Why is the EDIT locked in less than 4 hours on some of my Posts?

I certainly appreciate having the ability to edit as I often make mistakes and prefer not to have to use an outside editor.

This isn't the first time and it doesn't happen often, but happens it does.

Is there some other undisclosed criteria that would cause a post to become non editable besides the 4 hour edit window?

Can moderators lock out our ability to edit & if they do is there a record of what moderator did so or why?

As an example, in this screen cap it you can see the time of the original post is 2:17AM and the time of capture was 4:23AM. All I wanted to do is fix the accidental "H" that was slipped into the were that made it a where. Hit view for the time stamp in the lower right hand corner.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/979c9cd55827.jpg[/atsimg]

But no as you see from the next screen capture it says you have exceeded that maximum of 4 hours allowed to edit yet it is only 4:25AM at this point just two hours from the original post time.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/fb5c76f003a3.jpg[/atsimg]

Moderators do not lock out a post so a member cannot edit.
It is an automatic lock after a number of hours.....even for staff
There are many posts that I make and hours later I may not be able to edit.

A few hours is usually enough time to edit any mistakes, etc. If one changes their mind or wants to add to their thoughts, one could quote their post and then add additional thoughts or retractions.

reply to post by greeneyedleo


Thanks for responding and partially answering my question in regards to whether or not a mod could lock me out of editing, but I'm still waiting for an answer to my question in regards to why my post was locked at 2 hours instead of 4? I provided screen shots with time stamps for the purpose of proof that my post was locked prior to the four hour window being expired.

This is a conspiracy site and I think my question was clear and concise with the purpose of why sometimes the normal rules seem to no apply to some of my posts. This is the type of behavior and answer I would expect from a public servant at a government office - not a private organization that relies on good relationships to sell its product.

Again, why are some of my post locked prior to the 4 hour window being expired? If there is somebody that can answer my question - please do so.

reply to post by greeneyedleo


personally, i think ego got in the way of the truth, which likely is that greeneyedleo didnt want to say they dont know why it locked out your edits only 2hrs in rather then 4,

its ok to say you dont know leo, were all human.......i hope.


btw op excellent point on your reply to leo, i agree wholeheartedly

I flagged this thread as it happened to me............

and I found it as frustrating as you
I hope you get a fulfilling answer!

Happens to me too - definitely don't get the full 4 hours. I've always just assumed it was a bug.

I have to agree , ive been finding the lockout time for posts is less than the 4 hours stated.

I don't know why this occurs, but I do know this..

If you should find that there is an edit that needs to be made in your post, and are locked out from doing so, just alert your post and ask for the correction, reason why and oft times it can be made for you.

The fluctuating edit times are still a mystery though..

This happens to me all the time. I simply assumed it was because I live on the far side of the world to whatever piece of the USA the ATS servers live in.

It would be good to see this bug fixed. I, like others, would appreciate a proper four-hour edit window.