'Lock down' old posts
Updated: 21 May 2010 | 17 comments
Status:
Implemented
Just a small, yet irritating, bug-bear.
We often get old posts (2 - 4 years since last comment) that get 'resurrected' when a new poster decides to add a new comment or say "We have the same issue, how did you resolve it?"
Quite often I would imagine that the original poster may no longer work in the 'trade' or even look at the forum anymore - one visit to try & resolve an issue maybe?
Personally, I think that posts should be automatically locked-down as read only after a certain period (say 1 year, tops) of inactivity (whether solved or not).
You could possibly add a button to 'link to new post' or similar & posts only re-opened upon request to a moderator or some such?
Just a thought!
idea Filed Under:
Comments
This is something we're
This is something we're considering. The question is just how long. I was thinking a year or maybe 18 months at most.
Pretty good idea, if the
Pretty good idea, if the problem come back a years later and the solution of the old post doesn't work it should be open in a nuew post and not continued on the old one.
Any movement?
It appears this item has been in review for months. Which committee is currently handling the discussions, and will it ever escape from it the committee that can implement this?
Nice idea.. When can we
Nice idea..
When can we expect this as implemented?
I think it is better to keep this time period as 6 months for the threads which is not marked as solved and 1 month for the threads which is marked as solved.
Also give some exceptions to Symantec employees ,trusted advisers and for the person who is posted the thread.
Please don't forget to mark your thread solved with whatever answer helped you : ) Thanks & Regards Aravind
Bump
Thought I'd touch on this again before it got "locked-down"!
Any movement? We're still getting the odd one resurrected, sometimes justifiably I must admit, but ........
Regards Andy
"It's not too late to panic ..."
We talked about this idea
We talked about this idea internally just a couple of weeks ago. We're just working out the details on exactly how it would be done. Stay tuned.
I remember that conversation... ;)
Strangely familiar...
Thanks,
Kyle
Symantec Trusted Advisor
For Forum threads, please click "Mark as Solution" if answered.
For all content, please give a thumbs up if you agree with or support the post.
what if there's no solution???
OK....locking down a post may be all well and good, but if it is never marked with a solution then it will still turn up in a google search and that makes it pretty much usesless. If it is going to be locked down, then maybe have a final posting pointing to a similar post with a solution.
Remember.....Google is your friend!
If there's no solution after 28 weeks
there's no guarantee that there's likely to be one!
In an ideal world I would like to see all posts resolved and marked as such (that doesn't always happen either, despite a gentle nudge!)
Who's to say that the O/P hasn't found a solution but not come back to update the post? If he/she were desparate to get a solution, then surely they would've kept the post alive?
I have lost count of the number of times that an old post has been resurrected with the statement "I'm having the same issue" or "Did you ever get a solution to this" expecting a reply to a post that was last updated 1, 2 or even 4 years previously. Or even carrying the 'conversation' as if there'd only been a brief pause for breath. The post could eventually then be solved, but without the input of the OP (if they are still 'active') or a TA or Admin it could still not necessarily be marked as such.
I personally believe we need to allow for this locking down to prevent what I see as, not a waste of time per se, but a mis-direction of resources - forum members trying to resolve an issue for a problem that is no longer there (at least it'd better not be after 4 years!). If a similar issue does arise for another forum member, then maybe the facility to "Create a related discussion" that essentially creates a new post, owned by the new user (& can therefore be marked as solved by same) but that is directly linked to the old post. Failing that a request facilty (to Admin) to unlock if it is deemed that the new post would be beneficial to the original discussion (e.g. the Solution).
Regards Andy
"It's not too late to panic ..."
Has this been implemented now?
Just got a lot of "updated" posts in my workspace & when I looked it said:
This discussion has been locked because there have been no replies in six months. Please start a new discussion.
If so: "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!"
***EDIT***
Nearly three days later & the updated posts are still appearing - but do I care?!
Regards Andy
"It's not too late to panic ..."
Lots of pretty sound ideas over the last year on this one...
Any chance on somebody making a decision and acting on it?
Lock them down if you really must but make it possible to:
1. Request for a case to be reopened. I can easily go more than six months between getting back to some old outstanding problems. Especially if there is a work-around and not a real fix.
2. Link to an old locked case in a new post. e.g. Through a button to "Create a new linked post for this case"
I would suggest the thread
I would suggest the thread can be locked under the following conditions:
1) One or more of the threads as recieved 'Solution' qualification appended to them
2) Thread is obscene or violating ToS.
3) Conflicts of Interest
4) Not appropriate
This has been implemented :)
Subscribe to the upcoming Security Newsletter - Log in, visit your profile, and click on "Newsletter Subscriptions!"
We know lockdown has been implemented...
We know lock-down has been implemented. What I, and I think a couple of other are saying is that the lock down could do with some tweaking. Once a post has been locked down there is no way of requesting for it to be reopened, and there are a multitude of very good reasons why an old post may need to be unlocked, some of which have been already covered in this thread.
If there is no way we can get this changed then PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE at least make it a bit easier for us to create a new post that is linked to the post we are not allowed to have unlocked.
just send one of us an email with the reason you'd like it open
You can always link to the post as well, but generally, if you need a thread re-opened, just let us know why (as opposed to starting a new one) and any admin can take care of it for you.
Best,
Eric
Subscribe to the upcoming Security Newsletter - Log in, visit your profile, and click on "Newsletter Subscriptions!"
Thanks Eric, but...
How do we go about contacting an admin?
Also, how would we link to the post? By copying and pasting the URL? Excuse my ignorance on this one...
Wouldn't it be easier/better for forum users if there were some linked actions within the closed post?
For example:
This discussion has been locked because there have been no replies in six months. Please click here to:
1. Create a new discussion
2. Create a new discussion with a link to this one
3. Request that this discussion be reopened.
RE: Thanks Eric, but...
>>How do we go about contacting an admin?
I believe the most recent moderator/administrator that interacted on the thread can be PMed or a request in Symantec Connect Inside be submitted.
>>Also, how would we link to the post? By copying and pasting the URL? Excuse my ignorance on this one...
At least as of know I believe we ought to use the Permalink of the post manually in the request thread to draw admin's reference.
>>Wouldn't it be easier/better for forum users if there were some linked actions within the closed post?
Sure I support that. A Sym Connect developer should consider implementing it in a future version of the forum.
Would you like to reply?
Login or Register to post your comment.