Poster Executable "Move Thread" Function

mathepac

I recently posted a new thread in Bargain Alert (Requests) and one helpful poster there suggested that I move it to Weddings based on the content.

I posted a "move request" in the thread in response, but a mod suggested that unless a mod had reason to look at the thread, it was unlikely my request would be actioned - all perfectly reasonable.

What if I had the facility to move my own thread (as the thread-starter) to another forum I was authorised to access, would this cause severe problems? Would duplicating the thread in another forum be another user-executed option?

Thread in Question

hullaballoo

I hate to say this to you... but the generally accepted procedure is to simply report the post.

Dav

It's a moderation action for a reason - you'd have idiots completely abusing it but we've thought about the idea in the past of having a request on a thread to "fork" it where a thread has spit into a couple of different conversations and instead of trying to figure which post is which, the fork function would be able to split it in two and leave a link as to where it originated. It's not quite the same as what you're discussing, but a similar enough function that both could probably be handled by the same code.

For the moment though, as hulla has said, reporting it is the quickest and easiest means to get it addressed.

Dades

Allowing users to move (even their own) threads around is open to abuse. Your thread above seems straightforward, but often there's a judgement call in whether a thread should be moved. Sometimes the OP may not have liked their responses, or left it too long and now the initial forum users are now 'invested'. Sometimes it's just better to create a new thread in a different forum. These are situations the mods are tasked with making call on.

At any rate a reported post with a clear request for a thread to be moved is likely to be quickly acted upon, where moving makes sense.

Edit: cross posted with Dav.

mathepac

Someone else mentioned that to me, but it seems like using a sledge-hammer to crack a nut. My poxy little post being in the wrong place is hardly as important as spam, abuse, potential defamation, etc. Seems a bit of a waste of mod time, which we are told is scarce, but if no one objects, who am I to rock the boat?

thanks guys - shut thread down now unless there is adequate reason to continue it

Dades

mathepac wrote: »

Someone else mentioned that to me, but it seems like using a sledge-hammer to crack a nut. My poxy little post being in the wrong place is hardly as important as spam, abuse, potential defamation, etc. Seems a bit of a waste of mod time, which we are told is scarce, but if no one objects, who am I to rock the boat?

mathepac, the valid reasons behind why this option cannot/shouldn't be offered to everybody were outlined in the two posts above your last one. It's nothing to do with rocking the boat and everything to do with the bigger picture.

A small tool for innocent purposes can be used inappropriately in many ways.

Insect Overlord

Imagine the fun the trolls would have if they could move their own threads from Soccer to After Hours, Christianity to A&A, Strength & Strength Sports to PI, etc. The change in tone from one forum to the other would be a nightmare to clean up!

5starpool

Even aside from all the above, the potential to move large threads would be quite bad for the database as well. No massive threads exist anymore, but if someone was irritated and continuously moved a 9k post thread between forums, it would cause a bit of an issue I'd imagine until they were stopped or got bored.

Penn

mathepac wrote: »

Seems a bit of a waste of mod time, which we are told is scarce, but if no one objects, who am I to rock the boat?

Giving posters the ability to move threads would waste far more mod time than reporting it and asking a mod to move it. Poster being able to move threads themselves would result in much abuse of the system and more cleanup for the mods, particularly as it then become a cross-forum problem involving more than one team of mods.

Sad Professor

mathepac wrote: »

Someone else mentioned that to me, but it seems like using a sledge-hammer to crack a nut. My poxy little post being in the wrong place is hardly as important as spam, abuse, potential defamation, etc. Seems a bit of a waste of mod time, which we are told is scarce, but if no one objects, who am I to rock the boat?

Not at all. The vast majority of the reported posts I receive relate to moving, merging, deleting, re-naming threads, etc. Keeping the forum tidy is among a mod's main responsibilities. And if they ain't doing it or consider it a waste of their time, then they probably shouldn't be a mod.

Steve

I hope Amp doesn't hear about this... :pac: