locks?!

boondog · Post by **boondog** » Sat Apr 26, 2003 11:18 pm

What's this? happened to me two times in a row; I want to post a reply to some topic only to be informed "no can do, this topiv has been locked" Who puts those locks on and why?

ZanzerTem · Post by **ZanzerTem** » Sat Apr 26, 2003 11:55 pm

Mods can lock threads, effectively eliminating new posts on the thread.

Locking threads is for eliminating needless threads, like the one about the ogre being Bonehead appearing THREE different places.

You can tell a thread is locked because it has a "lock" symbol next to it on the Index.

boondog · Post by **boondog** » Sat Apr 26, 2003 11:59 pm

So it's up to the mods to decide which threads deserve to be locked? Apart from obvious cases like the Bone-Head one mentioned (no pun intended) , how do they decide?

Sushé Wakka · Post by **Sushé Wakka** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 12:20 am

Well, they usually make it to avioid things "heaten up". I mean, when some thread degenerates into a flame war, or seems that it may end in one, they lock it to avoid the worst part of the thing.

Post by **GalakStarscraper** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 12:53 am

Four things get threads locked normally:

1) The question has been posted multiple times .... example the Ogre - Bonehead question posted on 3 forums ... 2 were locked, one kept open.

2) The discussion is becoming too heated/personal and not BB related. Example ... the recent posters who have posted stuff basically just begging Zombie to respond to them. These things are not related to BB and JohnnyP has been very clear ... posted aimed at personal attacks are not allowed time to develop.

3) The topic has a newer thread where posts to this older one actually confuse the discussion.

4) You post a topic yelling about Freedom of Speech and that no thread should ever be locked or a post deleted and you'll say whatever you want whenever you want and the moderators are evil (which we are ... you just aren't allowed to say it) .... oh or saying that Deathwing treats newbies like sh*t .... that one too...

We go through this periodically on the board. JohnnyP has requested that the moderators not delete posts unless they really have no value at all and border on or are outright flames. However we are encouraged to lock threads since this can be reversed easily if done unfairly (deleting cannot be undone once a moderator does it).

Galak

ZanzerTem · Post by **ZanzerTem** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 6:43 am

Don't forget about Outwars or similar spam posts. Thankfully this site has avoided spammers (so far).

Dark Lord (retired) · Post by **Dark Lord (retired)** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 7:23 am

I like SPAM. IT's a tastey treat!

boondog · Post by **boondog** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 12:02 pm

alright, thanks for clearing this up. I didn't mean to criticize the concept of locking threads, I just wanted to know why it happens. IMO, if you have a "personal" score to settle, you can always use the pm function, right?
Before putting a lock on a post, perhaps the moderator in charge could add a "last reply", explaining why the post will be locked down now, so newer members could learn from it and prevent making similar mistakes...

Pitch Dark · Post by **Pitch Dark** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 1:23 pm

Thats a good idea, I think.

Besides, the last words in any discussion will be the ones remembered. A good thing then if it would be the words of the moderators.

ZanzerTem · Post by **ZanzerTem** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 5:37 pm

It would be a bad moderator indeed who locked or deleted threads for "personal" reasons. The best mods are always the neutral ones who feel that the same rules apply for everyone, and give ample warning with clear cut results.

Deathwing · Post by **Deathwing** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 6:03 pm

My favourite was the one that my sig. comes from, which went a little overboard. It got out of hand simply because it was accusing us of facism and all that whole 'who mods the mods' kinda crap.

Personally, (for the record) I'd rather try to post a warning and nudge a thread in a better direction before locking it.
And the vast majority of time I'll buzz a pm to somebody with an explanation if I feel (it's very rare thankfully) that something needs deleting.