Should mods make a post to justify why they locked a thread?

[alani123]

I know sometimes mods lock threads at their own discression, especially at boards where they are a local moderator. At least when s thread gets moved there's some forum notice being posted. But for locking a topic there's nothing to signify it was a moderator action.

I just think it would be a nice courtesy if mods would just add a post before locking a topic to justify why they felt it should be locked. It's good to put this info on the record for future reference. And also from what I understand, since the OP can unlock a topic locked by a mod, a post by the staff member that took the action would prevent misunderstandings.

[Nwada001]

And also from what I understand, since the OP can unlock a topic locked by a mod, a post by the staff member that took the action would prevent misunderstandings.

As of last, I read about a locked thread by the moderator; this is not possible unless there has been a change since then.

After the moderator or administrator closes the topic, the creator of the topic can not unlock it. If the creator tries to unlock the topic, he will receive a message:

[Synchronice]

That would be nice. I think, when mods lock a thread, they should have a select box where will be stated some reasons and they'll mark the one(s) that suit lock reason the most. By the way, I think that main reason of locking threads by moderators is to prevent spam. There are many threads where user asks basic question, that question gets answered multiple times by multiple people and then hundreds of users spam the thread.

[Smartvirus]

But for locking a topic there's nothing to signify it was a moderator action.

I just think it would be a nice courtesy if mods would just add a post before locking a topic to justify why they felt it should be locked. It's good to put this info on the record for future reference.

There isn’t any complication on who can luck a post or not. It’s always going to be either a moderator or the OP as, no forum user can just take actions on a post that wasn’t originally created by them.

Meanwhile, a moderator note wouldn’t be so bad. As this wouldn’t only serve for the OP alone but, would in a way relate to the rest of the forum users some specifics. Mind you, only the OP would be of full knowledge on whom might have locked a thread as, if it ain’t OP’s actions, it’s definitely going to be a moderator but, the rest of the forum members can’t know that. A moderators note could however, spill this secrete as to reasons why, it would serve as a reference point and by some means, serve as a deterrent for those who would like to create similar post.

This however might be a lot of work for moderators and could be ignored since it doesn’t matter much but, it’s a thought still.

[PX-Z]

I know sometimes mods lock threads at their own discression, especially at boards where they are a local moderator.

I don't think it is based on their "own discreation" rather its based on forum rules.

I see few locked threads that there's a note/post from the mod but not as always. So yeah, it will be good to see a required note to add if the mod is going to lock a thread to avoid confusion of the OP.

[EL MOHA]

I don't think it is based on their "own discreation" rather its based on forum rules.

I see few locked threads that there's a note/post from the mod but not as always. So yeah, it will be good to see a required note to add if the mod is going to lock a thread to avoid confusion of the OP.

Exactly mods do not act base on what they think about that thing rather they take action base on the rules of the forum, most threads are mostly locked due to spamming although there are others for some other reasons but to me the number for spam locked thread are much. And judging by that once you go through a thread that is locked you will definitely see clear reasons why it is locked.

But this doesn’t mean it won’t be a good addition that a note for the thread getting locked is stated at least it guides more members again on why they get their thread Locked. Those who will like to improve their posting habit will improve. But this will also give the mod an extra work

[Xal0lex]

alani123, What is the purpose of your inquiry? Did a moderator block your topic or did this idea come to you just by chance?

[Churchillvv]

It's up to the mod to decide whether to leave a text or post before locking a thread.

I'm my local board, I have seen @Igebotz make a post to inform the @OP of thread his reasons for locking thr thread. That shows that it's a personal decision of the moderator to share his reasons for locking the thread.

Additionally, if for sure you know that you made a thread or post and didn't lock the thread then find out that it's locked them you should know it doesn't follow one or more rules or there most be a good reason for it getting locked. And I haven't seen a scenario where an op open a thread that was locked by a mod.

[Hispo]

Actually, because of I am an active member of the political section of the forum, I have noticed that when the mod there decides to lock a thread for some reason, they decide to leave a post before locking the discussion there. I have seen it happening when there are two or even three threads which are about the same topic (the criminal trials of Donald Trump) and could perfectly be discussed in the first thread opened.
I have also noticed the moderator of the section offers some warning when they realize the thread is lacking of actual value for discussion and makes clear their consideration on locking it in the future if the topic continues to devolve.

I am not aware whether it is something a couple of moderators do by their own will and etiquette or if it is something which only is supposed to happen within the political section of the forum, for the sake of keeping censorship at minimum. 

[lovesmayfamilis]

Sometimes I also ask moderators to close a topic because it is no longer relevant and the author of the topic no longer responds. What's the point of keeping an open topic whose problem has already been solved many times? Having received the report, moderators often agree to close it. But I think that an explanation about closing a topic is not necessary, since a careful look and some thinking will help a person understand why and for what reasons the topic is closed. Most often, this is the irrelevance of the question and the prevention of a megathread.

[Apocollapse]

It shouldn't only limited to reason why they lock the topic.

It also needs:
1. Explanation why someone post got deleted.
2. Notification to non-original poster when the topic from original poster got deleted.
3. Different logo for locked thread (locked by OP and locked by moderator).
4. Hyperlink to the reported post when someone got banned.
5. Explanation why moderator mark your report as bad.

Administrators and moderators reaction after they read my post:

[joker_josue]

I think this should be something that should be implemented from the beginning. They wouldn't even need to write, there should be a pre-defined list of reasons and they would just have to choose which one applied. I know that other forums have this capability. I don't know if it's a software issue or if it was something that was disabled. But it is something that makes sense to exist.

It could be something strange, when we see a post deleted or a topic blocked, or any other moderation action, and in the end we are not sure what really happened.

Now, I also think it's difficult to change this, especially if it's a software issue. But, yes, there should be more information about moderation actions, regarding this aspect.

[Igebotz]

It's up to the mod to decide whether to leave a text or post before locking a thread.

I'm my local board, I have seen @Igebotz make a post to inform the @OP of thread his reasons for locking thr thread. That shows that it's a personal decision of the moderator to share his reasons for locking the thread.

Additionally, if for sure you know that you made a thread or post and didn't lock the thread then find out that it's locked them you should know it doesn't follow one or more rules or there most be a good reason for it getting locked. And I haven't seen a scenario where an op open a thread that was locked by a mod.

I don't necessarily give explanation to why I lock a topic.

For obvious spam/low quality posts= Lock/delete without explanation.

For duplicate topics= Lock with a link to the original discussion thread.

[un_rank]

I don't think it is based on their "own discreation" rather its based on forum rules.

Mods are allowed to act based on their discretion. The have their personal interpretation of the rules based on the case that is up for consideration.

If there is no human touch you could as well have automated bots make predetermined actions.

- Jay -

[Lucius]

alani123, What is the purpose of your inquiry? Did a moderator block your topic or did this idea come to you just by chance?

I believe that this is the topic that caused him to ask the question. Given that I am the one responsible for the report, I can also explain why I think the topic should have been locked.

I personally think that the topic has reached its maximum and has turned into a signature spam megathread - and the moderator who handles the report obviously agrees with that. @alani123, just so you know, I have nothing against you personally, but I think you'll agree that there are very few topics that can generate some kind of meaningful discussion after 10 pages of discussion.

[Rikafip]

Yes.

Having said that, I would like to see not just mods giving some sort of explanation for their actions in certain cases, I would also like to see either a special board for people's complaints or at least mods answering them in Meta in a reasonable timeframe.

[Mia Chloe]

Yes.

Having said that, I would like to see not just mods giving some sort of explanation for their actions in certain cases, I would also like to see either a special board for people's complaints or at least mods answering them in Meta in a reasonable timeframe.

Yes it does make sense however I think that board should be the reputation board. For me I think if a mod should give reasons why they locked or moved every single topic to different boards or why they nuked different topics, there will be way more topics on the forum daily.
I think the best alternative is that when a mod moves a topic or deletes a topic there should be a feedback text space where he would briefly fill the reason for his actions instead of creating unnecessary topics. They when someone tries to visit the post you get a a message saying for example;

This post has been nuked because of suspected spam or scam

I think if the user is not satisfied with the remark he can probably go ahead to create a reputation thread about it.

[Findingnemo]

The only reason for a thread to be locked is " There's nothing more to discuss further ", so I guess someone reported that to mod and they took the action or atleast that's what my assumption about locking threads by mod.

I am sure there are certain instances the decision by mod could be wrong but it doesn't happens everyday so if we ask them to give explanation for every thread they lock then it's gonna add buttload of work for them when they used to deal hundreds or even thousands of reports requires their attention.

So the solution should be, when someone feel.a thread is locked by a mistake they're free to raise their concern in meta perhaps we can create a specific thread to post such kind of queries and mods can keep then in their tracked threads, this may not be what OP is looking but its the realistic solution for it.

[Cryptomultiplier]

I know sometimes mods lock threads at their own discression, especially at boards where they are a local moderator. At least when s thread gets moved there's some forum notice being posted. But for locking a topic there's nothing to signify it was a moderator action.

I just think it would be a nice courtesy if mods would just add a post before locking a topic to justify why they felt it should be locked. It's good to put this info on the record for future reference. And also from what I understand, since the OP can unlock a topic locked by a mod, a post by the staff member that took the action would prevent misunderstandings.

I have had my post locked also for no clear reasons sometime back also, but it seemed like the mod understood I had gotten enough satisfactory response for the question I asked and did some good to lock the post, I guess.
I love the fact that this came up here and in my opinion, even if a justified post isn't created, at least, a dm or email with a good reason for locking the post should suffice as a courtesy to the person who put in the effort to create the post.

[joker_josue]

alani123, What is the purpose of your inquiry? Did a moderator block your topic or did this idea come to you just by chance?

I believe that this is the topic that caused him to ask the question. Given that I am the one responsible for the report, I can also explain why I think the topic should have been locked.

I personally think that the topic has reached its maximum and has turned into a signature spam megathread - and the moderator who handles the report obviously agrees with that. @alani123, just so you know, I have nothing against you personally, but I think you'll agree that there are very few topics that can generate some kind of meaningful discussion after 10 pages of discussion.

Not wanting to call into question the analysis you made, I ask:
Why does a topic have to be closed, just because you think everything has already been discussed on the subject?

Looking at the topic you gave as an example. The topic has 10 pages, I can read the OP and the following two or three pages, and be interested in saying something about it. Maybe even ask something. What would be the problem if I made a post, 10 pages after the debate?
You will say that the answer to my question or the point I wanted to highlight has already been mentioned before. Yes, it may be true, but that's no reason for me not to be able to express myself.

Furthermore, over time more information and other details about the topic may emerge, and the OP may prefer to add this information to this topic instead of creating a new one.

I also noticed that the last post in this topic had a merit, so I believe it was not an out-of-context or spam post.

There are thousands of topics on the forum, with several years of existence, and have never been closed. Why close recent topics?

As I said, I'm not calling into question any analysis, I just want to understand the logic applied.