Please explain why threads become closed

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

Tagging would be a perfect instrument at least while we aren't having any working search on the forums, that in order to search stuff by tags:
the author (if not even others as well) adds some tags when starting a thread, and since its opening that thread will be listed in each category by those tag-words. Of course in that case, the site guys would have to create a tags directory, but I doubt it would be any hard of doing*:idea:*
That way we would have our threads perfectly organised - both for ordinary users and moderators*:P*

:sherlock:

[blackbird71]

blackbird71 last edited by

Tagging would be a perfect instrument at least while we aren't having any working search on the forums, that in order to search stuff by tags: the author (if not even others as well) adds some tags when starting a thread, and since its opening that thread will be listed in each category by those tag-words. Of course in that case, the site guys would have to create a tags directory, but I doubt it would be any hard of doing. That way we would have our threads perfectly organised - both for ordinary users and moderators

I agree that ANYTHING that would help search out posted topics or facts would be valuable, including some kind of tags. Of course, what is most desperately needed is a meaningful forum search capability. Relying on Google to cough up previous Opera Forum posts on some topic provides a poor return for a user's time, and frankly seems a bit embarrassing for others to have to recommend to a questioning user that they should search using a competitor browser maker's search engine to find a relevant Opera Forum post about Opera's browser.

[leocg]

leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by

But when threads are inactive, they sink. Right?

Yes, but it doesn't prevent people from find them in a search and revive an old, buried discussion.

That said, such threads mightn't be too much of a nuisance - in light of "bothering mods".

I really don't see any meaning in keeping (very) old threads opened in a tech related forum.Things change too fast and letting old topics with old issues, old solutions and old discussions isn't something very useful or helpful.

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by admin

X( , you closed this!
Also, my thread about the filter by time and about accessing these forums via a simple phone browser.
That's outrageous.

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

Yes, but it doesn't prevent people from find them in a search and revive an old, buried discussion.

<big>So?</big>
Isn't it a FORUM or maybe it's a damned CHAT???

What's WRONG with you, people??? "Old, buried" -- THEN WHAT??? X(

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

I really don't see any meaning in keeping (very) old threads opened in a tech related forum.Things change too fast and letting old topics with old issues, old solutions and old discussions isn't something very useful or helpful.

Those I mentioned were (are) in the Forum feedback! AND THOSE THINGS HAVE CHANGED BY A IOTA which were discussed there.

What's WRONG with you, people??? :norris:

[james438]

james438 last edited by

There may be some things we disagree with, but let's keep things a little more civil.

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

James, I didn't even mention shit, not once.
[Psst! You haven't ever seen me being impolite then, have you? :lol:]

[leocg]

leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by

you closed this!

No posts in that thread in eight months. So it's old and inactive.

Also, my thread about the filter by time and about accessing these forums via a simple phone browser.

Most probably they are old and inactive like the other one.

hat's outrageous.

Ah, com'on.

Those I mentioned were (are) in the Forum feedback!

Beside the Lounge and, maybe, the Suggestion Box, all (sub)forums here are tech related.

AND THOSE THINGS HAVE CHANGED BY A IOTA which were discussed there.

Calm down and stop yelling, there is no need in acting like this.

As i said, those topics have been dead and buried for about eight months (maybe even more), so let's keep them this way. If someone has a similar issue then a new, maybe more specific, thread can be opened.

Also it helps prevent people form brealing trhe number one forums' rule: don't post in old threads unless you are going to say something really useful and (still) relevant for the discussion.

What's WRONG with you, people???

Have you asked it to yourself?

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

No posts in that thread in eight months. So it's old and inactive.

THAT is exactly the sort of bullshit I'm talking about.
It is a faqing FAQ thread. I even faqing asked there to pin it.

Well, LET US CLOSE THE TOS PAGE ON THE SITE - because nobody comments there!
Have I called anybody an idiot yet? No? Strange...

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

Beside the Lounge and, maybe, the Suggestion Box, all (sub)forums here are tech related.

Would you mind telling people here of your ideas what the heck the forum feedback section here is about?

I'm personally ALL EARS...

[leocg]

leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by

Beside the Lounge and, maybe, the Suggestion Box, all (sub)forums here are tech related.

Would you mind telling people here of your ideas what the heck the forum feedback section here is about?
I'm personally ALL EARS...

As the name says, it's for people to give feedback about these forums, reporting issues, giving suggestions and discussing about them.

[leocg]

leocg Moderator Volunteer last edited by

THAT is exactly the sort of bullshit I'm talking about.
It is a faqing FAQ thread. I even faqing asked there to pin it.

I don't think it's a FAQ. Even if the case, i don't discuss on a FAQ page.

Have I called anybody an idiot yet? No? Strange...

You don't know what you did or not? This is strange really.

Imho you should just stop overreacting on this.

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

You gave wrong reasons - for a forum.

On normal forums things don't get closed just because there haven't been any new posts there for a while - whatever WHILE it is.
Well, if a thread has REALLY lost its point - that would be the case IF THE ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED, or the situation on the topic discussed has so drastically changed that the thread's got about some cuckoo instead of what's real, or like that.

In the case of my threads mentioned neither of the above mentioned factors is present: the situation hasn't changed by a iota, and the issue in question ain't resolved (if any).
But I've already told that - didn't I?

Let's say that the site guys should pay attention to the site, shouldn't they?
If a normal search had been implemented, and other issues, there wouldn't have been such "inactive threads" - or at least too much an issue about such: people would've searched and found things, and actual topics would have stayed actual. Now, instead, many of such sink - nobody IS OBLIGED to post in them like every day to keep them on page 1 or something. (I asked to pin a thread of mine for that matter, didn't I? So?)

Concluding on all that,
there's NO issue on inactive threads here -
it's an issue of inactive developers rather.

1. Make ******** search at last.
2. Implement something about good threads (like pinning to top) and/or tagging threads.

If done, the only issue to remain will be a one-time sweep of duplicate threads - which are LEGION because nothing is done.

[blackbird71]

blackbird71 last edited by

To be ruthlessly fair, as much as I greatly dislike the current so-called search function in these new Opera forums and while I believe the old MyOpera search engine was far better than the current one, many users never bother to search for an existing similar topic before starting a thread, in the first place. One of the chronic problems in the olde MyOpera days was fresh users repeatedly asking the same questions that had been already asked dozens of times before, for years on end. It's a chronic forum problem, with or without an effective forum search engine, and unfortunately it reflects human nature: it's easier to start a new thread than seek out and join an existing one for the same topic. If I had a dollar (or Euro) for every thread in MyOpera asking about a garbled webpage that was eventually traced to a mis-setting of the Fit-To-Width feature, I'd retire for life. Ditto for the new forums and the consequences of mis-setting Opera's Turbo feature in the browser.

Hence, endlessly duplicating threads in a forum are almost a given, with or without a decent forum search engine, and with or without 'sinking' threads. The only remedy would be a powerful and effective forum search engine combined with an unforgiving approach to mod-closing of new, duplicate threads to exclude them. Neither, unfortunately, is likely to happen - and one without the other would be a disaster.

[james438]

james438 last edited by

I just don't think it should be too difficult to post a few words in the rare instance that a thread is closed stating why it was closed.

The search engine in this forum is not very good. It is very bad actually. I do try to use it before starting a new thread, but the results are so off base from what I am looking for that doing a google search is better.

What are the prospects on upgrading this forum to something like vbulletin or phpbb?

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

Black, seeing your point, there are places where people spit at the pavements, there are places where they generally don't.
It's a matter of administration.

[blackbird71]

blackbird71 last edited by

Black, seeing your point, there are places where people spit at the pavements, there are places where they generally don't.
It's a matter of administration.

I agree on the importance of administration. The problem is that the lack of a good forum search engine has consequences that reach far beyond just user inconvenience. If a user can't locate a prior unclosed thread on his topic, he'll start a new one. If a mod sees the new thread, he can't very well close it, knowing that whatever earlier threads which exist may be unreachable by forum search and closing the new one will leave the poster hanging in air.

On the other hand, if a mod leaves the new thread alone, any old thread(s) can greatly age without being kept current. But sooner or later, somebody will tumble upon those old threads somehow and resurrect them (there are other search engines and various reference links besides the forum search engine, of course). Now what is the mod to do in the face of some of the obvious necro-posting?

IMO, the result is a collage of at-times-confusing mod actions or rulings, wherein they are trying to do their best with what they have in situations ultimately made much more difficult because of an unreliable or unsatisfactory forum search engine.

And indeed, as @james438 suggests, it would be useful to some extent if mods would at least post their reason(s) when closing a thread. Otherwise, in some cases, users are left to fret and puzzle at the 'why' of thread closings.