Why the constant closing of certain threads?

[steven s]

Which is why we often feel like planting our faces into the desk. Your right... people should know better... but for whatever reason some just cant help themselves!

My avatar for work.

 

[craigiri]

Zero closings or moderation would be similar to having no jails, fines or other punishments out in the real world. It's not doable because a few can spoil things for the many.

XF gets to decide what kind of a community this is here. If any from here want to start their own admin forums (which some have and they complain about XF there), so be it.

I am with you in spirit, Floren, but not in the idea of perfection. I have run a large forum for 10 years and perhaps only banned 10-12 actual users. But if I didn't ban those, it would have ruined a LOT. One of them was selling his influence. Another was going back and erasing thousands of his posts.

There are people who simply cannot behave. They get more attention for NOT doing so and therefore cannot stop themselves. Every buyer or user of this site is not a good person in every way. The same is true of any sample of thousands of people. That's why there are rules.

If the mods change behavior to suit one opinion or experience, shouldn't all 5,000 of us get to vote and suggest our own?

 

[Sadik B]

hmmm... Moderator Moderator on the wall... shouldn't this be in Off-topic after all...

 

[BGL]

Every time I read a thread where people comment on certain XenForo features, provide valuable customer feedback, etc., I notice that it is eventually closed.

As new user and current forum software shopper I noticed it also. I was about to ask the "IP to XenForo Convertor" person about what features XenForo had that IP didn't have that made XenForo attractive (a plus conversation for XenForo) when it was closed.

As a forum operator, yeah I know the tis/tisn't Monty Python routine two folks got into was a distraction but life in the forum lane. Better to pop in and distribute some dope slaps to stick to topic vs. the shutdown.

While I'm on look and feel, in hanging out on the product forums (vBulletin, IPBoard and XenForo), one thing that stands out is that no one from XenForo seems to be on the XenForo forums while on the others, people from the company are all over the place. Sounds like this was a big change from how it started. I'd bet that having the principals online and accessible and talking about the product was a big reason for XenForo's initial success. I was a big Dell buyer because once (in the dawn of time) on the CompuServe PC forum, Michael Dell was answering support questions, he answered a couple of mine, and I figured I'd keep buying from that little startup because the guy was passionate about his product. The XenForo folks should come back no matter what the problems if they are passionate about the product. Good or bad looks to me that the XenForo community is going to be supportive no matter what happens or what is going on.

Open, honest communication is a big selling point which gets back to Floren's comment on the quick lock ups on the topics.

 

[jörgk]

xenforo is on a bad way...........hope it will come a better time.

but i see black for the future.

best wishes @all

 

[Ace]

hmmm... Moderator Moderator on the wall... shouldn't this be in Off-topic after all...

Why? It's "Discussion and Feedback on Xenforo", specifically the moderation style used at Xenforo.com. Off-Topic clearly specifies it is for Non-Xenforo topics.

 

[Sadik B]

Why? It's "Discussion and Feedback on Xenforo", specifically the moderation style used at Xenforo.com. Off-Topic clearly specifies it is for Non-Xenforo topics.

Well it was a light humor comment... Just thought that a discussion on when and how threads should be closed or not has nothing to do with the software, so technically is off-topic!

 

[BGL]

Or even better, merge any new threads on the same topic into an existing one.

So there's a "Merge" topics feature in XenForo so I can put duplicate threads together?

 

[Floren]

You can merge threads, you cannot move posts to an existing thread.

 

[BGL]

You can merge threads, you cannot move posts to an existing thread.

Thanks. Looking at the manual but I could not find anything there on actual forum management like "Managing Forum Messages".

No thread drift here, move along, move along.

 

[Slavik]

You can merge threads, you cannot move posts to an existing thread.

Or break off the posts you want to merge into their own thread, then merge that thread

 

[BGL]

Or break off the posts you want to merge into their own thread, then merge that thread

Ah...that's clever.

Is this in the manual somewhere on how to manage threads?

 

[Floren]

Or break off the posts you want to merge into their own thread, then merge that thread

Never thought of it, neat! There is an option to move posts to a new thread, indeed.

Is this in the manual somewhere on how to manage threads?

I don't think you need a manual, is really easy. In a forum, just select 2 threads and see what options show in the manager popup.

 

[BGL]

I don't think you need a manual, is really easy. In a forum, just select 2 threads and see what options show in the manager popup.

Thanks. I'm sure when I buy it and start putting it up I'll see that stuff. I tend to not read the manual until after I can't figure it out. I downloaded the demo and I'll have to create a forum and see the controls.

 

[Andrej]

I downloaded the demo and I'll have to create a forum and see the controls.

You can't download a XenForo Demo (unless the software is nulled/illegall), the only official demo is on this page: http://xenforo.com/demo/ I guess you mean this demo?

 

[jörgk]

mark.b..................................

 

[Peggy]

It does appear that Jake and Slavic have different styles of moderating -

Just to play devils advocate here, both of you have participated in threads and launched attacks against other users. Floren, unless I am mistaken, I believe in one case you claimed it was self defence of your character or similar.
Now where do we draw the line on who gets warned or not, and then the resulting cleanup? Do we just warn the first offending user, delete the other posts (which often have valid information attached to them).
Do we warn all the users because "you should have known better" than to reply? Leave the posts there?
Do we edit posts, and then get accused of censorship?
The problem is, the threads attracting these personal attacks over and over are the same topics over and over. If we start warning people or removing posts, we then get accused of being bias or unfair.
Often, the easiest and most neutral solution is to close the thread and its done with.

Far better to use the tools available in the software and remove or edit personal attacks, and warn the poster where appropriate, leaving others to continue the discussion sensibly.

That is my preference as well. I like to delete offending posts and keep threads going when possible.

Ought to be interesting....

 

[BGL]

Every time I read a thread where people comment on certain XenForo features, provide valuable customer feedback, etc., I notice that it is eventually closed. What is with this recent Gestapo fashion at XenForo? I really don't like the "muting" of opinions practiced lately, it feels like the old vBulletin era where whoever had an opinion it resulted with their thread being closed.

I think the moderators should focus more on these users and "guide" them how to express themselves in public, as this is what is currently ruining this community.

Another case with:

I want to buy xenforo but pluginseller refuses

No one suggested to the guy that he should go to one of the professional XenForo custom vendors to have the same functionality built and supported. And then link him to some of those developers. Fixes his problem, gets XenForo a client, gets a XenForo custom vender some biz. And it's good for other members looking on who might want that functionality provided by a professional who is going to support it to let them know where they can get it also.

 

[Russ]

Another case with:

I want to buy xenforo but pluginseller refuses

No one suggested to the guy that he should go to one of the professional XenForo custom vendors to have the same functionality built and supported. And then link him to some of those developers. Fixes his problem, gets XenForo a client, gets a XenForo custom vender some biz. And it's good for other members looking on who might want that functionality provided by a professional who is going to support it to let them know where they can get it also.

You should PC him if you feel so passionate about it. Ragtek expressed he clearly did not want to do business with him for certain reasons so his next step should be: "how can I get this done."

My ignore list keeps magically growing and growing lately.

 

[yavuz]

Another case with:

I want to buy xenforo but pluginseller refuses

No one suggested to the guy that he should go to one of the professional XenForo custom vendors to have the same functionality built and supported. And then link him to some of those developers. Fixes his problem, gets XenForo a client, gets a XenForo custom vender some biz. And it's good for other members looking on who might want that functionality provided by a professional who is going to support it to let them know where they can get it also.

You went and picked the worst example BGL, that thread had nothing to do with XenForo company and the thread owner has been told that numerous times. XenForo is better off not having that kind of client who thinks the devs are somehow responsible for the customer support of a third-party developer.