When threads implode

[Cave Diver]

That's funny. How exactly would you propose that one should hit the "report" button on a post or thread that is no longer there?

It's a general policy on most sites that, if a thread is locked or wiped out, it is between bad etiquette and a bannable violation to create a new thread on the topic. The particular thread was a discussion of a Galapagos incident, but this isn't the first time I've had this happen. There didn't seem to be anything unseemly going on, so I just wonder why the thread was deleted.

I like the idea of the mod creating a replacement thread with a reason for destruction and locking it.

There was another large, very active thread that suddenly disappeared yesterday with no explanation. I was rather baffled since, although the topic had wandered a bit, the thread didn't appear to have any ToS violations in it. I contacted a mod and queried, and he told me another mod had pulled it and was cleaning it up.

Still ... it's tough to know where the boundaries are sometimes. That particular thread wasn't even what you'd call "heated" ... much less outside of the ToS. Not that I could tell anyway. I was busily typing a response to one of the entries when the thread just suddenly disappeared ... no explanation offered.

I understand that the rules are sometimes subjective, and that the mods are doing their best to maintain order, but I think it might be a better idea in cases where a mod deems a cleanup necessary to just lock the thread, with a short explanation of why it was locked ... "closed for clean-up" would be sufficient in most cases.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

These are very good points. This is not an excuse, rather more of an explanation. On a board as busy as this one, sometimes the Mods are cross communicating on issues and miss each others comments. Sometimes users PM us directly with problems rather than hitting "report" so there is no "history trail" for other mods to follow what went on. Eventually we all get caught up and aligned, but often some of our more astute members will have noticed things have gone missing.

I myself have been guilty of killing/closing/moving a thread with no notice, but it's usually to do a very quick cleanup and it's back in 30 minutes or less. On a rare occasion I've left one hanging a bit longer than that because I got knocked off it and had to come back later. Sometimes things happen we just dont anticipate.

Your comments on this will help us refine the process, but I'm sure we will still have glitches from time to time.

 

[The Chairman]

Thanks for the input gang... we will be discussing this, so please don't stop if you have more input. We aim to please as many as possible.

 

[TSandM]

If you are taking a thread apart, as you do when you split one, or when extensive editing is necessary, it's a nightmare to leave it where it can be seen while you are doing it. People read it once and see something, and then go back and it isn't there, and they get confused and irritated. Having done this, I know! It makes MUCH better sense to pull a long thread to the back and work on it there, and this is the way it's been done during my entire tenure here on ScubaBoard. And there has always been some dissatisfaction with that process, but there really isn't a better way to do it that I can see.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Still ... leaving a "closed for cleaning" marker removes a lot of the dissatisfaction. What I think most folks object to is when what appears to be an interesting thread just disappears.

Granted those are the exception ... most times a thread disappears it's obvious why. But in this case, I think it wasn't obvious at all. Left me and a few others wondering what happened, and why ... still does.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Walter]

The only problem I see is people want to know what is happening and several people start threads asking what happened. Perhaps a thread could be started in the same forum with the same title explaining the original thread is in the back room for clean up, to please have patience. It could be a cut and paste post. That way people would know it's merely a routine matter.

 

[bsee65]

Thank you ... I'll do that ... but since this whole thread is about the very subject I was discussing, seems it would be easier to simply ask him to read the thread.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

That was my thought. It would seem appropriate that the mods would act as a go-between and raise the issue to the higher authority in a case where that input would be required. Doing it via PM removes the input of others who might have an interest and persuasive arguments for or against a change.

 

[idocsteve]

If a thread is going to be "cleaned up", or edited, or is being discussed, then simply locking it, and temporarily splitting off all the offending posts (or all posts if it's easier) to a hidden board, and posting "thread under review" would be the fastest and easiest thing to do.

Later on the thread can be updated with "thread closed due to TOS violatons/hopelessly offtopic/flaming/or whatever.

Short and simple. Moderators have jobs and lives just like the rest of us, and hey folks let's not forget it's just an internet discussion board. Life will not come to an end as you know it just because you don't know what happened to a thread.

 

[knotical]

On a similar topic, I seem to remember seeing stubs in years past that said something like such and such a thread has been re-located from here to the following location. Did that just become too unwieldy?

 

[Cave Diver]

If you are taking a thread apart, as you do when you split one, or when extensive editing is necessary, it's a nightmare to leave it where it can be seen while you are doing it. People read it once and see something, and then go back and it isn't there, and they get confused and irritated. Having done this, I know! It makes MUCH better sense to pull a long thread to the back and work on it there, and this is the way it's been done during my entire tenure here on ScubaBoard. And there has always been some dissatisfaction with that process, but there really isn't a better way to do it that I can see.

Another issue is that if we just lock it, but leave it in place while changes are reviewed, invariably people will quote things and run with it in another thread necessitating another cleanup.

On a similar topic, I seem to remember seeing stubs in years past that said something like such and such a thread has been re-located from here to the following location. Did that just become too unwieldy?

Sometimes the threads aren't moved, they're just "hidden" while we go through them. If it isn't actually moved, then there is no way (that I'm aware) of leaving a redirect notice and there is no easy way (that I know) to "unhide" a single post alerting of the action.

Creating a new thread with a similar title with just a Mod Post is partially ineffective as well. Many of you subscribe to threads and access them that way. Unless you go searching, you're not going to find this new "mod" thread.

Also, keep in mind that we generally try not to moderate threads we've been involved in to keep bias out of the equation. In a lengthy thread, unless the Mod has been following along as a reader, it takes quite a bit of time to wade through the entire thing in one sitting, then go back and determine at what point things are going off the rails. Sometimes it's obvious, but sometimes finding the catalyst is a bit more difficult.

Thanks to everyone for the input so far.

 

[idocsteve]

Sometimes the threads aren't moved, they're just "hidden" while we go through them. If it isn't actually moved, then there is no way (that I'm aware) of leaving a redirect notice and there is no easy way (that I know) to "unhide" a single post alerting of the action.

If VBulletin is in any way similar to SMF then you can move the thread to a board visible only to mods and admins...when this is done in SMF you are given the option of posting a redirect notice. Alternately you can post a redirect or "thread locked" notice to the thread in question, and then split off every other post in the thread to a second thread in a board visible only to mods and admins or just hide that second thread.