Suggestion for Moderator to pass up the chain

[albee1952]

Hey Mods, it occurred to me today, after finding yet another ancient thread got dredged up, maybe a thread should automatically close if it has no replies added for a length of time(maybe 2 years). It could remain available to read, but it wouldn't get bumped to the top of the "heap" by someone neglecting to check the date(yep, I've been guilty).

[Craig F]

funny, we we just discussing this

the rub is sometime it's better to bump up an old thread than start a new one
, especially for someone running an old system

[Frank Kruse]

I disagree.

There are a ton of bugs that haven't been fixed in years and it's better to keep those discussions in ONE thread and not start it again just because the thread has been around for years.

I usually post additional info and methods to reproduce to the old threads to avoid repeated discussions again in a new thread.

[musicman691]

How about this - put them in a read-only archive with a note saying something like: "These threads here are for reference only and contain old, possibly outdated info. If you have questions/problems please start a new thread referencing the thread in question with a link in your post."

[sunburst79]

This has been discussed along with appending some threads with (Solved). I don't think any consensus has been reached. I done mind old threads being bumped as long as it relevant. The poster always has the options of starting a new thread. Truthfully I would rather see a old thread bumped than 5 new post scattered around the forums. Also the folks bumping the thread have probably found it by searching. Which we shouldn't discourage.

[zedhed]

I've also fallen into the trap of not looking at the date until after posting once or twice.

I agree though, I don't see any harm in an old post that gets bumped and I don't think it happens very often.

Maybe have the date in larger font &/or different color so it stands out? I guess ultimately we have to take some responsibility ourselves and take a quick look at the date before posting, unless it is relevant to bump an old post.

I like the idea of having a 'solved' label though as is standard on some other forums.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by zedhed

I've also fallen into the trap of not looking at the date until after posting once or twice.

I agree though, I don't see any harm in an old post that gets bumped and I don't think it happens very often.

Maybe have the date in larger font &/or different color so it stands out? I guess ultimately we have to take some responsibility ourselves and take a quick look at the date before posting, unless it is relevant to bump an old post.

I like the idea of having a 'solved' label though as is standard on some other forums.

I like the solved label idea but unfortunately few posters come back and say it's taken care of and what steps they exactly took to cure the problem. The DUC has a lot of hit-and-run posters who never check back in. For them to come back and say problem solved particularly with the steps they took would also give validation to any advice given because as we all know sometimes a problem has more than one path to being fixed.

[John_Toolbox]

The problem with locking an old thread is that the validity of the info in it might change, and need clarification in the future. I have stumbled across old posts I made back before PT9 that were true at the time, but not really relevant anymore. Like someone asking, "Can I use my RME interface with Pro Tools?"... This was a definite "No" before PT9, but now it is possible. So if someone searches, finds this answer and sees that the thread is locked and says "solved," they might come to the wrong conclusion.

[soybalm]

These threads might be appearing again due to them being neglected/unanswered. Now with the new moderator program. Some, including myself have been suggested by moderators to repost so they can monitor progress. And also another specific suggestion was added in my case. The Idea Scale has a section for reporting bugs but it doesn't seem to draw attention until hundreds or thousands of users vote up or down like it's an idea. Bugs and ideas shouldn't be handled the same. Hopefully PT 11 solve a lot of bugs.

[John_Toolbox]

That's a great reason to not lock them, I agree. I think if a thread exists with an unresolved or unclear answer, people should be able to bump it and ask for clarification.

As far as bugs, one of the benefits of the moderator program is that we can communicate threads like a bug report to AVID directly so that it gets noticed by the right people. I think that the ideascale method works great for feature requests, but you make a very valid point that some bugs can get lost in there because it's based on votes. There are pro's and cons to that system, bugs that affect more users are obviously could be a higher priority... But there is further classification of bugs than that needed to determine priority, since you may have a bug that affects a lot of users, but doesn't stop them from working, where a bug that affects only a few users, but stops them from getting work done is much more important to fix first. The good news is the moderator program already has a system in place for classifying bugs like this.