Lack of interest Hide Reply Editor For Staff In Locked Threads

[ibnesayeed]

It would be nice to initially hide the quick reply editor for everyone and give an option for staff members to reveal the editor explicitly when necessary. Here is why I am asking for this:

Locked threads have tiny lock icon and a thin line of locked thread notice above and below the thread. For normal members the quick reply editor is not shown below locked thread but it does appear for staff members. Indeed this is how it should be. But we encounter many such occasions when a staff member has locked a thread and some other staff member has posted reply in the same thread without noticing that the thread was actually locked. Replies from staff member in locked threads should ideally be some sort of notice, warning, announcement or request. But if unintentionally a staff member posts a reply that pushes the discussion forward, members start complaining that staff is misusing their power by posting their views on topic and not allowing others to do so.

 

[Sega]

What if another staff member wants to add to the notice, or give an update? It'd be tedious to have to unlock the thread, post, then re-lock the thread. I don't see the problem with allowing staff members to post in locked threads.

 

[Claudio]

Your forum staff can't be so idiot. It's their work to pay attention to the thread status.

 

[ibnesayeed]

What if another staff member wants to add to the notice, or give an update? It'd be tedious to have to unlock the thread, post, then re-lock the thread. I don't see the problem with allowing staff members to post in locked threads.

And why do you think that my suggestion will ever prevent other staff members from posting reply. I am just asking to hide the reply editor temporarily (using JavaScript) and have a button there to reveal it when needed. This way it will prevent staff from posting replies that they would have never posted if they knew that the thread is locked. Every now and then we hear such complaints from members that the staff is misusing their power...

 

[ibnesayeed]

Your forum staff can't be so idiot. It's their work to pay attention to the thread status.

Thanks for the complement!
I mostly agree with you but software is there to help us all. To lose attention is human.

 

[Biker]

Not sure hiding the editor is the answer, but I do agree there should be some type of notice that the thread is locked.

 

[Paul B]

but I do agree there should be some type of notice that the thread is locked.

There is.

 

[Biker]

Correction, a more obvious notice that the thread is locked.

 

[ibnesayeed]

Correction, a more obvious notice that the thread is locked.

That's why I was proposing a distraction that forces staff to never miss it unintentionally.

 

[ibnesayeed]

There is.

View attachment 47112

I have never denied the existence of this notice above and below the thread but in practice it did not help much in our community. Part of the reason could be relatively smaller font size of Urdu script though.

 

[Paul B]

You can always style it to make it stand out more.

 

[ibnesayeed]

You can always style it to make it stand out more.

Thanks for the suggestion. If this is not an issue for majority then I will go with this solution. I usually do not customize default look and feel unless necessary.

 

[Paul B]

It's a valid suggestion so no problem there.
I'm just offering a potential solution in the interim.

 

[ibnesayeed]

I appreciate it Brogan.