Feedback thread for PI, RI & Bereavement

Princess Calla · 15-03-2023 1:24pm

I suspect the reason for deletion is to prevent posters saying "this is your 100th thread on this topic, what has changed, did you follow any of the advice already given?"

So unless the regular posters have very good memories (which to be fair they do have)

The topic can be started "fresh" for the 101st time.

Hannibal_Smith · 15-03-2023 6:20pm

People might put something more than usual in a post in the heat of the moment when looking for advice and they later regret it. Within reason we generally will delete when asked given the nature of the forum.

Having PI/RI posts visible on profiles since the change over was also a concern so again if people ask to have something deleted we will do it.

We do generally keep an eye on it though.

cj maxx · 21-06-2023 10:48pm

A small issue , but when did a posters comment in PI , RI become public ?

Glaceon · 21-06-2023 10:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120746988#Comment_120746988

Since the Vanilla changeover.

cj maxx · 21-06-2023 10:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120746991#Comment_120746991

I figured that , but can they / you change it back ? I know most regular posters would set a new account to post , but it was kind of reassuring to know Pi , Ri posts didn’t show

Big Bag of Chips · 22-06-2023 12:22am

It's something that has been brought up, numerous times, but as far as I know, as yet it's not something the Vanilla platform can handle.

@Boards.ie: Mike might know more.

Dial Hard · 22-06-2023 1:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120747009#Comment_120747009

No. They can't even stop PI/RI threads showing up on the front page.

Boards.ie: Mike · 23-06-2023 11:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120746988#Comment_120746988

Hi there,

Where are these comments visible. Would you have any screenshots or a link to where you saw these comments in a public space. Threads may be visible on the homepage, the forum isn't private.

All profiles were made public a good while back so it is possible , if you search for them, to view a users comments.

Dial Hard · 23-06-2023 12:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120753443#Comment_120753443

I'm guessing they mean that when you click into a person's profile, you can see their posts in this forum, which didn't used to be the case, even on public profiles.

TherapyBoy · 23-06-2023 2:08pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120753443#Comment_120753443

The PI forum & what was contained in here was always separate Mike. It wasn’t private but the rules for posting in here were always very different from the other forums.

It needed to be this way, in terms of being allowed with consent to post with one-off created accounts to keep user identities private, anything posted in here didn’t appear on the front page like new posts in other forums & there were (& still are) much stricter rules & guidelines on posting in the forum - getting harder to keep to when it’s pulling unfamiliar users attention from new posts appearing on the front page.

Another feature of the old version of this forum on Boards was that none of your posts in here contributed to your post count, & your posts in this forum weren’t visible to anyone looking through your list of posts on your account profile.

These differences were designed & implemented for a reason. Personal Issues isn’t the same without them.

Caranica · 23-06-2023 10:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120754308#Comment_120754308

I actually think people's posts being visible on their accounts is a positive. It really has helped to identify serial thread posters. Otherwise it was left up someone's memory.

People give time in PI to try to help someone in need but when people post thread after thread and ignore advice every time it's good to know not to waste your time. There's been a few lately

Princess Calla · 24-06-2023 7:35am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120757008#Comment_120757008

I don't have an issue with the feature and as you say it has its uses.

However, I think the issue is more for the regular contributors. They maybe offering advice based on personal experience. While they are putting their experience"out there" it was still kept fairly hidden within the personal issues forum. Now it shows up if anyone looks at their posting history. So posters maybe more reluctant/guarded to reply to an OP.

Tork · 24-06-2023 11:07am

You could always find people's past posts without using the boards search function. Its search was always janky and that was before the move to Vanilla... Let's say you wanted to find posts on boards about North Dakota. All you have to do is go to Google and type North Dakota site:www.boards.ie

The loss of anonymous posting option is a bigger issue in my opinion. You can always set up a throwaway account but that takes a bit of time. On the other hand, it put more responsibility back on the mods. They had to approve the anon posts under vBulletin and if they were busy living their own lives the posts could hang around for several hours in limbo. They've also had their wings clipped because the moderation tools now available to them are limited.

Boards.ie: Mike · 26-06-2023 9:44am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120754308#Comment_120754308

I understand that this has fundamentally changed the way that the forum works. These are fairly significant tech changes. I will see what can be done to make changes that will bring it more in line with the way it work on VBulletin. But this is not VBulletin and changes like this may not be on Vanillas radar. They may also be very costly tech fees involved if this is possible.

I'll update on this when new info becomes available to me. Thanks All.

Dial Hard · 13-11-2023 12:23pm

I've asked this before but I'll ask again: is there any way to auto-lock threads once they've been dormant for a certain amount of time? Someone posted in a thread yesterday that the OP hasn't been back to since they started it in July.

Also, any update on threads getting indexed on the front page???

Hannibal_Smith · 13-11-2023 6:33pm

As said before there's no way to auto lock threads. As long as posters are offering advice, I don't think there's too much harm in keeping them open?

No changes to having threads removed from the front page since my previous reply, as far as I know anyhow.

Dial Hard · 14-11-2023 12:28pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121364018#Comment_121364018

Well a bit of consistency would be nice - you're saying what's the harm in leaving them open while Hilda Ogdenx just closed one for this very reason.

Fwiw, I thought it was a Boards-wide general rule that zombie threads shouldn't be resurrected, and four months without a revisit from the OP is a zombie by PI/RI standards, imo.

Hannibal_Smith · 14-11-2023 7:08pm

You asked if there was a way to auto lock threads, I said there wasn't and asked what the harm was in keeping it open.

I don't see it as a 'zombie thread' but its a fairly subjective thing. The fact one mod closed it but another didnt see the harm probably shows that. But it isnt a great issue. There's no hard and fast rule about it. As long as the OP is receiving advice I don't see the harm. If keeping threads open is upsetting posters would you like us as a rule to draw a line and if so where?

Dial Hard · 15-11-2023 9:35am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121368479#Comment_121368479

I've said it before - two months from the OP's last visit seems like a reasonable time frame to me. How long do you think threads should be left open, as a matter of interest?

Hannibal_Smith · 15-11-2023 7:31pm

I don't have a time limit in mind. Its very much a thread by thread situation. I wouldn't be a fan of automatically closing all threads after just 2 months. But that's just me. If others using the forum feel a change is warranted, sure that's what the feedback is for.

Big Bag of Chips · 19-11-2023 10:44am

Personally I think locking threads automatically or otherwise makes the forum very unwelcoming. The forum isn't as busy as it used to be a few years ago. On the front page of the Personal Issues forum for example there are still threads visible from August. It is likely that someone navigating to the forum would scroll down through the list, see a title that catches their eye and post a reply.

For anyone who has had a personal issue in their life the reality is it is unlikely to be resolved, wrapped up and dealt with in the space of a few weeks. Issues, relationships issues, mental health issues, family conflicts etc can go on for years. So offering advice in November to someone who posted in August might actually be relevant and helpful. Also, it might help someone else reading even if it doesn't specifically help the OP. Someone with marriage problems and considering whether or not to end their marriage for example could live for years in a limbo before actually taking the steps needed.

As Hannibal_Smith above said, it is a case by case basis. Autolocking threads isn't a feature available at the moment. And I don't think it's something we would be interested in using if it was. If a poster posts in a very old thread and the issue is likely to be resolved, or no longer relevant then it will be locked. Sometimes we also delete the latest post, so that the thread drops back to where it originally was rather than sitting on top of the forum, locked. But sometimes advice coming in after 2-3 months, might actually be helpful.

Dial Hard · 01-12-2023 12:31pm

I think the charter could do with an update to frame some rules around what kind of advice is acceptable in marriage break-up scenarios. Since threads started being indexed to the front page we're seeing a lot more of a certain type of poster and the "advice" they give can often be incredibly problematic. There's someone in the "My wife is cheating" thread currently advising courses of action that are highly likely to be illegal. And yes, I've reported them, before anyone asks, but I really think this kind of stuff needs to be explicitly called out in the charter - no gendered nonsense, no advising people to act like a dick, etc.

Big Bag of Chips · 02-12-2023 2:25pm

Thanks Dial Hard. The charter could probably do with a look at and an update. It's been a while. Advising illegal activity is already covered in it, as is generalisations etc.

It might be worth looking at and tidying up. If it's too long nobody will read it (although I doubt too many read it anyway!) But if we shorten it and try streamline it you have posters chancing it asking where it says such-a-such in the charter.

Will see if we can do something with it.

Feedback thread for PI, RI & Bereavement

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