# Please consider allowing more than five minutes for edits **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 28, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427 "2011-08-28T22:51:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/21 "2011-08-29T15:44:51Z")
Well, remove all the text and put in three dots or something that will allow me to essentially delete the content of the post. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/22 "2011-08-29T16:08:39Z")
We’ve discussed this request and the consensus is that since you have access to preview your post – something you can do as many times as you feel necessary – five minutes is really sufficient for the edit window. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/23 "2011-08-29T16:21:26Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > \ > > Whoa! I never knew that! Useful. Careful. I clicked the down arrow a few times on my iPhone, and now the phone is 14 inches long and looks really stupid sticking out of my pocket. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/24 "2011-08-29T17:02:24Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Delete the post? Thanks, Patty. Now they know all about it! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/25 "2011-08-29T17:20:06Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Careful. I clicked the down arrow a few times on my iPhone, and now the phone is 14 inches long and looks really stupid sticking out of my pocket. Yeah, that happend to me, too, and it’s a really hard problem to have! My phone’s pretty big, too. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/26 "2011-08-29T17:27:32Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Yeah, that happend to me, too, and it’s a really hard problem to have! My phone’s pretty big, too. Braggart. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/27 "2011-08-29T19:15:18Z")
HOLY CRAP! That’s one of the most useful functions ever, and I had no clue it existed! Thanks!! ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/28 "2011-08-29T19:31:03Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > You can make the tiny window for composing larger by clicking on the little arrowheads at the top right just outside the typing field, above the smilies. :eek:Holy Sh-t! I never knew that either! ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/29 "2011-08-30T06:26:56Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > We’ve discussed this request and the consensus is that since you have access to preview your post – something you can do as many times as you feel necessary – five minutes is really sufficient for the edit window. By this logic, 0 minutes would also be sufficient. ---
**Author:** ![UncaStuart](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncastuart/32/404_2.png) [@UncaStuart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncaStuart)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/30 "2011-08-30T06:36:27Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > By this logic, 0 minutes would also be sufficient. True. It is. I think of 5 minutes as a gift for attention to brain farts. How hard is Preview? Just a habit to get into. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/31 "2011-08-30T13:55:40Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > By this logic, 0 minutes would also be sufficient. And it was 0 minutes for many, many years. If you’d really like us to, we could go back to that. ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/32 "2011-08-30T14:22:22Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > And it was 0 minutes for many, many years. If you’d really like us to, we could go back to that. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/33 "2011-08-30T14:28:12Z")
I too, cannot find these mystical dots. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/34 "2011-08-30T14:49:02Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I too, cannot find these mystical dots. We probably annoyed Twickster. Did you make your monthly chocolate donation? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/35 "2011-08-30T19:40:49Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I too, cannot find these mystical dots. What browser are you using? ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/36 "2011-08-30T19:53:11Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > With Chrome, there are two little lines in the bottom right corner. Same function though. Same with Safari. Lines not dots. Very cool, wish I had known this earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/37 "2011-08-31T00:57:10Z")
> [@UncaStuart](#): > > True. It is. I think of 5 minutes as a gift for attention to brain farts. How hard is Preview? Just a habit to get into. Yes it is. But no matter how hard I try to make sure everything’s shipshape, these old eyes always seem to miss something glaringly obviously. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/38 "2011-08-31T01:58:03Z")
Yes, me, too, but I think that five minutes is a good time. Else we’d get into editing posts after they’ve been commented on. “You spelled Siam wrong!” “I did not!” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/39 "2011-08-31T02:04:36Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > What browser are you using? I’m using Firebox on a Mac and not seeing the mystical dots either. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427/40 "2011-08-31T02:07:48Z")
FWIW, on IE it appears there’s neither dots nor lines. Yet another reason IE is so beloved. (Unlike, say, [The Dot and The Line](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmSbdvzbOzY).) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-consider-allowing-more-than-five-minutes-for-edits/594427.md?page=3)