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blackmetal203 Rookie Author Illinois Posts:4 Points:180 Joined:Aug 2011	Message Posted: Aug 21, 2011 4:16:00 PM Ignore blackmetal203 Report Abuse why do you lockout topics instead of just deleting them makes no sense just delete them or is that a bad thing?

blackmetal203

Rookie Author
Illinois

Posts:4
Points:180
Joined:Aug 2011

Message Posted: Aug 21, 2011 4:16:00 PM

Ignore blackmetal203 Report Abuse

why do you lockout topics instead of just deleting them
makes no sense just delete them or is that a bad thing?

REPLIES (newest first)Ignore Short Messages

stanleyvision All-Star Author San Diego Posts:869 Points:439,595 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Sep 5, 2011 1:35:27 AM Ignore stanleyvision Report Abuse Roger That
Michael29644 Champion Author Greenville Posts:4,974 Points:844,250 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: Sep 3, 2011 5:35:55 AM Ignore Michael29644 Report Abuse "You can get rid of all locked topics by using the Ignore button to kill msgs from all the authors who wrote them." Why bother? After enough time, they'll slide off the front page on their own.
CampKohler Champion Author Sacramento Posts:9,469 Points:1,563,410 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2011 1:42:21 PM Ignore CampKohler Report Abuse You can get rid of all locked topics by using the Ignore button to kill msgs from all the authors who wrote them.
Michael29644 Champion Author Greenville Posts:4,974 Points:844,250 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: Sep 1, 2011 11:00:37 PM Ignore Michael29644 Report Abuse "GB never deletes a topic unless it violates posting rules for vulgar language, things like that." Not always true. FWIW, the thread "Buy no gas on April 1st 2010" was deleted en masse from the Boycott/Gasout forum on Thursday. I had asked that it simply be locked, but the mods decided to delete it as it would have "taken too much time to clean out" and it served no purpose anymore. Can't say I disagree with their decision. Glad to see that tired, old, junk thread go.
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,372 Points:3,255,570 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Aug 23, 2011 7:18:27 AM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse Topic: locked out topics Category: Talk back to us!
Scrapheap Champion Author Virginia Posts:14,556 Points:2,360,780 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Aug 23, 2011 6:07:42 AM Ignore Scrapheap Report Abuse Talk Back To Us ia a forum or category of a forum, not a thread. This is a topic or thread.
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,372 Points:3,255,570 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Aug 23, 2011 5:46:52 AM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse This is a topic. Talk back to us! is a thread. All the threads make up the forum.
WR-INC Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:39,504 Points:3,626,285 Joined:Dec 2002	Message Posted: Aug 23, 2011 4:58:18 AM Ignore WR-INC Report Abuse scoutmaster, You mean the last page of the forum section? People here seem to use threads and topics as meaning the same thing.
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,372 Points:3,255,570 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Aug 23, 2011 4:17:55 AM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse Maybe locked topics should drop to the last page of the thread after say one week.
kwzh Champion Author San Jose Posts:20,659 Points:3,684,560 Joined:Jul 2001	Message Posted: Aug 23, 2011 12:37:16 AM Ignore kwzh Report Abuse (Ignoring the sidetrack, I'm responding to the original issue.) Since nobody will be posting to the locked threads, they automatically drop in the listings as people respond to active threads or create new ones. Once they're out of the page view, they don't take up any load cycles (and even while they are within view, they're only displacing threads that are older than the lock date). Hence, there's no significant benefit to deleting instead of locking them. Note that sometimes the mods post a final "here's why we're stopping this now" message before locking the topic. The information in that message would not be available if it were deleted instead.
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,372 Points:3,255,570 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Aug 22, 2011 3:48:15 PM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse And always the same few who think it's a bad idea!
aoklman Champion Author Texas Posts:2,812 Points:405,025 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Aug 22, 2011 1:55:49 PM Ignore aoklman Report Abuse >> There is more support for this idea than you think! << Well they must be hiding in the woodwork pretty good, because every time it is brought up, it is the same few that always seem to advocate / defend that idea.
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,372 Points:3,255,570 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Aug 22, 2011 1:04:03 PM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse There is more support for this idea than you think!
aoklman Champion Author Texas Posts:2,812 Points:405,025 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Aug 22, 2011 12:03:34 PM Ignore aoklman Report Abuse >> I don't think that it would really be a good thing to block us new members. << It seems the majority here agree with you, there are only a few members that relentlessly push this idea of blocking new members from being able to start topics (until certain thresholds are reached), claiming it will help eliminate topic duplication. But most seem to think: 1. Topic duplication is not the big problem these few make it out to be 2. There is no hard data proving that new members are any more responsible for duplication than seasoned members 3. And that their proposed thresholds are much too high and unreasonable.
MunchkinNM All-Star Author New Mexico Posts:968 Points:154,500 Joined:Aug 2011	Message Posted: Aug 22, 2011 9:57:08 AM Ignore MunchkinNM Report Abuse I don't think that it would really be a good thing to block us new members. What if we have good topics to discuss as well? (I haven't really been getting points when I reply on a post anyway.) [Edited by: MunchkinNM at 8/22/2011 10:58:08 AM EST]
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,372 Points:3,255,570 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Aug 22, 2011 6:49:19 AM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse Another way to get rid of topics clogging up the forums is to restrict new members from starting topics!
Scrapheap Champion Author Virginia Posts:14,556 Points:2,360,780 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Aug 22, 2011 6:13:52 AM Ignore Scrapheap Report Abuse I don't see this as much of an issue. You are only loading a list and that list is separated into pages. I doubt there is much of a loading issue. If you want to get rid of posts clogging things up, do away with points for forum posts.
unclesnipe Champion Author Cincinnati Posts:21,725 Points:1,288,550 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: Aug 21, 2011 11:40:30 PM Ignore unclesnipe Report Abuse uh oh........ I refer you to Prof. Benny! LOL
ambius Rookie Author Flint Posts:81 Points:237,090 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Aug 21, 2011 11:37:13 PM Ignore ambius Report Abuse if the gasbuddy server was overloaded and needed to clear up space, they should be clearing out (or removing) the just for fun forum. Other forums, such as this one, are filled with useful information, even in the locked topics. JFF has more posts than all other forums combined! and none of them are important for the functionality of the server. Other sites I use with a similar forum automatically delete JFF topics more than 3 months old. Since gasbuddy is not clearing out the obviously useless stuff, I think it is safe to assume they are not concerned about storage space or how forum volume may affect page load speed. And if they were, they should purge JFF, not just the locked topics of other more useful forums.
emptypockets2008 Champion Author Michigan Posts:14,648 Points:1,307,715 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Aug 21, 2011 11:30:48 PM Ignore emptypockets2008 Report Abuse IF they drifted, fine, but they don’t and they do take up valuable space. They take up space for loading pages, and such Get the picture? End of subject for me!
aoklman Champion Author Texas Posts:2,812 Points:405,025 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Aug 21, 2011 11:25:25 PM Ignore aoklman Report Abuse >> so the site should be clogged with old, locked out topics because a person might want to access the information? << No, how would the locked topics clog up anything? Since they can't be posted to, as new topics are made they will simple drift off (with the other non-locked topics that nobody post to any more).
jrsva Champion Author Virginia Posts:9,863 Points:1,614,950 Joined:Jan 2006	Message Posted: Aug 21, 2011 11:22:15 PM Ignore jrsva Report Abuse GB never deletes a topic unless it violates posting rules for vulgar language, things like that. Topics are locked for a variety of reasons. Doing so causes them to drift slowly down the index page and out of sight.
emptypockets2008 Champion Author Michigan Posts:14,648 Points:1,307,715 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Aug 21, 2011 11:17:41 PM Ignore emptypockets2008 Report Abuse That is probably the biggest point to delete them I mean, just how "many" topics do we need on “$250 gas card” just for instance? Have you read them all? they are all the same thing People dont' read them they just post a new one. If the locked ones were removed say, after a month, just as a example. the site would go a lot smoother. It is a part of maintenance.
unclesnipe Champion Author Cincinnati Posts:21,725 Points:1,288,550 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: Aug 21, 2011 11:17:04 PM Ignore unclesnipe Report Abuse so the site should be clogged with old, locked out topics because a person might want to access the information? give your head a shake. if there's any chance that the site can load faster, and be more reliable, delete the old stuff. serious flat world thinking there.
aoklman Champion Author Texas Posts:2,812 Points:405,025 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Aug 21, 2011 11:14:01 PM Ignore aoklman Report Abuse >> no reason for locked topics to remain. none. << I would have to disagree with you there. Just because you can no longer post to a topic, does not mean that the information is no longer useful. I will often read locked topics and often they have questions that get ask over and over answered in them, of course that doesn't mean the askers are necessarily going to find the answer before asking it again, but if its not there then they definitely will not.
unclesnipe Champion Author Cincinnati Posts:21,725 Points:1,288,550 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: Aug 21, 2011 10:32:15 PM Ignore unclesnipe Report Abuse no reason for locked topics to remain. none. and there are many unlocked topics that need a shiny, gold padlock ;) good luck with both of those items around here though.
emptypockets2008 Champion Author Michigan Posts:14,648 Points:1,307,715 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Aug 21, 2011 10:28:07 PM Ignore emptypockets2008 Report Abuse Never said I got an error, did I? It is just plain good maintenance, to keep things tidy and neat . Anything wrong with that???
aoklman Champion Author Texas Posts:2,812 Points:405,025 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Aug 21, 2011 10:08:27 PM Ignore aoklman Report Abuse >> Seems once locked, they could be removed, and more room made for new topics << When did you get an error that said you couldn't start a new topic because it was too full?
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,372 Points:3,255,570 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Aug 21, 2011 7:39:25 PM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse I concur with bytebug.
emptypockets2008 Champion Author Michigan Posts:14,648 Points:1,307,715 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Aug 21, 2011 7:19:28 PM Ignore emptypockets2008 Report Abuse That is a good question, blackmetal203, I was wondering the same thing . Seems once locked, they could be removed, and more room made for new topics
bytebug Champion Author Orange County Posts:26,399 Points:4,125,580 Joined:Oct 2001	Message Posted: Aug 21, 2011 6:05:26 PM Ignore bytebug Report Abuse Deleting this topic would be the perfect answer to your question.