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Closing/locking threads

5 replies

DoJo · 16/07/2015 22:11

I've mentioned this before on another thread, but I thought maybe if I made it the main topic it would get a bit more attention.

My theory is that closing threads would solve a lot of the problems that are current encountered. Zombie threads could be closed after a certain length of time so that people could still read the useful advice, but we wouldn't end up with people resurrecting them years after the original discussion to ask a similar question and only getting answers that relate to the OP and their aged problems.

It would also be a good way to avoid having to delete threads that have turned into bunfights - I've just seen one which contained several thoughtful posts which could have been helpful to plenty of people in similar situations, but which obviously descended into a slanging match towards the end. If the unhelpful posts could have been removed and the thread closed for new comments then the time and thought that posters put into answering wouldn't have been wasted, but the bickering would have been curbed.

Is there a reason that this wouldn't work? Have I missed something?

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yellowdaisies · 16/07/2015 22:12

Sounds a good idea to me. Zombie threads are really annoying.

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cozietoesie · 16/07/2015 22:24

I've often thought that threads should actually be culled - at least for public consumption - after a certain time and if they're no longer useful or memorable. I see no reason for slavishly keeping them for umpty years, especially when the information they contain may be less than current - or even plain wrong. This board alone has 286 pages of them and Goodness Knows how much erroneous info is in those pages.

I suspect that the main problem with that might be that it could prove to be labour intensive and therefore expensive. (Deciding which ones to keep.)

Locking would be useful if that was all there was though.

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DontDrinkAndFacebook · 17/07/2015 08:13

I know there is a zombie thread alert when you search for it and before you resurrect it, but once it has Ben resurrected there is no warning for the new audience. I think there should be a zombie warning at the top of the post as ell. Not just a message at the last post, seen only by the person who chose to resurrect it.

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DoJo · 05/10/2015 17:34

After just ploughing through this thread, I decided to resurrect my own old-ish thread to ask if MNHQ ever considered the idea of locking old threads to avoid exactly what has happened on that one. It's so frustrating to read to the bottom of a thread and realise that the discussion was over years ago, and I cannot see any reason why new posts on a thread such as that could be of benefit to anyone.

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Fairenuff · 14/10/2015 20:59

All they need to do is put the zombie at the top of the front page. Next to the OP. Everyone would see it straight away. I don't know why they won't do that, it's been asked for enough times over the years Confused

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