# Don't press submit more than once. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 18, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253 "2003-10-18T23:27:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/1 "2003-10-18T23:27:05Z")
Darn, I typed all the following into a closed thread. :smack: I don’t think anyone will mind me starting a new ATMB thread about it. If that is not the case I apologise > [@](#): > > **MasterChief** it’s important to remember that even if nothing happened when you pressed submit, and even if you got a cannot find server screen, chances are high that it was actually submitted. > > Every time it happens to me, the first thing I do is open a new window to see if it posted, before I even think about pressing submit again. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/2 "2003-10-19T00:43:22Z")
It _is_ a bit hard to see the grey “locked” symbol against a grey envelope symbol at the left hand side of the screen, **Lobsang**. Please don’t hit your forehead _too_ hard. mate. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/3 "2003-10-19T02:20:29Z")
I’ve hit submit, had the board hang for 20 minutes or so, finally free up, get back to the thread in question, see that my post isn’t there, submit again - Bingo! Double post! Sometimes with one or two intervening posts. What’s the longest “hang time” for a post? 20-30 minutes is nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/4 "2003-10-19T03:37:22Z")
The best way seems to be not to go back to the thread to check, **Ringo** , but to hit “preview reply” on the posting screen. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/5 "2003-10-19T05:26:55Z")
If you press Preview you risk losing your post. What I, and I presume **Ringo** is talking about it opening a new browser window to check, this preserving your original window ready to post (if you haven’t seen it posted in the new window) ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/6 "2003-10-19T05:28:54Z")
‘it’ should be ‘is’ and ‘this’ should’ be ‘thus’. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/7 "2003-10-19T06:41:31Z")
You risk losing your post? 😕 **Lobsang** , if you click on submit, and then nothing happens, how can clicking on preview lose your post? That’s never happened to me. I’ve tried the “open another window” bit. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. “Preview” usually shows whether the post is there or not. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/8 "2003-10-19T07:29:14Z")
No, I mean when your submit times out and you get cannot find server. You can’t click preview then cos it’s gone. But if your submit has ‘hung’ then pressing preview might actually prevent the post from posting, as it might have been iminent. The idea of looking at the thread in a new window is so that you can leave the original request to do it’s work. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/9 "2003-10-19T07:40:38Z")
You’ve not tried going back-click to the posting screen? Or do you find that’s wiped out too? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/10 "2003-10-19T07:50:18Z")
Now I see what you mean. If the request times out, press back (which usually digs the page out of the local cache) and then press ‘preview’. That’s a good idea, I’ll try that in future. But if the request is ‘doing nothing’ (it’s trying to get a connection) then pressing preview would halt the trying. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/11 "2003-10-19T08:01:05Z")
Yeah, it might do. So far, I’ve been okay in that going back to the posting screen and then previewing again (because, of course, one should always preview at least once if you’re typo-capable like me) shows the post up if it has gone through. ---
**Author:** ![MasterChief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@MasterChief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MasterChief)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/12 "2003-10-19T08:25:59Z")
u could always save ur post on the clipboard if ur afraid to lose it ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/13 "2003-10-19T08:50:43Z")
Yes. Quite true, **MasterChief**. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/14 "2003-10-19T10:12:11Z")
QUOTE]\*Originally posted by MasterChief \* \*\*u could always save ur post on the clipboard if ur afraid to lose it \*\* [/QUOTE] Pssssst… **MasterChief** , it’s early in the morning, so nobody is around to hear us. 😉 A friendly word in your ear: using ‘u’ for “you”, and “ur”, for “your / you’re / you are” will piss off a lot of the regulars around here, and they won’t be shy in letting you know. I understand we’re probably considered old fashioned and quaint, but we like to use correct English around these parts. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/15 "2003-10-19T10:13:13Z")
Now correct coding, on the other hand is a thing we are really carefree with… I’ve invoked Thingummy’s Law. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MasterChief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@MasterChief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MasterChief)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/16 "2003-10-19T10:38:09Z")
Well i am quite young compared to the average poster here, i am 23. i always used “u” and “ur” , it’s in my blood now, i don’t think i can ever write in correct english ever on the net. U people should get used to the new generation… ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/17 "2003-10-19T11:02:09Z")
Personally, I don’t care either way. If you want to abbreviate words because that’s what you’re used to elsewhere – it doesn’t exactly grind my gears. But, **MasterChief** , there are a _lot_ of posters here who _do_ care. They’ll let you know about how they care as well, some in far less polite ways than that utilised by **TheLoadedDog**. ---
**Author:** ![FisherQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@FisherQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FisherQueen)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/18 "2003-10-19T11:10:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MasterChief \* > \*\*Well i am quite young compared to the average poster here, i am 23. > > i always used “u” and “ur” , it’s in my blood now, i don’t think i can ever write in correct english ever on the net. > U people should get used to the new generation… \*\* If, at the young age of 23, you are not able to learn to do things in different ways, then you are destined for a very difficult life. And the lesson that it’s worth taking some effort to help people’s perception of you is a good one. If you use good English here, people will see you as smart and worth listening to. If you insist on internet slang, people will see you as not too bright and unwilling to conform to the standards of the community, and will very likely dismiss your ideas more quickly. It’s entirely your decision how you want to be perceived. But there’s good people here, and with many of them, their respect is well worth having. Now, just to stay within the topic of the thread, I’m just going to hit ‘submit’ once on this post. ---
**Author:** ![MasterChief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@MasterChief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MasterChief)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/19 "2003-10-19T11:28:07Z")
well fisherqueen, i frankly don’t care what people think of me. I don’t see how can using “u” instead of you makes me less smart. And why should i conform to the standards of the community? I have my own personality and i am willing to defend it. Excuse me, but i think that people who judge on one’s “correct english” are the ones being discriminative and “less smart”. It’s only and abbreviation, sparing me keystrokes, that’s all, there isn’t a political or philosophical dogma behind it. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253/20 "2003-10-19T11:31:54Z")
Oh Geez. **MasterChief** , when I said “a friendly word”, I meant it. I was offering you a bit of advice I thought would be useful. This is a community here. We have our own standards. We could decide on correct English, 1337, or Swahili. We’ve made our choice. If you want to have fun here, I’d recommend you respect the local customs. You’re not forced to of course, but… eh, don’t say I didn’t warn you when you cop a roasting. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-press-submit-more-than-once/208253.md?page=2)