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Lock/delete thread inconsistency

Spatula Clarke

12:19 / 14.09.03

I might be wrong, but doesn't it take three moderators to delete a thread - one to propose and two to agree? It's just that locking takes four - one to propose and three to agree - which seems out of proportion somehow, thread deletion being the more severe form of moderation. Is there a reason for the difference in the number of votes required?

ONLY NICE THINGS

16:23 / 14.09.03

I assumed that was deliberate - on the grounds that locking a thread affects the function of that thread, whereas deleting it doesn't actually do anything more than remove it from the register - you can, if you have the URL, continue to participate in a thread after it has been deleted, hence, for example, the practice of "ghosting" threads - deleting threads the titling or content of which is too offensive to keep in the main register, but providing a link to it.

Locking threads is a fairly big thing, as it stops people being able to continue a discussion - so, it needs a sizable quorum to agree that the discussion should be ended. Of course, there is nothing to stop somebody starting a new thread and picking up where the locked one left off, but that is, I believe, frowned upon.

Spatula Clarke

17:05 / 14.09.03

That sounds fair. The reason it seemed a bit out to me was that it's relatively easy for moderators to unlock threads, whereas one that's deleted can only be made visible again by Tom or Cal.

ONLY NICE THINGS

20:13 / 14.09.03

That's a good point - hoom. I think an "undelete" mod function might be going a bit far - once a thread is deleted it should probably stay deleted. Possibly having them requiring the same number of votes (3?) would be the way forward. That makes it more difficult than modifying or deleting a post but not too difficult for a normal quorum of moderators...

Tom Coates

21:45 / 14.09.03

Ok - Haus has made one suggestion - any other voting tweaks people would like made while we're at it?

w1rebaby

21:53 / 14.09.03

The same number of votes seems the best solution to me. They're both stopping people from posting, just one removes the thread from view and one doesn't - and in practice, one proposal and more than two agreements is unlikely in any reasonable time period.

Spatula Clarke

21:56 / 14.09.03

Not specifically a voting tweak, but linked to it: I think P&H and Music could each do with at least one extra moderator, as four's the absolute minimum required. Might make things awkward if one or more of the mods is away from the board for any amount of time.

Spatula Clarke

21:58 / 14.09.03

That's only if both actions are going to require three positive votes, obviously.

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