Thread lock explanations.

[jp-30]

Would it be possible when a mod locks a thread, to edit in a reason in the opening post (or make a final post in the discussion, though that practise bumps a locked thread and draws more attention to it) to outline why the thread has been locked.

I was interested to see if any other opinions on the closing of the software forum had been offered, but the thread has been shut down, and no reason given. Was there really no further room for possible discussion? The board software as currently configured doesn't show who locked a thread, so a PM query is also impossible. At the very least it would help people understand the mod's mindsets, and perhaps eventually cut down the mod's work as people learn why certain threads are shut down.

In the past I have voiced that some mods here seem to exhibit some sort of aloofness, and this is the exact sort of thing that contributes to this perception. Just a few extra seconds to explain moderator actions would really help the dynamic of the forum.

[Solo]

Certainly. We don't tend to lock threads out of the blue; if we don't think the reason is apparent from the discussion prior to the lock we will give a final word by posting or editing a post - but just when it seems necessary. If it's still not clear though you can PM any of the staff or jump into chat for a second (one of us is usually on), and if the one you ask doesn't know they can find out and get back to you pretty easily. Also, you can email us directly at fbtbstaff@gmail.com - that gets forwarded to everyone and is likely to take care of any questions quickly.

In this case, I locked that thread as a simple matter of house cleaning. The question was answered and elaborated on well enough to explain our position. It should go without saying that a day simply isn't enough time to decide if the new forum organization needs to be changed again, but I'll ask directly: please, give it a chance before pursuing this further. Your complaint has been noted, but we have already decided this is the direction to take the forum in. Right now we're more concerned with making sure the forum is working correctly for everyone, and a list of other details to be polished off that are more pressing.

I want to take this chance to remind you and everyone else posting in the Suggestion forum to read the stickied post up top so you better understand the purpose of this section, and hopefully we can avoid any hurt feelings when a suggestion isn't implemented.

[dWhisper]

Just to elaborate a little on Don's comments, the staff usually does try to give an explanation when the reason is not clear, but we can't always give one, both because of time constraints and the nature of threads. If you didn't get a message from a MOD as a warning, or a reason in the thread, I wouldn't worry about it. We probably just locked it in cleaning...