diff --git a/src/posts.js b/src/posts.js
index 9fb37cc0fe..660ba6945e 100644
--- a/src/posts.js
+++ b/src/posts.js
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ marked.setOptions({
 
 (function(Posts) {
 
+	Posts.minimumPostLength = 8;
+
 	Posts.getPostsByTid = function(tid, start, end, callback) {
 		RDB.lrange('tid:' + tid + ':posts', start, end, function(err, pids) {
 			
@@ -171,6 +173,16 @@ marked.setOptions({
 		});
 	}
 
+	Posts.emitContentTooShortAlert = function(socket) {
+		socket.emit('event:alert', {
+			type: 'error',
+			timeout: 2000,
+			title: 'Content too short',
+			message: "Please enter a longer post.",
+			alert_id: 'post_error'
+		});
+	}
+
 	Posts.reply = function(socket, tid, uid, content) {
 		if (uid < 1) {
 			socket.emit('event:alert', {
@@ -180,14 +192,8 @@ marked.setOptions({
 				timeout: 2000
 			});
 			return;
-		} else if (!content || content.length <= 9) {
-			socket.emit('event:alert', {
-				type: 'error',
-				timeout: 5000,
-				title: 'Content too short',
-				message: "Please enter a longer post.",
-				alert_id: 'post_error'
-			});
+		} else if (!content || content.length < Posts.minimumPostLength) {
+			Posts.emitContentTooShortAlert(socket);
 			return;
 		}
 
diff --git a/src/topics.js b/src/topics.js
index 1d8eef2f92..7cb1ae0b4b 100644
--- a/src/topics.js
+++ b/src/topics.js
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ marked.setOptions({
 
 (function(Topics) {
 
+	Topics.minimumTitleLength = 3;
+
 	Topics.getTopicData = function(tid, callback) {
 		RDB.hgetall('topic:' + tid, function(err, data) {
 			if(err === null)
@@ -301,6 +303,16 @@ marked.setOptions({
 		});
 	}
 
+	Topics.emitTitleTooShortAlert = function(socket) {
+		socket.emit('event:alert', {
+				type: 'error',
+				timeout: 2000,
+				title: 'Title too short',
+				message: "Please enter a longer title.",
+				alert_id: 'post_error'
+			});
+	}
+
 	Topics.post = function(socket, uid, title, content, category_id) {
 		if (!category_id) 
 			throw new Error('Attempted to post without a category_id');
@@ -316,23 +328,11 @@ marked.setOptions({
 				}
 			});
 			return; // for now, until anon code is written.
-		} else if(!title || title.length <= 3) {
-			socket.emit('event:alert', {
-				type: 'error',
-				timeout: 5000,
-				title: 'Title too short',
-				message: "Please enter a longer title.",
-				alert_id: 'post_error'
-			});
+		} else if(!title || title.length < Topics.minimumTitleLength) {
+			Topics.emitTitleTooShortAlert(socket);
 			return;
-		} else if (!content || content.length <= 9) {
-			socket.emit('event:alert', {
-				type: 'error',
-				timeout: 5000,
-				title: 'Content too short',
-				message: "Please enter a longer post.",
-				alert_id: 'post_error'
-			});
+		} else if (!content || content.length < posts.miminumPostLength) {
+			posts.emitContentTooShortAlert(socket);
 			return;
 		}
 		
diff --git a/src/websockets.js b/src/websockets.js
index 837ea8f3f1..ed510bffd6 100644
--- a/src/websockets.js
+++ b/src/websockets.js
@@ -384,23 +384,11 @@ var SocketIO = require('socket.io').listen(global.server, { log:false }),
 		});
 
 		socket.on('api:posts.edit', function(data) {
-			if(!data.title || data.title.length <= 3) {
-				socket.emit('event:alert', {
-					type: 'error',
-					timeout: 5000,
-					title: 'Title too short',
-					message: "Please enter a longer title.",
-					alert_id: 'post_error'
-				});
+			if(!data.title || data.title.length < topics.minimumTitleLength) {
+				topics.emitTitleTooShortAlert(socket);
 				return;
-			} else if (!data.content || data.content.length <= 9) {
-				socket.emit('event:alert', {
-					type: 'error',
-					timeout: 5000,
-					title: 'Content too short',
-					message: "Please enter a longer post.",
-					alert_id: 'post_error'
-				});
+			} else if (!data.content || data.content.length < posts.minimumPostLength) {
+				posts.emitContentTooShortAlert(socket);
 				return;
 			}
 			postTools.edit(uid, data.pid, data.title, data.content);