7 "2014-09-25T16:42:55Z")
golf clap
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/8 "2014-09-25T16:56:43Z")
Why is it “sad” that you only have 5 minutes to edit a post?
This board would be awful if everyone could go back and completely change their posts any time after the fact. You could say some really shitty stuff, get called on it, and be all “I never said that!” after an edit. Fuck that.
Five minutes is plenty of time to hit “post”, read, notice a mistake and go fix it. If this causes a problem for you, like you can’t be bothered to write a meaningful post the first time 'round, perhaps you need to slow down and post less. Take more time per post.
I will add another post if there’s a glaring error in my initial post that makes it not make sense, or is untruthful (because I had an incorrect notion). But it rarely happens. Grammar and spelling I get right away during the ample edit time.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/9 "2014-09-25T17:02:45Z")
I have a man, Everett, whose job it is to read over each of my posts. Should he notice a spelling or grammatical error he will bring it to my attention and I will edit the post. Concerns over the substance of a post often lead to lively discussion/banter which sometimes will take me beyond my allotted five minutes.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/10 "2014-09-25T17:06:16Z")
Different forums set different time limits. Gallifrey Base sets theirs a few hours after the post. TWOP was the same way before they closed. I’m not sure exactly what the limit is because I never exceeded it.
It would be rare for me to modify a post more than 30 mins after I wrote it. Most times on other forums my changes are done within within 15 minutes. What often eats up my time is googling for a cite that I want to include with my post.
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### Author:  [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/11 "2014-09-25T17:10:44Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#):
>
> This board would be awful if everyone could go back and completely change their posts any time after the fact. You could say some really shitty stuff, get called on it, and be all “I never said that!” after an edit. Fuck that.
I’ve never seen this be a problem on other forums. I get that it could be but, in practice, it doesn’t seem to work out that way. Plus whatever shitty thing you’ve said was usually already quoted so an “edited on” tag that comes later with a “I never said that!” would result in immediate laughter and derision.
I don’t really care about the limited timer here (heck, I remember when it was no edits period) but this argument for it doesn’t really seem to be a problem elsewhere.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/12 "2014-09-25T17:15:17Z")
> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> What often eats up my time is googling for a cite that I want to include with my post.
If you need a cite, why don’t you google for it before posting in the first place?
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/13 "2014-09-25T17:16:02Z")
> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> Different forums set different time limits. Gallifrey Base sets theirs a few hours after the post. TWOP was the same way before they closed. I’m not sure exactly what the limit is because I never exceeded it.
>
> It would be rare for me to modify a post more than 30 mins after I wrote it. Most times on other forums my changes are done within within 15 minutes. What often eats up my time is googling for a cite that I want to include with my post.
That doesn’t even make sense. Take more time to write your initial post. Problem solved.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/14 "2014-09-25T17:17:57Z")
I often don’t think about it before hitting Post. I’ve always written spontaneously and edited heavily afterward. Even in school my papers were heavily edited after I wrote them.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/15 "2014-09-25T17:30:39Z")
> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> I often don’t think about it before hitting Post. I’ve always written spontaneously and edited heavily afterward.
So, you
1. Write spontaneously
2. Hit the “Submit Reply” button
3. Edit heavily
Seems to me you could just reverse the order of steps 2 and 3.
Either that, or just accept that there’s a certain spontaneity to conversations here.
I’ve occasionally wished for the ability to go back and edit or add information to things I’ve said in real-life, in-person conversations; but alas, it doesn’t work that way.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/16 "2014-09-25T18:12:10Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#):
>
> That doesn’t even make sense. Take more time to write your initial post. Problem solved.
I think you could have gone with two sentences here. Possibly even one, with a semicolon.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/17 "2014-09-25T18:31:37Z")
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> I think you could have gone with two sentences here. Possibly even one, with a semicolon.
Fuck. Now it’s forever wrong ☹
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/18 "2014-09-25T20:23:27Z")
Sorry. Shoulda kept my mouth shut. {{{Hugs}}}
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### Author:  [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2014, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-discard-intended-changes-or-additions-to-posts-on-forums-that-limit-edit-time/699532/19 "2014-09-26T05:27:00Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#):
>
> Why is it “sad” that you only have 5 minutes to edit a post?
>
> This board would be awful if everyone could go back and completely change their posts any time after the fact. You could say some really shitty stuff, get called on it, and be all “I never said that!” after an edit. Fuck that.
>
> Five minutes is plenty of time to hit “post”, read, notice a mistake and go fix it. If this causes a problem for you, like you can’t be bothered to write a meaningful post the first time 'round, perhaps you need to slow down and post less. Take more time per post.
>
> I will add another post if there’s a glaring error in my initial post that makes it not make sense, or is untruthful (because I had an incorrect notion). But it rarely happens. Grammar and spelling I get right away during the ample edit time.
I agree with your overall sentiment, but I would prefer if we had 10 mins instead of 5. Most of my board reading and posting is done on my phone, which really _does_ increase the time it takes to compose or edit a post.