Quote:
Originally Posted by Shadow
However, in my opinion, if the thread has lost it's usefulness, then why leave it open?
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Because, how do you know if a month after you close a thread that someone just MIGHT have something useful to add, but no longer can do so? Will they start a new thread merely to post their thought? Probably not. So that potentially useful information has now been lost because that thread was slammed closed in their face when they go looking for that REPLY button.
As an example, I can recall several times reading some older threads on another site that I would have like to continue the conversation, but for some unfathonable reason they were closed. So my thoughts never got posted there. What is stale, or old, or no longer useful to you does not mean at all that the thread will be the same to everyone else.
But perhaps the sticking point here is what your and my definition of "useful" actually is.........
My definition is that the thread will have some use to someone, for whatever reason, and at whatever time, that they may find an interest in that discussion and wish to add further input.
My preference is to keep ALL conversations on this site open to later input, no matter how long ago they were started or how useless they may appear to someone else. I sincerely doubt that EVERYONE will agree on any particular thread being "useless" anyway. And if they are TRULY useless, then there is no risk of more replies being made to it, so the point would be moot anyway. Let things that
can be self healing, be self healing.
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