Disappearing Threads, A Plea

[BigBadHunkyDaddy]

Since this is a Forum Feedback section, I'll ask here.

 

There was a thread about threads being hidden and/or deleted by community mods. The thread is currently gone. And I have noticed threads disappearing quite often over the last few days.

 

If a community mod decides that a certain thread should be locked, I'm absolutely fine with that. But what I don't like to see is a thread to disappear. If you guys (community mods) are hiding them, I'd just like to ask that you don't and just lock them.

The thing is, if a thread gets locked, everyone knows that the thread either ran it's course or broke the rules of the forum. But if a thread just disappears without notice it starts to look like censorship. Not a good thing. (on top of that, it just annoys the hell out of my brain when I can't finish reading a particular thread because it vanished)

 

Now, if those disappearing threads are because of the OPs deleting their topics (don't know if that's possible, first time starting a thread on this forum) that's something else. Just please, don't hide the threads. People have their right to start discussions and ask questions, even rant and complain. If the thread brakes the rules, lock it and leave it so that people know. Warn the user if he steps over the line, ban him, I don't really care. Just don't hide the threads, if you are doing it.

 

Thank you.

 

P.S. again, if the threads are disappearing because the OPs are deleting them, then disregard this post

 

EDIT: disregard

Edited May 17, 2013 by Balerion84

[Azure_Kytia]

Hahah. Oh wow.

 

Yeah. The OP deleted that one.

An option appears here allowing you to do so http://puu.sh/2V8PX.jpg

Edited May 17, 2013 by Azure_Kyte

[BigBadHunkyDaddy]

I was reading that one actually to find out what's going on and then it just vanished and now I don't know what's going on >_<

EDIT: Yeah, I can see it now. So it's all the OPs doing then? Good to know, it was just so annoying :D

Edited May 17, 2013 by Balerion84

[Ced23Ric]

Like I said over there: We can't delete threads, only hide them. We hid 5 threads on General Discussion, over the course of the last ten pages. All of those were more or less pointless, inflammatory threads.

[MabsWinterKnight]

Like I said over there: We can't delete threads, only hide them. We hid 5 threads on General Discussion, over the course of the last ten pages. All of those were more or less pointless, inflammatory threads.

Why don't you just lock the threads and give the users a mandatory vacation from the forum? If the threads just quietly disappear, noone will learn from the mistakes that these users made, but if the rulebreakers are made into a public example of What Not To Do, people will know what not to do.

[Ced23Ric]

We message and warn the users who break code of conduct privately. There is no intention of playing the name/shame game, as we don't condone this user-to-user, we certainly won't do it mod-to-user. The people who break rules receive messages, and we usually explain things until the other party understood why. Our warnings include quote/links, explanations and are usually simple to understand.

 

We only lock threads that have run their course (and keep circulating), or to halt them for processing by admins. Offending threads, such as "OMG, DE WHY YOU SUCK SO MUCH?!" have no educational value, not even as bad examples. We hide them and process them out of sight. What's to learn from an inflammatory rage topic? I am fairly sure you already know that such a topic would go nowhere. ;)

[1Rogue]

To add on, if someone is posting something that is in violation of the forum's rules, then locking it is basically leaving a large arrow pointing to an offending post. The rules exist for a reason, leaving the topics that offend upon those rules only hinders their own forum.

 

For instance, if someone advertising another game came on, locking the thread would only serve the purpose of that advertisement more by bringing attention to it. Sometimes, hiding is the correct option.