CheckEmoji Community · the emoji forum
🏠 Home 🆕 What's new ❓ Unanswered 🔥 Popular 📡 RSS Members 👥 0 online
log in · register
Home › Miscellaneous › Feedback & Suggestions › FBI - Thread locking policies

FBI - Thread locking policies

Started by gentlepuma20 · · 👁 5 views · 25 replies

📡 Subscribe to replies

Participants gentlepuma20wiredvipervelvettrucker52Jose White18hollowtrucker77Nicholas King
gentlepuma20 gentlepuma20 NewcomerOP
1 message
joined Jun 2005
#1 ·
I was wondering why threads on the Relationship sub on Reddit get locked so often.

For instance: http://reddit.com/r/relationships/showthread.php?t=600906

I get that things get repetitive—and long threads can turn into shouting matches pretty easily—but this one felt like a total conversation killer. It could've sparked some really smart replies, too, since it’s a fresh topic, not something dug up from the Stone Age. I thought people actually preferred those massive, hundred-page discussions?

I seem to remember back when I was a moderator 😁 Alexander Hamilton specifically said we shouldn't be locking threads... though maybe things have changed since I stepped down.

Thanks!
wiredviper wiredviper Member
10 messages
joined Dec 2010
#2 ·
Exactly—velvettrucker52 is a total buzzkill. It’s just pointless 👎
velvettrucker52 velvettrucker52 Member
31 messages
joined Dec 2011
#3 ·
The conversation has been spinning its wheels for days now. The author keeps getting into these endless spats with anyone who refuses to validate her delusions—though, more often than not, she seems to be arguing with herself.

Besides, she’s the one who invited the chaos in the first place, and I was more than happy to oblige, seeing as this thread has devolved into nothing more than a playground for trolls and people just looking for cheap attention.
Jose White18 Jose White18 Member
45 messages
joined Dec 2010
#4 ·
velvettrucker52 said:This whole thread has been going in circles for days. The OP keeps arguing with anyone who won't just validate her delusions, and she ends up fighting herself half the time too.

Plus, she’s the one who invited this chaos. I'm happy to play along since this topic has turned into nothing more than a playground for trolls and people looking for cheap validation.

I agree. It gets especially messy when the people starting these threads refuse to hear any dissenting views—which is exactly what's happening here—and actually end up fueling the personal attacks themselves.

Honestly, this thread is pretty much on the verge of being shut down.
wiredviper wiredviper Member
10 messages
joined Dec 2010
#5 ·
But look, the premise here isn't just about the original poster—it’s about everyone else jumping in, searching through the threads, and actually talking to one another, regardless of who kicked things off.
Can we get some clarity here? Are we allowed to interact with each other, or is this strictly direct communication only? Am I permitted to reply to existing posts within a thread, or am I restricted to only addressing the OP? And can we actually have a conversation without someone immediately locking the thread and handing out bans?
Jose White18 Jose White18 Member
45 messages
joined Dec 2010
#6 ·
It’s all fun and games until someone takes it too far and loses sight of what actually matters.
hollowtrucker77 hollowtrucker77 Regular
681 messages
joined Nov 2007
#7 ·
Give it a rest, seriously, this whole thread died out the day before yesterday because it just turned into a massive circlejerk of pure boredom and stupidity.
If we're talking about what the future actually holds, it’s basically just going to be people bickering over trivial nonsense until they start scavenging through cardboard boxes in the streets.
Everything has already been dissected, debated, and questioned at least five times over.
wiredviper wiredviper Member
10 messages
joined Dec 2010
#8 ·
How are you supposed to stay calm when the goalposts move every single time? It’s hard to take anything seriously when they tell you one thing, then flip the script and hand out a penalty the moment you actually follow the rules.
I’m not just talking about this specific thread, either—I mean, how are you even meant to participate on a platform like Reddit at all?
Jose White18 Jose White18 Member
45 messages
joined Dec 2010
#9 ·
If you can't keep up with all this, it’s probably better to just skip it altogether.

What's actually bothering you?
hollowtrucker77 hollowtrucker77 Regular
681 messages
joined Nov 2007
#10 ·
wiredviper said:How am I supposed to stay calm when the goalposts keep moving every single time? It’s pretty obvious—one minute they tell you one thing, then the second you actually start following those rules, they pivot and hit you with a penalty.
And honestly, I’m not just talking about this specific thread; I mean, how are you even supposed to participate on Reddit at all if the rules change mid-game?

What do you mean, "different rules"?
Are you seriously under the impression you got flagged just because you were chatting with another user on here?
You didn't; you got flagged because you wouldn't let the subject drop, and frankly, you would have run into the same wall even if you had directed that energy toward the author instead.
That’s usually what happens once a discussion hits a dead end, which is precisely why the mods decided to lock the thread.
wiredviper wiredviper Member
10 messages
joined Dec 2010
#11 ·
Jose White18 said:If you can't keep up with all that, maybe it's better if you don't try at all.

Fine
gentlepuma20 gentlepuma20 NewcomerOP
1 message
joined Jun 2005
#12 ·
hollowtrucker77 said:give it a rest—this topic pretty much died out the day before yesterday, mostly just because it got boring and repetitive
anything that could happen down the road would basically just be people bickering over nothing and getting tossed into the street
everything’s been picked apart and questioned at least five times already

I really didn't mean for us to dwell on this—I only posted it as an example, which is why I labeled it "example"😁

But I'd rather talk about this:

I seem to remember back when I was a moderator, Alexander Hamilton specifically said we shouldn't be locking threads—not sure if something changed since I stopped doing mod work.
hollowtrucker77 hollowtrucker77 Regular
681 messages
joined Nov 2007
#13 ·
as you can clearly see—things have shifted a bit here
🙂
look, locking a thread is an inevitable tool for any moderator to have in their kit, whether it’s just a temporary fix to clean up a messy conversation or a permanent way to stop people from beating a dead horse, much like we're seeing in this specific case
it honestly makes zero sense to let a thread stay wide open when everyone starts circling the wagons and attacking one another, just collecting digital reprimands and bans left and right, especially since the original poster has already checked out and stopped contributing nearly as much substance as they did when this all kicked off
if the discussion had actually gained some momentum and started heading somewhere productive, then shutting it down would be counterproductive, but as it stands, a thread that has lost its purpose is, err, just pointless
gentlepuma20 gentlepuma20 NewcomerOP
1 message
joined Jun 2005
#14 ·
Sorry, I opened this thread and then it just vanished...

When you say "things have changed," do you mean if I went to complain to Alexander Hamilton about this, he'd tell me they actually updated their policy? I’m not talking about this specific thread, as if one single thing matters—good grief. I mean that at the FBI, this happens all the time. Once the mods decide a thread has "run its course," they shut it down, regardless of what people on Reddit think. I don't really have an issue with it if that's just how the site works. But if the official policy is the exact opposite, then I guess I'd prefer it if the subreddits I follow followed rules that actually made sense to me. 😬
hollowtrucker77 hollowtrucker77 Regular
681 messages
joined Nov 2007
#15 ·
😁
alright, if that’s really how things are playing out, I guess I'll be spending some quality time digging through the FBI's files over the next few days
nobody actually wants to see threads getting locked for no damn reason
gentlepuma20 gentlepuma20 NewcomerOP
1 message
joined Jun 2005
#16 ·
They aren't just locking threads for no reason. It usually happens once a topic starts looping or when they need to curb the spamming and trolling. I guess any lock can be justified—it really just comes down to whether the rule is that moderators decide when a conversation has run its course, or if users should be allowed to chat as much as they want while mods just clean up the trolls and off-topic noise. It used to feel more like the latter.
Nicholas King Nicholas King Regular
716 messages
joined Jan 2023
#17 ·
gentlepuma20 said:...or perhaps they just let users talk nonsense indefinitely while the mods step in to clean up the trolling, spamming, and off-topic clutter. That used to be how things worked.

"How things used to work" requires a massive amount of moderator involvement—which I don't think is happening here, given that Adobe currently only has about three mods in theory. 🙂

To my mind, the situation over at the FBI is somewhat unique: you have a relatively small "core group," occasional guests drifting in from other Adobe boards, and the periodic influx of newcomers (who, frankly, have an overwhelming tendency to start their own personal threads).

As much as I advocate for the "get through the serious discussion first, then we can pivot to sports and music" approach 😁, I truly believe that "letting people run wild" would mostly just hurt the newcomers—those who rarely even bother to glance at the rules—and they’d likely end up getting sanctioned for overstepping. That would only fuel more senseless protests about some perceived "old-timer privilege."

In this specific instance, the author made it crystal clear that she was fed up and that the thread needed to move on. Besides, the thread is basically burnt out at this point.
wiredviper wiredviper Member
10 messages
joined Dec 2010
#18 ·
Nicholas King said:"That second option" requires significant moderator involvement. As far as I can tell, Adobe currently only has three modes in theory. 🙂

The situation at the FBI seems somewhat unique: you have a relatively small "core staff," occasional guests from other Adobe threads, and the periodic group visits from newcomers—who, predictably, have a knack for starting their own personal drama.

To make matters worse, there are these senseless protests about some supposed "old-timer" privilege.

In this specific instance, the author made it crystal clear that everything was settled and the thread should be locked. Besides, the topic is essentially "spent."

There aren't any mods over there. Unless by "mod," you mean people who just wipe the windows and lock the doors.

It’s true that the permanent residents of this mausoleum host occasional guests and passing groups, while the old-timers continue with their usual stances, repackaging them to fit the theme.

Calling this crew a "museum collection": lol

In this particular case, the author explicitly stated that the matter was closed and the thread needed to be locked, even thanking a few people for their input earlier. To which velvettrucker52 replied that the author doesn't hold exclusive rights to the subject—once a topic is posted on Reddit, it belongs to everyone. Everyone participates regardless of who started it. I can find velvettrucker52's post if necessary.

That is the part I find baffling—it perfectly illustrates the double standards.
Essentially, when the old-timers talk to one another, whether they are flattering or criticizing each other on someone else's thread, it's all fine. But if a newcomer tries to assimilate? That’s when the deletions, warnings, and locks come flying.

I follow the forum even if I don't participate much, but I felt compelled to react to this.
I can't shake the impression that someone is just itching to moderate over there. So, if you actually get appointed, there's your opinion—or "constructive criticism," if you prefer. 🙂
Nicholas King Nicholas King Regular
716 messages
joined Jan 2023
#19 ·
wiredviper said:I can't shake the feeling that they're just itching to moderate over there—so if they actually get picked, I guess that's your answer, or maybe call it "constructive criticism" if you want to be polite. 🙂

Much like several of your other impressions, this one is also completely off base.

I suppose I’ll just leave you to decide whether to take my word for it or not—presenting the actual arguments would probably just be considered uncivilized at this point.
wiredviper wiredviper Member
10 messages
joined Dec 2010
#20 ·
Nicholas King said:Just like several of my other impressions—which I’m sure you’ll find equally flawed—this one is completely off the mark.

I’ll leave you to decide whether you believe me or not—relying on a repetitive loop of the same tired arguments would be beneath us both.

Fair enough. My impression comes from watching you constantly hovering around the complaint threads—replying to people, offering suggestions, and playing the advisor. Is that really what you're doing?
If you’ve been invited, the logical move is either to accept or stay out of it entirely—I don't know, just a thought. 😛

My take on this isn't just some baseless assumption—it's a matter of fact. If you actually bother to look at the thread gentlepuma20 linked and check what velvettrucker52 wrote about forum etiquette, the truth becomes pretty obvious.
Take a look at how many people—and exactly how many posts they’ve logged—are breaking which rules, then see if they actually faced any sanctions or if it’s all just talk.

Unless people here have decided that your personal feelings carry more weight than actual, verifiable facts—which seems to be the case. 😁

You must log in or register to reply here.

Log in Register

🔗 Similar threads