# What's up with the two minute rule for subsequent searches?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-two-minute-rule-for-subsequent-searches/407609>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [June 11, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-two-minute-rule-for-subsequent-searches/407609 "2007-06-11T20:07:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-two-minute-rule-for-subsequent-searches/407609/1 "2007-06-11T20:07:49Z")

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I was just trying to find a specific, recent Pit thread, so I figured I’d use the Search function.

The first search I did had the keywords too tightly chosen - so I tried to use a second set, and was told that searches are not allowed to happen but once every two minutes for a given user.

How long as this policy been in effect? And, what’s the rationale? Are searches that much of a speed bump to the bulletin board software? It certainly is very annoying for someone whose first search was such a miserable pile of goat crap, compared to what I was looking to find.

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**Author:** ![milquetoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@milquetoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milquetoast)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-two-minute-rule-for-subsequent-searches/407609/2 "2007-06-11T20:14:07Z")

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The change was made at the end of April. [This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=418641) explains it.

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**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-two-minute-rule-for-subsequent-searches/407609/3 "2007-06-14T22:52:01Z")

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Seems to be down to 60 seconds now!

YAY!  
(I am bad a judging time)

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-two-minute-rule-for-subsequent-searches/407609/4 "2007-06-15T00:46:50Z")

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[QUOTE=NAF1138]  
Seems to be down to 60 seconds now.  
[/QUOTE]  
You are correct.

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**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-two-minute-rule-for-subsequent-searches/407609/5 "2007-06-15T01:44:57Z")

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[QUOTE=NAF1138]  
Seems to be down to 60 seconds now!  
[/QUOTE]  
That’s good to see.