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    Could Mods stop locking threads without any reason?

    I have many of my thread locked without any resolution. It's as if the mods are in a hurry to lock all threads. Do they receive SGs for doing this? Or is it just so that they have less work in the future?

    For ref, see my latest thread here: https://gamehag.com/forum/t/351607-missing-gems-from-rating-articles
    Screenshot: https://i.imgur.com/6yJV9SX.png
    It was locked with any resolution or warning. They didn't even read what I said, and simply locked it.

    I request that mods don't lock threads before providing a resolution and confirming with the OP. Or lock a thread only if the OP doesn't respond for say 48 hours or so.

    25 june 2020 08:21 8369
    3

    Hello there, thank you for informing us about this.
    To begin with, could you elaborate more on "many of my thread locked without any resolution"?
    Personally, I've locked these threads of yours.

    ARTICLE VOTING - CONFIRM SUBMISION


    ARTICLE EDITOR FEATURE SUGGESTIONS



    The reasoning behind locking threads on is to note that they've been reviewed and added to the shared spreadsheet us moderators have with the Gamehag Team. Additionally, since your suggestion has already been added and no additional clarification was required, we've closed the threads.

    Until the Gamehag Team adds the feature to mark threads as noted, or features similar to it, this is the method we've adopted to ensure that we do not duplicate suggestions.

    Also, to answer your question: "Do they receive SGs for doing this? Or is it just so that they have less work in the future?"

    1. To be completely transparent, we do not receive SG for locking threads. This is what we've discussed and agreed on as a team as the best temporary solution for marking threads as reviewed. If you have any other alternatives, we'd be more than happy to hear them.

    2. Technically yes. By locking threads, we will have less work in the future. BUT, the reason is so that the work other moderators have done are not overlapped, and we do not need to constantly cross-reference between the spreadsheet and the links/titles on the Suggestions page.

    We do not intend to discourage suggestions by locking threads. It is only meant to help us with keeping track of the threads we've reviewed.

    26 june 2020 19:29 8369
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    Lastly, you mentioned this.



    "I request that mods don't lock threads before providing a resolution and confirming with the OP. Or lock a thread only if the OP doesn't respond for say 48 hours or so."



    In my case, I've left a comment to inform you that I will be locking the thread as it's been added to the spreadsheet for review.

    If you meant that we should leave the thread unlocked until it is either approved or rejected by the Gamehag Team, sadly that isn't a viable option. By doing so, it would make it significantly harder to track threads which we've already covered as we're currently sorting threads by most recent and going through them from there. Every time a user leaves a new comment, the thread would be bumped up to the first page. Moreover, without knowing if a thread has already been checked by seeing if the lastest comment is by a moderator, it would lead to duplication of suggestions recorded.

    To address your concern, you will still be given feedback on your suggestion. This will most likely be done through a mod-post which will contain links to the various threads and final outcome by the team. (Approved/Rejected)

    All in all, we appreciate your feedback and if you do have more queries, feel free to leave a comment below or message me on Discord (lolkabash#7000).

    Hope you have a nice day! 😊

    26 june 2020 19:39 8369
    0

    Other than that, we understand where you're coming from and will instead request authors to lock the thread themselves once their Suggestion has been noted and sent to the Gamehag Team for approval.

    For example:
    "Your suggestion has been noted and sent to the Gamehag Team for approval.
    Please lock this thread 🔒 if you don't have more doubts!
    Note that we will automatically lock this thread after 48 hours if there is no further response."

    26 june 2020 19:50 8369
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    REPLY PART 1 (due to char limit)



    > To begin with, could you elaborate more on "many of my thread locked without any resolution"?
    I have created a lot of threads in the past. Some were suggestions, some feedback, some questions/discussing issues. Though not all, but many of them have been locked before I had a satisfactory response on them. I understand locking inactive threads (what's inactive can be discussed, and the definition probably be shared publicly), but active threads, or threads that are pending response from mods/admins should not be locked.



    > Additionally, since your suggestion has already been added and no additional clarification was required, we've closed the threads.
    Sometimes we might have something to add after you have added it to your list or whatever it is. You not requiring clarification doesn't mean the OP doesn't have anything else to say either. I recommend the OP be informed, and asked that if they have anything else to add. If not, then close the thread. Sure in 90% cases, or maybe even more, OP might not have anything to add, but imo it's a better practice. Again, if you don't hear back in a few days, you should lock it regardless.



    > Until the Gamehag Team adds the feature to mark threads as noted, or features similar to it, this is the method we've adopted to ensure that we do not duplicate suggestions.
    I am sorry, but I don't understand what you mean. How does this help not duplicate suggestions?
    Do you not have a central repository of users suggestions, FRs, and so on? It's better than relying on keeping track of threads.

    27 june 2020 07:57 8369
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    REPLY PART 2


    > To be completely transparent, we do not receive SG for locking threads. This is what we've discussed and agreed on as a team as the best temporary solution for marking threads as reviewed. If you have any other alternatives, we'd be more than happy to hear them.

    That statement of mine was half ranting, and half questioning that why are mods in a hurry to lock threads.
    No, I have no other alternatives, at least not without knowing how the internal systems work.




    > Technically yes. By locking threads, we will have less work in the future. BUT, the reason is so that the work other moderators have done are not overlapped, and we do not need to constantly cross-reference between the spreadsheet and the links/titles on the Suggestions page.

    That's a flaw in the system. Not having an system to make such things easy and locking threads as a workaround is not the answer.
    Either the mods should actually cross reference threads from a single spreadsheet (it's not tough, just copy the thread URL, switch to the tab with the spreadsheet, and search for the URL). Though, a proper dashboard for something like this is the right answer, but seems you guys don't have that in place yet. Honestly, spreadsheet is a very crude and error prone way of handling threads. SOrry to be blunt but if that's what you are using, well you should USE it, and not go for less desirable workarounds.



    > We do not intend to discourage suggestions by locking threads. It is only meant to help us with keeping track of the threads we've reviewed.

    Maybe, but locking them like this does seem discouraging, at least to me.
    Well, threads where I have complained about things have been deleted as well. In fact the very thread links in the original comment has been deleted. So, at least not do that?
    (Though, to be fair, t4tsumihyaku, the mod who locked that thread, contacted me via PM to discuss things in detail and help me out.)

    27 june 2020 07:57 8369
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    REPLY PART 3


    > In my case, I've left a comment to inform you that I will be locking the thread as it's been added to the spreadsheet for review.

    I was not talking about you in particular, but mods in general.
    And I don't remember your responses well enough to comment on them.



    > If you meant that we should leave the thread unlocked until it is either approved or rejected by the Gamehag Team...

    No. Read "REPLY PART 1" & "REPLY PART 2" for my opinion on both of these things



    > To address your concern, you will still be given feedback on your suggestion. This will most likely be done through a mod-post which will contain links to the various threads and final outcome by the team. (Approved/Rejected)

    But since there is no notification system or system to tag others, we will not get notified unless you update our threads, or PM us personally as well. So, so maybe unlock the thread temporarily if possible and then top up that thread as well.



    > will instead request authors to lock the thread themselves once their Suggestion has been noted and sent to the Gamehag Team for approval.
    > For example:
    > "Your suggestion has been noted and sent to the Gamehag Team for approval.
    > Please lock this thread 🔒 if you don't have more doubts!
    > Note that we will automatically lock this thread after 48 hours if there is no further response."

    Yes, that's how things should be. And lock it only if the author doesn't respond in a few days.
    I often try to lock my threads after I feel the thread has served it's purpose. Sure most people might not do it, but you should still always ask imo.
    That template sounds perfect to me.

    27 june 2020 08:06 8369
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    > Other than that, we understand where you're coming from and will instead request authors to lock the thread themselves once their Suggestion has been noted and sent to the Gamehag Team for approval.
    Has this been added to your suggestion list/sheet? Or is it just your opinion right now?

    27 june 2020 08:10 8369
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    > I am sorry, but I don't understand what you mean. How does this help not duplicate suggestions? Do you not have a central repository of users suggestions, FRs, and so on? It's better than relying on keeping track of threads.


    What I mean by this is so that we don't add the same thread to the spreadsheet twice.
    No, we don't have access to central repository of user suggestions, Friend Requests and so on.



    > Though, a proper dashboard for something like this is the right answer...

    We know, but we'll make do with what we have.


    > Either the mods should actually cross reference threads from a single spreadsheet (it's not tough, just copy the thread URL, switch to the tab with the spreadsheet, and search for the URL).

    Sorry to break it to you, but that's an really inefficient way of handling Suggestions. Assuming we receive an additional 20 new threads on the Forum each week, without a way to mark threads as read, we'd have to go through each thread present on the Suggestion page and cross-reference them. Currently as it stands, there are 120 threads present on the Forum. This means for that week, we'd have to check 140 amount of threads instead of just 20.

    Besides, as you mentioned, "90% cases, or maybe even more, OP might not have anything to add". Since the majority of users do not find any issues with the status quo, we will not be adopting your suggestion. However, we still do respect it and will instead come to a middle ground - By asking users if they have anything to add before locking the thread. 😊



    27 june 2020 18:11 8369
    1

    > No, I have no other alternatives, at least not without knowing how the internal systems work.

    Alright, in that case, we will continue to lock threads to signify that the Suggestion has been noted and sent for review.



    > But since there is no notification system or system to tag others, we will not get notified unless you update our threads.

    The feature for pinned threads is already in the works. Look for your suggestion within the mod-post to view it's outcome.


    > Maybe, but locking them like this does seem discouraging, at least to me.

    If you don't wish for your thread to be locked, explicitly say so upon creating your thread and we'll do our best to meet it. Of course, this is still subject to review, and if for example your thread attracts unwanted spam, we have no other choice but to lock it. 👍


    > That template sounds perfect to me.

    Good to hear. That's what we'll be using going forward.


    > Has this been added to your suggestion list/sheet? Or is it just your opinion right now?

    This isn't a Suggestion regarding the site so there's no need to add it to the spreadsheet. To clarify, this is how we as a mod team will go about reviewing threads in the future.

    If you're referring to features such as the aforementioned dashboard, then yes, it has already been added to the spreadsheet. In fact, this was the first feature we requested for when tasked with reviewing suggestions.


    27 june 2020 18:22 8369
    1

    > without a way to mark threads as read
    This is the part that I find it wrong with how you are doing things rn. You are not just marking them as read, but also as closed. Hope you understand what I mean.
    Cross refrencing 140 threads is not much. I was hoping there'd be at least several thousands. Honestly, I now feel like it's just petty that you can't copy paste an URL and crosss refrence a few hundred thread threads. I used to work with data. We often had to go through upto a 10s of thousand of records in Google Sheets, and collaborate on them. And 90% of times this was external data, which meant that we were not even sure if there was any unique key in there. While you do have a unique key, the URL. Sound very manageable to me. Searching the URL would require hardly 5 seconds per thread per mod.

    27 june 2020 18:24 8369
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    Thank you KappaHype. I believe your concern of adding more comments to a submitted suggestion has already been addressed. As both KappaHype and myself have stated, we're giving a 48 hour window for OP to leave any additional feedback if he wishes, and only after this period do we lock the thread.

    > Cross refrencing 140 threads is not much. I used to work with data. We often had to go through upto a 10s of thousand of records in Google Sheets, and collaborate on them.

    > it's just petty that you can't copy paste an URL and crosss refrence a few hundred thread threads

    Listen, this isn't a competition on who cross-references more, nor is it "pettiness". I'm sure cross-referencing is the better option in your situation given the circumstances. However, in our case, locking threads is the most time-efficient way of ensuring that all the new suggestions have been reviewed. Given your experience, you could always apply to be a moderator and assist us with this task if you so wish. We'd be more than happy to have you onboard.

    All in all, the result at the end of the day is the same with either method we employ - Suggestions are sent to the Gamehag Team for review and there are no duplicate suggestions.

    27 june 2020 19:44 8369
    1

    (part 1, char limit)

    > By asking users if they have anything to add before locking the thread.

    That's what I have been asking for!



    > Alright, in that case, we will continue to lock threads to signify that the Suggestion has been noted and sent for review.

    Please decide on one



    > If you don't wish for your thread to be locked, explicitly say so upon creating your thread and we'll do our best to meet it.

    Sure, I'll



    > Good to hear. That's what we'll be using going forward.

    So are you gonna ask before locking or not?



    > This isn't a Suggestion regarding the site so there's no need to add it to the spreadsheet. To clarify, this is how we as a mod team will go about reviewing threads in the future.

    Ok, that's reasonable.



    > This forum is about posting suggestions, not about discussing,

    Thus that imply that suggestions can't be discussed?
    Also, I am not talking about just suggestion threads here.
    What about complains, questions, bug reports, etc?



    > we are not closing suggestion threads instantly, they are usually open for more than 1-2 days. If user didn't add anything for such time, why would he add anything just after we noted a suggestion?

    Yes, 1-2 days sound reasonable, but where there's a possibility of there being more replies, I suggest the threads not be locked right away.



    > we're giving a 48 hour window for OP to leave any additional feedback if he wishes, and only after this period do we lock the thread.

    If this is practised, then my concern here is answered.



    > this isn't a competition
    Yes, but a comparison



    > locking threads is the most time-efficient way of ensuring that all the new suggestions have been reviewed
    Once again, what about non-suggestion threads?

    28 june 2020 07:29 8369
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    > you could always apply to be a moderator and assist us with this task if you so wish
    I actually did think about that earlier, and but at that time I didn't find any form and was still kind of new to the site, so refrained myself.
    rn, I do have a lot on my plate to devote several hours per day, so I am not sure. Unless you allow working part-time with no obligation to the amount of hours to devote (and of course get paid only for the amount of efforts put in), I might not be able to. I usually have only about 2 hours of free time per day that I can devote here.
    However, as I am more experienced in programming, I could take up tasks related to creating a dashboard for the mods or something like that, depending on what tech the system is built on. It is also related to what this thread is about.

    I am not sure if GH will allow it (as it's involve a bot hitting the site on regular basis), but until the admins make some dashboard for you guys, someone can also create a very simple and rudimentary dashboard even without having access to the system.
    Or using some filtered views, pivot tables, and basic macros, you can manage most things in google sheets as well. The only short coming will be that you'll need to enter data for new threads manually, and update the status whenever some mod last comments on it. In fact it might be the best option for you rn imo.




    So, if you agree that some time should be given to the users to comment on thread before locking this thread, then I have nothing else to add

    28 june 2020 07:29 8369
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    > Please decide on one
    > So are you gonna ask before locking or not?

    We have: Lock threads after 48 hours and ask OP if they have anything else to add.



    > Once again, what about non-suggestion threads?

    Ok so here are the cases:

    1. Suggestion Thread in Suggestions Section = Lock after 48 hours & check with OP before doing so.

    2. Non-Suggestion Thread in Suggestions Section = Direct OP to repost it on General Section and lock thread.

    3. Suggestion Thread in General Section = Lock after 48 hours & check with OP before doing so.

    4. Non-Suggestion Thread in General Section = No action necessary unless it breaks site rules. E.g. Lock only if it contains spam.



    For anything concerning bug reports or complaints please message Misty directly. If it's a complaint and you do have a suggestion to remedy it, then feel free to post it here.
    The reasoning behind [4.] is because the sole purpose of locking threads is to signify that it's been checked and added to the spreadsheet. Since this isn't a requirement for non-suggestion threads, there isn't a need to lock them. E.g. A Q&A thread would remain unlocked unless it attracts spam.

    Hopefully this answers your question.


    > Unless you allow working part-time with no obligation to the amount of hours to devote (and of course get paid only for the amount of efforts put in), I might not be able to. I usually have only about 2 hours of free time per day that I can devote here.

    You could always contact the Gamehag Team for more details.
    https://company.gamehag.com/contact


    > However, as I am more experienced in programming, I could take up tasks related to creating a dashboard for the mods or something like that, depending on what tech the system is built on. It is also related to what this thread is about.

    Here is a list of open positions.
    https://company.gamehag.com/career


    > So, if you agree that some time should be given to the users to comment on thread before locking this thread, then I have nothing else to add

    Alright, then it is settled. Please lock this thread 🔒 if you don't have more doubts!
    Note that we will automatically lock this thread after 48 hours if there is no further response.

    28 june 2020 08:15 8369
    1

    > So why wouldn't the suggestion's author and the moderator discuss the issue within the related forum (if there is something confusing, or if these two sides didn't understand each other enough) instead ofcreating additional threads just in order to continue the closed previous one?

    Sorry but what exactly are you suggesting/asking?
    We already do discuss within the thread itself if additional clarification is needed. For example, this very thread here is a discussion. Another example is the thread linked below where I clarified with Sebastian50 to give a more detailed explanation of his suggestion since I didn't quite understand it.

    Allocating SGs to users Vote for Articles

    If there isn't a need for clarification or additional comments by other parties (and it's been confirmed by asking if they have anything else to add), shouldn't we in that case lock the thread?



    > I believe there will be a solution for providing an equal comfort.
    Yes there is. Read the messages above. We're allowing up to 48 hours for users/OP to comment on threads before we lock them and will also check with OP if he has anything else to add. If you have a different idea, feel free to inform us. If not, this will be the standard going forward.

    28 june 2020 15:57 8369
    1


    """
    Ok so here are the cases:

    Suggestion Thread in Suggestions Section = Lock after 48 hours & check with OP before doing so.

    Non-Suggestion Thread in Suggestions Section = Direct OP to repost it on General Section and lock thread.

    Suggestion Thread in General Section = Lock after 48 hours & check with OP before doing so.

    Non-Suggestion Thread in General Section = No action necessary unless it breaks site rules. E.g. Lock only if it contains spam.
    """

    This sounds great. I have nothing further to add.


    > You could always contact the Gamehag Team for more details.
    > https://company.gamehag.com/contact
    > Here is a list of open positions.
    > https://company.gamehag.com/career
    Thanks for the links. I have actually already gone through them.



    I am not sure about what the exact suggestion by @masculinium is, however this is something I agree on:
    > instead ofcreating additional threads just in order to continue the closed previous one?

    This happens a lot in all sorts of forums. I believe the new 48 hour window for all threads might help avoid this to a small extend.
    Also, I suggest we have some way of knowing already suggested ideas and ideas that are in preview, like a sub forums in "Suggestions and ideas" for suggestions that have been approved, in review and rejected, or a pinned thread controlled by mods that contains a list of these three (editing the original comment but not allowing future comments, if that is possible).
    Something like a voting list would be even better, but that's a completely different system that the devs will have to make.
    Dupe suggestions are always tricky to avoid and handle.


    Anyway, I don't mind locking the thread right now, but wish to wait for @masculinium in case they want to respond to @Kabash's questions.

    29 june 2020 08:01 8369
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    Ah, finally stumbled upon a thread of mine that was just locked out of the blue. So, yes, these have been instances where threads were indeed locked without any reason, resolution or comment from mods, even when it was an ongoing discussion.
    Thread link: https://gamehag.com/forum/t/330527-non-english-articles--option-to-skip-voting
    Screenshot: https://i.imgur.com/lt5Ckr1.png

    29 june 2020 08:20 8369
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    Seems like that occured a while back. Perhaps a site admin might have locked the thread? In any case, you don't have to worry about such occurences in the future.



    > I suggest we have some way of knowing already suggested ideas and ideas that are in preview, like a sub forums in "Suggestions and ideas" for suggestions that have been approved.
    You could always look out to see if the last comment on a Suggestions thread is by a moderator. If it is, it most likely has been added to the spreadsheet and the thread is locked. As of now, the duty is on the author to check if his suggestion has been mentioned before posting.

    Other than that, once the pinned thread function is implemented and the Gamehag Team approves/rejects the suggestions sent to them, you can be sure that there'll be a mod-post with an update.

    29 june 2020 12:41 8369
    1

    We both know that most authors, including me, are not going to check if something has already been suggested if it means searching the forum. There's just one search for the whole site, and it's not great.

    Anyway, unless @masculinium, you have anything to add, @Mods feel free to lock this thread.
    Edit: I keep forgetting there's no notification system on this site. Doubt masculinium will reply.

    30 june 2020 08:41 8369
    0

    As @masculinium hasn't replied for 3 days, I am locking this thread.

    1 july 2020 08:04 8369
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