Autolocking old threads
04-05-2010, 03:06 PM
#1
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Join Date: Jan 1999
Location: Panhandle of West Virginia
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Autolocking old threads
I notice on some boards topics that are 1-2 years old are locked and archived so that they can not be resurrected. I notice that people are bringing up threads as old as 7 years lately just for the hell of it. Is it possible to do this here? I can understand tech threads being brought back up, but not random crap in the lounge.
04-14-2010, 07:20 AM
#4
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Location: Brunswick, Maine 04011
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I'm a moderator on a support forum at CA and when a thread is "resolved" the default policy is to lock it so it can be archived and found in searches for solutions to problems. However sometimes mistakes are made in the process where a resolution that works may not be the "best" or the preferred resolution.
CZ28 has a different emphasis than an IT support forum and although I see a benefit to locking some of the old posts, having them available for resurrection is sometimes a positive reminder of the culture and history here at this site. Additionally, a member who has left the site (for whatever reason) may come back to do some research or look something up and if the post is left available for updaing it is an invitation to re-connect.
I fully agree that bringing back some of the old threads is a complete waste of time and a distration for some of us. However I have no exact numbers to review in terms of how often this happens (although it seems to occur in "streaks" by a few select members) often for the purpose of joking around.
I do think some thought should go into this consideration but ultimately whatever the Admins want is what will happen.
The concept of locking old threads is a good idea and well worth thinking about, doubly so if some of the new software features will make this a simple process.
CZ28 has a different emphasis than an IT support forum and although I see a benefit to locking some of the old posts, having them available for resurrection is sometimes a positive reminder of the culture and history here at this site. Additionally, a member who has left the site (for whatever reason) may come back to do some research or look something up and if the post is left available for updaing it is an invitation to re-connect.
I fully agree that bringing back some of the old threads is a complete waste of time and a distration for some of us. However I have no exact numbers to review in terms of how often this happens (although it seems to occur in "streaks" by a few select members) often for the purpose of joking around.
I do think some thought should go into this consideration but ultimately whatever the Admins want is what will happen.
The concept of locking old threads is a good idea and well worth thinking about, doubly so if some of the new software features will make this a simple process.
04-14-2010, 08:26 PM
#6
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Join Date: Dec 1997
Location: Nashville, TN area
Posts: 11,157
Because when it is done to be a joke, it confuses a lot of people. It is no different than making a reply to a thread for no reason that makes no sense, which is a waste.
04-15-2010, 11:10 AM
#7
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Houston
Posts: 100
some bords have it set up so that if you try to reply to a thread that has not had a reply in say 6 months it pops up a box and says that this is an old thread are you sure you want to post to it.
this would get rid of the people posting to old thread when they didnt realize it was old.
is that a bad thing or a big deal though?
sometimes it is interesting to see what has changed since the thread was last posted in. sometimes it brings back old members that have quit posting, someitmes it just reminds us of old threads or events on teh board that were fun or entertaining. most of the time its done to spark new conversation on the old topic. you could allways make a new thread but IMO its better to just continue an old one because you get talk about the info in the old posts and the new posts. also a lot of the time the age of the thread is irrelevant, if someone revives a 5 year odl thread titled "what is your favorite movie" then the date on teh thread really plays no part in the topic.
IMO, it does not happen enough for there to be a need to do somthing about it (in the lounge that is, i dunno abotu other areas)
if it became a big problem then i could see doing somthgin abtou it but its not that common.
this would get rid of the people posting to old thread when they didnt realize it was old.
Because when it is done to be a joke, it confuses a lot of people.
sometimes it is interesting to see what has changed since the thread was last posted in. sometimes it brings back old members that have quit posting, someitmes it just reminds us of old threads or events on teh board that were fun or entertaining. most of the time its done to spark new conversation on the old topic. you could allways make a new thread but IMO its better to just continue an old one because you get talk about the info in the old posts and the new posts. also a lot of the time the age of the thread is irrelevant, if someone revives a 5 year odl thread titled "what is your favorite movie" then the date on teh thread really plays no part in the topic.
IMO, it does not happen enough for there to be a need to do somthing about it (in the lounge that is, i dunno abotu other areas)
if it became a big problem then i could see doing somthgin abtou it but its not that common.
04-15-2010, 04:12 PM
#8
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Georgia
Posts: 2,272
there have been threads that were brought back that ended up helping someone out. Someone posted a request for a song title from a video clip. It was old, but someone bumped it I guess as a joke. I was still able to find the song and post the artist and title. Too bad the song actually sucked 
.
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04-17-2010, 09:34 PM
#9
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Houston
Posts: 100
https://www.camaroz28.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=249596
here is an example where my idea would have been helpful
here is an example where my idea would have been helpful
04-17-2010, 10:28 PM
#10
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Houston
Posts: 100
autolocking would kill lots of good threads like this one
'
https://www.camaroz28.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=218974
'
https://www.camaroz28.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=218974
04-20-2010, 08:15 PM
#12
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04-20-2010, 08:55 PM
#13
the system works great the way it is, locking old threads would be very detrimental to the community
things change very often over time in our area of interest, and being able to bring up an old thread to see if anything has changed, or to get someones opinion of a product, or see if they ever found a resolution to a problem is very important
locking old threads would only force people to create more threads on the same subject, but in that case the original people would not even get notifications that the original thread was posted in possible asking them a question, possibly rendering the thread useless
jason please, please do not impliment this feature, it will greatly hurt the community and the way it functions. the only place it would possibly work is in the lounge, but even then - WHY? what is the point, if someone wants to bring up an old thread to see how someone is doing then what is wrong with that, if its a bad thread then lock it,
to the op, if you don't want to read old threads, then don't.
things change very often over time in our area of interest, and being able to bring up an old thread to see if anything has changed, or to get someones opinion of a product, or see if they ever found a resolution to a problem is very important
locking old threads would only force people to create more threads on the same subject, but in that case the original people would not even get notifications that the original thread was posted in possible asking them a question, possibly rendering the thread useless
jason please, please do not impliment this feature, it will greatly hurt the community and the way it functions. the only place it would possibly work is in the lounge, but even then - WHY? what is the point, if someone wants to bring up an old thread to see how someone is doing then what is wrong with that, if its a bad thread then lock it,
to the op, if you don't want to read old threads, then don't.
04-20-2010, 10:07 PM
#14
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 1999
Location: Panhandle of West Virginia
Posts: 1,548
the system works great the way it is, locking old threads would be very detrimental to the community
things change very often over time in our area of interest, and being able to bring up an old thread to see if anything has changed, or to get someones opinion of a product, or see if they ever found a resolution to a problem is very important
locking old threads would only force people to create more threads on the same subject, but in that case the original people would not even get notifications that the original thread was posted in possible asking them a question, possibly rendering the thread useless
jason please, please do not impliment this feature, it will greatly hurt the community and the way it functions. the only place it would possibly work is in the lounge, but even then - WHY? what is the point, if someone wants to bring up an old thread to see how someone is doing then what is wrong with that, if its a bad thread then lock it,
to the op, if you don't want to read old threads, then don't.
things change very often over time in our area of interest, and being able to bring up an old thread to see if anything has changed, or to get someones opinion of a product, or see if they ever found a resolution to a problem is very important
locking old threads would only force people to create more threads on the same subject, but in that case the original people would not even get notifications that the original thread was posted in possible asking them a question, possibly rendering the thread useless
jason please, please do not impliment this feature, it will greatly hurt the community and the way it functions. the only place it would possibly work is in the lounge, but even then - WHY? what is the point, if someone wants to bring up an old thread to see how someone is doing then what is wrong with that, if its a bad thread then lock it,
to the op, if you don't want to read old threads, then don't.
Last edited by scott9050; 04-20-2010 at 10:12 PM.
04-20-2010, 10:15 PM
#15
for the most part i agree in the lounge section, but my fear is that it will be implemented site wide, and the technical sections and the way that the technical community functions will be negatively affected
there is just too many situations where someone does a search and finds that a thread was never updated or a question was never fully answered. so you post and say - how did this work out, did you ever figure out the problem. or whatever but the point is that if you are lucky the original poster will get the notification and respond with an answer that may help
if something like this could be implemented in ONLY the lounge then i guess i would agree with you, but like i said before sometimes it is cool to bring back a thread from a long time ago, like the one today about how old you are and what you do. it is pretty neat to see people post about what has changed and how there plans worked out
there is just too many situations where someone does a search and finds that a thread was never updated or a question was never fully answered. so you post and say - how did this work out, did you ever figure out the problem. or whatever but the point is that if you are lucky the original poster will get the notification and respond with an answer that may help
if something like this could be implemented in ONLY the lounge then i guess i would agree with you, but like i said before sometimes it is cool to bring back a thread from a long time ago, like the one today about how old you are and what you do. it is pretty neat to see people post about what has changed and how there plans worked out
