# Why Only ~5 minutes to Edit Post **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 19, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942 "2011-02-19T22:34:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/81 "2011-02-20T16:49:50Z")
Ditto what **Cazzle** said, I just love people who sign up and then start telling everybody how awful the place is and what they could be doing so much better. You’ve been in the chatroom racket (hint: not the same as a message board. No, it really isn’t) since 2004? How nice for you. This board has been around in its present form since 1999. There are a lot of things that are done here certain ways because they have been done that way for 12 years and the members like them just fine. There are other things that are done certain ways because somewhere in those 12 years there have been prolonged battles between members and admins over their implementation. The most innocuous question about a minor board feature might trigger an outpouring of sighs and rolleyes from longtime members who remember a month’s worth of vitriolic posting over it. A new poster waltzing in and insisting on a change to that board feature ignorant of the history is likely to get either a pat on the head or a “get off my lawn, kid” depending on their original tone. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/82 "2011-02-20T17:29:23Z")
This message board is not a chat room. In a chat room, you enter it, and you can only see the conversation that occurs when you enter, not any of the conversation that occured before you entered, and when you leave, then you don’t see the conversation that continues. Different people want different things from a message board. Some people love avatars and animated sigs and smilies. Some hate them. Some people are looking for a discussion, some for an argument, some for an echo chamber, and some just want to post long declarations or rants. If you like a message board, then stick around. If you don’t like it, leave. If you like parts of it but hate other parts, decide on whether the enjoyment is worth the aggravation. However, I’ve never seen ANY message board, anywhere, that would change how it does things because a newcomer demanded changes. Well, not any competently run board, anyway. I’ve seen a couple of boards that were run by kids, and which tried to accommodate every suggestion. This meant that the features changed constantly, as changes were made, and then the members who had liked the original features protested, and the features were changed back, etc. Now, as others have noted, we used to have no editing capacity at all for posters, only mods and admins could edit. At first, this was because our servers were very limited, and we couldn’t allow it because of that. Enough people asked for it politely that we considered it, and when we were able to offer it, we did. Most people appreciate it, and agree that five minutes is usually enough time to do any necessary editing. To paraphrase an old carpenter’s rule of thumb, proofread twice and post once. ---
**Author:** ![NCDane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecccb3/32.png) [@NCDane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NCDane)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/83 "2011-02-20T18:57:59Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Fight my ignorance: just _where_ did you explain? I have several times referred to my extensive experience in what I call the “chat room racket”. Seven years to be exact, and about 11000 posts at about 10 different sites to be inexact. That is long enough, and I have done enough posting to have a reasonably good idea of my own likes and dislikes. Therefore I do not need to wait a year here or anywhere else to be able to tell if I like or dislike something. ---
**Author:** ![NCDane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecccb3/32.png) [@NCDane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NCDane)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/84 "2011-02-20T19:03:29Z")
> [@Hennessy](#): > > Only ignorance here is someone who is no one at this board to argue the rules of this board. Isn’t there a rule for having two user names anyway? (don’t check my ip) > > "Original Thread 1 “Jay” 4:!3 P.M -------- **Edit to change** 4:18 P.M > > Blue is a warm color ----------------------- **Blue is a cool color** > > Thread 2 “Eric” 4:16 P.M > > Actually, blue is a cool color > > Thread 3 " Susan" 4:30 P.M > > He said it was blue…" > > That was within 5 minutes and there is already confusion. If you imagine 30 minutes as the window, the confusion percentage goes up. Just leave it at that > Find something that actually matters to you and go find someone to argue with in the argue-able forums. I have never seen anything such as you describe elswhere, not even once, in seven years of hanging out in these places 300 days a year minimum. That enough esperience for me to conclude that the scenario you have posted above is what might kindly be termed a “red herring”. ---
**Author:** ![NCDane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecccb3/32.png) [@NCDane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NCDane)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/85 "2011-02-20T19:36:49Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > Ditto what **Cazzle** said, I just love people who sign up and then start telling everybody how awful the place is Straw Man. > [@Jenaroph](#): > > and what they could be doing so much better. Some times it takes a new set of eyes, although sometimes that not is enough to reverse an advanced state of fossilization. > [@Jenaroph](#): > > You’ve been in the chatroom racket (hint: not the same as a message board. No, it really isn’t) It sounds like you and Wiki are having a spat: [Chat room article- Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chat_room) (from link, emphasis added): > [@](#): > > The term chat room, or chatroom, is primarily used by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing. The term can thus mean any technology ranging from real-time online chat over instant messaging and online forums to fully immersive graphical social environments. Now, Wiki is not an authority of all-inclusive proportions, but I think it is reasonable in this case, and what we are doing is certainly a form of “chat”. So cut the pedantry, OK? > [@Jenaroph](#): > > since 2004? Glad to see your reading ability is so good. Now please work on your reasoning ability. > [@Jenaroph](#): > > How nice for you. This board has been around in its present form since 1999. There are a lot of things that are done here certain ways because they have been done that way for 12 years and the members like them just fine. There are other things that are done certain ways because somewhere in those 12 years there have been prolonged battles between members and admins over their implementation. The most innocuous question about a minor board feature might trigger an outpouring of sighs and rolleyes from longtime members who remember a month’s worth of vitriolic posting over it. A new poster waltzing in and insisting on a change to that board feature ignorant of the history is likely to get either a pat on the head or a “get off my lawn, kid” depending on their original tone. What a pissy little lecture. FAQ and rules do not discriminate between newcomers and anyone else when it comes to voicing any kind of opinion, nor should they. If this was technical subject and you had professional experience then your seniority might mean something. In the context of proposed chat room rule changes it is meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/86 "2011-02-20T19:54:26Z")
> [@NCDane](#): > > FAQ and rules do not discriminate between newcomers and anyone > else when it comes to voicing any kind of opinion, nor should they. > If this was technical subject and you had professional experience > then your seniority might mean something. In the context of proposed > chat room rule changes it is meaningless. About as meaningless as talking about “chat room rule changes” on a _message board_, I’d say. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/87 "2011-02-20T20:05:00Z")
> [@NCDane](#): > > Therefore I do not need to wait a year here or anywhere else > to be able to tell if I like or dislike something. You know, the short lines in your posts remind me of haiku. Let’s just fix this one up a little… No need for a year Here or on another board I know what I like. There! ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/88 "2011-02-20T20:13:26Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > No need for a year > Here or on another board > I know what I like. Bravo! ---
**Author:** ![NCDane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecccb3/32.png) [@NCDane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NCDane)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/89 "2011-02-20T20:16:53Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > This message board is not a chat room. In a chat room, you enter it, and you can only see the conversation that occurs when you enter, not any of the conversation that occured before you entered, and when you leave, then you don’t see the conversation that continues. See post #85 and don’t give me that crap. > [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Different people want different things from a message board. Some people love avatars and animated sigs and smilies. Some hate them. Some people are looking for a discussion, some for an argument, some for an echo chamber, and some just want to post long declarations or rants. If you like a message board, then stick around. If you don’t like it, leave. If you like parts of it but hate other parts, decide on whether the enjoyment is worth the aggravation. Z-Z-Z-Z-Z :rolleyes: > [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > However, I’ve never seen ANY message board, anywhere, that would change how it does things because a newcomer demanded changes. What is all this “demanding” sh\*t I am hearing from the more long-winded responders? I never “demanded” anything, not literally, not figuratively, not any other way. > [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Well, not any competently run board, anyway. I’ve seen a couple of boards that were run by kids, and which tried to accommodate every suggestion. This meant that the features changed constantly, as changes were made, and then the members who had liked the original features protested, and the features were changed back, etc. This does not have a damn thing to with it. Perhaps I can expect adult administrators at an adult board to do better than a bunch of kids? I have drawn ample attention to much more liberal editing policy at numerous other boards, run by adults, with no harm done whatsoever. Here I made a perfectly reasonable request, request denied, although not on any reasonable grounds, and I would by now have dropped the subject if various windbags did not feel compelled to keep weighing in. > [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Now, as others have noted, we used to have no editing capacity at all for posters, only mods and admins could edit. At first, this was because our servers were very limited, and we couldn’t allow it because of that. Servers? The two staff members who have contributed here mentioned an upgrade, but did not specifically tie it to edit function. Anyway, since older limits no longer exist they are irrelevant. > [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Enough people asked for it politely that we considered it, and when we were able to offer it, we did. Most people appreciate it, and agree that five minutes is usually enough time to do any necessary editing. > > To paraphrase an old carpenter’s rule of thumb, proofread twice and post once. Gee thanks. What would I do without you? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/90 "2011-02-20T20:20:49Z")
> [@NCDane](#): > > Therefore I do not need to wait a year here or anywhere else > to be able to tell if I like or dislike something. Do you really expect every ‘chat room’ you drop into to conform to your likes and dislikes? ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/91 "2011-02-20T20:26:41Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > I also note that, if you find an awkward typo that’s past the five-minute limit (or if you’ve made a typo in a thread title), you can always use the REPORT button (little ! in red triangle in upper right corner of post) to ask a moderator to fix it for you. IIRC this was another change in recent years. It used to be you couldn’t report your own posts, and many other vB boards still are that way. ---
**Author:** ![NCDane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecccb3/32.png) [@NCDane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NCDane)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/92 "2011-02-20T20:36:39Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Do you really expect every ‘chat room’ you drop into to conform to your likes and dislikes? I made a perfectly reasonable request, request denied, although not on any reasonable grounds, and I would by now have dropped the subject if various windbags did not feel compelled to keep piling on. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/93 "2011-02-20T20:37:29Z")
I’m sorry, NDane, you seemed to mistake this forum for Great Debates. You asked a question. It was answered. Numerous times. It’s time to stop beating the dead horse. It’s not going to change no matter how much you try to argue for it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/94 "2011-02-20T20:43:22Z")
I’ve seen threads on other boards rendered completely incomprehensible by edits even without any malicious or dishonest intent. It’d be all the worse with malice. That said, I suspect that the OP is pulling our leg. He keeps getting message boards and chat rooms mixed up, but no chat room ever has edit capability. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/95 "2011-02-20T20:49:30Z")
> [@NCDane](#): > > …I would by now have dropped the subject > if various windbags did not feel compelled to keep piling on. Now why do you have to be like that? Nobody else is calling you names. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/96 "2011-02-20T20:49:42Z")
From the registration agreement, which may be found here: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/faq.php?faq=vb3\_board\_faq#faq\_sdmb\_rules](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/faq.php?faq=vb3_board_faq#faq_sdmb_rules) > [@](#): > > We have one guiding principle: Don’t be a jerk. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942/97 "2011-02-20T20:58:10Z")
If anyone legitimately needs to discuss the edit function we’re happy to accommodate you but please do it in a new thread. It does seem to work well for the community as presently in place, though we’re always open to your suggestions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-only-5-minutes-to-edit-post/571942.md?page=4)