Why is everyone moving everything?

[Valda]

Hi

The only reason as a Moderator I am moving posts to completed is so that in the vast mass of those other posts that nobody has answered or yet found the answer for are now become more easily accessible. For all the posts I move I stop to try and answer many of these other languishing posts, in the process bringing them back up to the front of the boards for others to peruse as well.

The moved notice in the system is there to alert the original poster that the post is being moved. If there is any objection (which so far there hasn't been) the post can be put back on the Look up request or main board.
If I'm not sure, and the Rootschatter is a current member, I ask if the topic is now completed and the poster than gives me the go ahead to move it.

The London and Middlesex board alone has 59 pages of topics, so quite a daunting task to try and help those posters who are still current and interested in a reply to their topic - stuck for instance somewhere on page 18, many pages behind many of the posts which have now been answered, though page 18 still only has topics posted from this year. How many other posters unless they are googling (in which case all posts can be found anyway) are trawling back through all these posts to find and further answer such topics?

I think everyone who is currently or recently still posting on Rootschat should feel they have an equal chance of having someone look at their posts and help them.
Obviously reading all the posts and replying to many of them is a time consuming process, so doing this sort of housekeeping on very large and popular boards that have had no designated Moderator for sometime, if ever, is quite a time consuming activity, but I hope for the minor inconvenience it may cause some Rootschatters there is a much greater benefit for those whose topics are now getting the chance to have a fresh airing. Obviously there is quite a backlog to sort with new Moderators taking on the housekeeping on very popular boards so that is why more moved posts have been appearing recently when moderators have the free time to give to the task.


Regards

Valda
Moderator London and Middlesex and Surrey boards.

[Necromancer]

Hadnt realised that Kerry - interesting.

I tend to drive the daywork' using the 'Show Unread Posts' link at the top of the page .... first thing in the morning there are 5 or 6 PAGES of threads - I click on the oldest one on each page so its been 'referenced', then logout and log back in - the page count is now usually down to 1, maybe 2.

Last few days these have been 30% 'MOVED' notifications, 20% 'RootsChat Inn', 15% YTG, 15% 'Photos / Tea Room' etc...

A 'MARK ALL AS READ' would save a lot of time !


Added: Valda, your work is much appreciated and hopefully well worthwhile - but the 'MOVED' notification is really redundant IMHO given the way the linking is auto-updated .... if as Kerry says, it can be suppressed, I think that would help, given the lack of 'MARK ALL AS READ'

 

[kerryb]

I certainly appreciate Dawn and Valda's work, when I first saw their request to put completed on completed threads I turned the posts alphabetical and then to get to kerryb (my posts) had to scroll through about 25 odd pages, it is a lot less now.  The repetitive strain injury is getting better 

Thank you

[trish251]

Sorry guys but I'm not sure I agree.  The completed posts have been moved from the Surrey, Middlx and London boards that now have new mods who are able to do this and it now means the requests boards are shorter and easier to look through for posts that need answering. 

It also stopped people from going to a post, only reading the request at the top and then answering despite it already being answered.  Believe me it happens 

Kerry

Hi Kerry

How often do you look past one page when checking posts to answer. Completed/answered threads quickly fall off the page - and if someone else wants to answer - two heads may be better than one.

Many times in the past I would check out a census, compose an answer & come back to find the post has an answer - I add mine anyway - why let my good work go to waste 

Trish

[Necromancer]

As Valda says, tis a daunting task - even with a small % active in the 50K plus registered users, thats quite a lot of new posts tamping down the stack every day ....

I dont see many people 'bumping' their own threads tho which would help somewhat. There again, if a thread isnt answered at all, should nature take its course ?

[kerryb]

Hi Trish

I've been recently going through the county boards seeing if I can now answer some queries that have been asked a while ago that have not been answered.

And maybe it's just me but I always feel really embarrassed when someone gives me an answer that I have already got higher up the thread.    

Kerry

[trish251]

Please someone tell me why it is so important to mark posts complete and move them to another board. Seems it makes alot of work for some - and I'd never seen it happening so much as in the past few weeks.

A similar enquiry was made on this thread http://www.rootschat.com/links/04z4/ , followed by an explanation.

Jennifer

Sorry Jenn

That one really doesn't tell me why this should be done - just tells me to mark things complete. Many of my queries are never complete & I still don't understand why they need be moved.

The post you referenced is a good example of folks being confused by things being moved. If they are ABSOLUTELY in the wrong place - I agree they should be moved - otherwise it seems to be alot of work for a small return - but I'm not the one has to do it, so like any job, those with the job decide on the activity. In my working days I looked for ways to save time & effort - not create same.

Trish

[trish251]

As Valda says, tis a daunting task - even with a small % active in the 50K plus registered users, thats quite a lot of new posts tamping down the stack every day ....

I dont see many people 'bumping' their own threads tho which would help somewhat. There again, if a thread isnt answered at all, should nature take its course ?

Easy way to bring unanswered threads to the top is to sort by number of answers - that will find the ones not answered.

I think everyone who is currently or recently still posting on Rootschat should feel they have an equal chance of having someone look at their posts and help them.
Obviously reading all the posts and replying to many of them is a time consuming process, so doing this sort of housekeeping on very large and popular boards that have had no designated Moderator for sometime, if ever, is quite a time consuming activity, but I hope for the minor inconvenience it may cause some Rootschatters there is a much greater benefit for those whose topics are now getting the chance to have a fresh airing. Obviously there is quite a backlog to sort with new Moderators taking on the housekeeping on very popular boards so that is why more moved posts have been appearing recently when moderators have the free time to give to the task.

And  thanks for answering Valda - I wasn't thinking of all your moving recently as obviously if you have to merge 2 boards (which I didn't much agree with - but it happened) then you have to move threads - but after that I think you are both giving yourselves much work - anyone can move threads - you have much expertise in answering London/Middlesex questions - I would hate it if those with this expertise became overloaded with housekeeping that is not increasing system efficiency.

And I wasn't only referring to London boards - things seem to be moving everywhere - haven't seen so much moving on the Oz board in ages.

Purely my thoughts, and to add to them, I would see more sense if completed threads were deleted - nice that someone might see them 10 years later - but the current speed of Rootschat is truly abysmal alot of the time - a smaller database might well assist.  Any of mine more that a month old could certainly be deleted - I copy all my answers to my computer - as I download all my lookups from subscription sites - I trust my own storage better than any other (being my man is fixated about regular backups etc)

Trish

[Necromancer]

but the current speed of Rootschat is truly abysmal alot of the time - a smaller database might well assist

good point, but it isnt the size of the database - frankly, RC's is peanuts compared to many.

Tis the Server's other resources, and I guess like most things, only throwing money at it will help ....