# I pit the 5 minute Edit rule. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 5, 2012, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482 "2012-01-05T08:30:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/41 "2012-01-06T18:51:36Z")
Intelligence tests? Usually the SDMB tests my patience. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/42 "2012-01-07T03:56:52Z")
I rather like it. It gives me time to admit I fucked up, but less to weasel out of it. Which I would, if I could. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/43 "2012-01-07T14:08:29Z")
How does the OP feel about the rule that discussions about board rules should be in the ATMB forum? šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/44 "2012-01-07T16:27:16Z")
. _ohhhh_ ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/45 "2012-01-08T01:11:41Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > How does the OP feel about the rule that discussions about board rules should be in the ATMB forum? šŸ˜‰ Right! Yes! That rule which I totally did not forget about when I first saw this thread. Moved to ATMB. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/46 "2012-01-08T02:00:24Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > Here here! I advocate windows equal to each personā€™s intelligence. Which, on the Dope, is always subject to speculation. that should be inversely proportional. the more intelligent you are the less time you should need to catch your error. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/47 "2012-01-08T02:30:42Z")
That sounds fair to me. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/48 "2012-01-08T02:34:23Z")
Then could I have half an hour, please? ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/49 "2012-01-08T02:57:28Z")
Another site I visit allows people to \*delete \* the post in an edit. It makes for some interesting reading when the OP is gone and the thread is full of replies to it. I think 5 minutes is perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/50 "2012-01-08T03:36:41Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > Another site I visit allows people to \*delete \* the post in an edit. It makes for some interesting reading when the OP is gone and the thread is full of replies to it. That reminds me of a situation I heard mentioned recently, about how a forum that allows that had an especially prolific poster leave in a snit and delete every post heā€™d made. Which left an awful lot of threads semi-incomprehensible. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/51 "2012-01-08T03:56:28Z")
I like it, but Iā€™ve found a bug in it. Just a small one but annoying. Sometimes I try to make a minor edit. It allows me to start editing, the change takes a few seconds, but then it wonā€™t let me save. Itā€™s happened a number of times. I donā€™t believe that I started editing at 4:57 then tried saving at 5:02, at least not every time. Is it possible to set a 5-minute window to start editing, and a 6-minute window to save your changes? Because I think youā€™ve got it the wrong way round. I think the current settings allow people to start an edit for maybe 6 minutes, but wonā€™t allow saving after 5. ---
**Author:** ![srzss05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@srzss05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srzss05)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/52 "2012-01-08T15:17:02Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > It hadnā€™t even occured to me that without the 5 minute edit time people would go back and try to change what theyā€™d said. (I _think_ Iā€™m reading that right.) Donā€™t feel bad about this. On most message boards it wouldnā€™t be a problem at all, because no one would care. Thatā€™s why most that allow editing either allow unlimited editing or at least a longer window. It makes me think that people here canā€™t have ā€œnice thingsā€ because others will abuse it, or at least make a bigger stink about it than it is worth. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/53 "2012-01-08T15:39:27Z")
> [@srzss05](#): > > Donā€™t feel bad about this. On most message boards it wouldnā€™t be a problem at all, because no one would care. Thatā€™s why most that allow editing either allow unlimited editing or at least a longer window. It makes me think that people here canā€™t have ā€œnice thingsā€ because others will abuse it, or at least make a bigger stink about it than it is worth. I wonder why you think it would not be a bigger problem elsewhere. As two of us have pointed out, it is a big problem in some other places. I think here, people are not tolerant of those who would ā€œgameā€ the system. Which is a good thing. And to me, we have more ā€œnice thingsā€ than those other sites that allow people to go back and change history because they had second thoughts (or got piled on). Here, we understand proofreading, also (or most of us do). ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/54 "2012-01-08T16:43:24Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > I like it, but Iā€™ve found a bug in it. Just a small one but annoying. > > Sometimes I try to make a minor edit. It allows me to start editing, the change takes a few seconds, but then it wonā€™t let me save. > > Itā€™s happened a number of times. I donā€™t believe that I started editing at 4:57 then tried saving at 5:02, at least not every time. > > Is it possible to set a 5-minute window to start editing, and a 6-minute window to save your changes? Because I think youā€™ve got it the wrong way round. I think the current settings allow people to start an edit for maybe 6 minutes, but wonā€™t allow saving after 5. And then as soon as you do that, someone is going to want a 7 minute window to save changes. Whatā€™s the problem with just making another post? You can even quote your original post so itā€™s clear that youā€™re making an edit or addition. ---
**Author:** ![srzss05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@srzss05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srzss05)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/55 "2012-01-08T21:01:31Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > I wonder why you think it would not be a bigger problem elsewhere. As two of us have pointed out, it is a big problem in some other places. ā€œSomeā€ =/= ā€œmostā€. Iā€™ve never seen any other board get so emotional about this (Iā€™m bemused by the idea that this place needs a venting pit as well). ---
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/56 "2012-01-08T21:32:56Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Itā€™s too bad youā€™re only allowed to post once per thread. Once again youā€™ve lived up to your name. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/57 "2012-01-08T22:33:31Z")
> [@srzss05](#): > > ā€œSomeā€ =/= ā€œmostā€. Iā€™ve never seen any other board get so emotional about this (Iā€™m bemused by the idea that this place needs a venting pit as well). What is it that people here get emotional about that other boards do not? Letting people change what they have written long after the fact? I find it hard to imagine that any board would not have people who object, even ā€œemotionallyā€, to having history altered. ---
**Author:** ![srzss05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@srzss05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srzss05)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/58 "2012-01-09T11:52:11Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > What is it that people here get emotional about that other boards do not? Letting people change what they have written long after the fact? I find it hard to imagine that any board would not have people who object, even ā€œemotionallyā€, to having history altered. Because most other boards donā€™t really give a damn. They know that it isnā€™t something to get all worked up about. If someone gets in a snit about it, no one cares. If someone ā€œchanges historyā€, no one cares. Why get so emotional about what some jerk says on a message board? If it really causes so much trouble, get rid of the jerk. Problem solved, but I personally have never seen any problems on other boards. Thatā€™s what I meant about ā€œnice things.ā€ Some people here are either children, or think that others are children. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/59 "2012-01-09T20:41:08Z")
If you are a knitter you can visit the boards on Ravelry and see how frustrating it is to try to follow a discussion where several posts, sometimes even the OP, have been deleted entirely. If you donā€™t care if history is changed, well, fine. I donā€™t think itā€™s ā€œemotionalā€ to ask people not to change what they said after others have already responded to it. I think maybe you are being a little negative about this board. We really are not children here. In fact, wanting to change what you said several minutes or hours later is kind of childish, seems to me. ---
**Author:** ![srzss05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@srzss05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srzss05)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482/60 "2012-01-09T23:08:41Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > In fact, wanting to change what you said several minutes or hours later is kind of childish, seems to me. I agree. I also think that making a big stink about it is childish as well. It is the **belief** that the former will happen is why this board canā€™t have ā€œnice things.ā€ If someone acts like that, either ignore it or get rid of them. Why is it so important to argue with someone behaving like a child? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-5-minute-edit-rule/608482.md?page=4)