Curious

[JohnU]

As a rare contributor to the forum and truly unfamiliar with the game, why are some topics locked? And who locks them? I can understand the informational topics that are pinned and locked at the beginning of the “General” section, but some seem arbitrarily locked. If it’s because the discussions go off topic, I’ve seen some topics do all kinds of loop-dee-loops and not get touched! I know I must be missing something this is why I ask. Example: General–Mixed Messages.

[Deathgoblin]

I think I've read that the topics that are locked are locked by the forum admins. Typically because someone made an offensive comment, or the whole subject was dodgy in the first place.

[Harry P.]

Topics get locked by moderators when, in the moderator's opinion, a forum rule has been broken-for example, the topic has become a source of problems (personal attacks, etc.)

If it's only one or two people who are causing the problem, those specific posts will be deleted, but if the whole topic becomes a big mess and everyone starts chiming in with nonsense, it's easier to just lock it altogether than try to deal with posts individually.

Some topics do go off in strange directions, but if it's all in fun and nobody is breaking any forum rules, the mods will generally let it run its course.

Obviously there will be times when certain members think a topic was locked unfairly, or a topic that should be locked has been left to go on too long. But in the end, it's the moderator's call as to whether to lock a topic or let it go on. It's a matter of judgement.

[JohnU]

Thanks for the clarification. This is the first forum I felt comfortable enough to engage in a dialogue. After reading thoroughly, I guess I can see what you mean in some of the topics. It can get a little rough for no good reason other that to just be mean! The anonymity of the internet can bring out the worst of the best of us and I’m glad to know that this is a safe place to learn and exchange ideas! I’ve built models as a kid and at 53 have recently got back into the hobby again. I can’t believe the talent and ideas that are out there today! Now, for me, this magazine and its forum is my go to source to rebuild my skills!

[Harry P.]

The anonymity of the internet can bring out the worst of the best of us and I’m glad to know that this is a safe place to learn and exchange ideas!

We do our best to keep things civil here. Sometimes certain people like to see how far they can push things, apparently just to rock the boat or call attention to themselves, but that sort of thing seems to have lessened here lately. It still happens now and then, but not nearly as often as it used to. Maybe because several of those people were given a permanent vacation from this forum.

[Brian_B]

The OP can lock a topic as well on this forum. My kit was missing some parts. Once a trade was arranged for the parts, I locked the topic so no one else would waste their time looking for the parts i needed.

[Guest G Holding]

And then there are favorites of the Mods....they incite others, the Mods get caught in the middle, and someone else is gone.....and the honest thread is lost....Even lost a couple of Mods this way.

[Darin Bastedo]

As a rare contributor to the forum and truly unfamiliar with the game, why are some topics locked? And who locks them? I can understand the informational topics that are pinned and locked at the beginning of the "General" section, but some seem arbitrarily locked. If it's because the discussions go off topic, I've seen some topics do all kinds of loop-dee-loops and not get touched! I know I must be missing something this is why I ask. Example: General–Mixed Messages.

I can answer the mystery of the "Mixed Messages" lock. I was the original poster, and while in the beginning there was interesting discussion about the subject I brought up, the thread got hijacked by people going off on their own tangent. when it became obvious to me the thread was not going to go back to the original topic I Locked it and let it die rather than just become another blathering thread about puppies or something like that.