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Nov 11th, 2021, 02:21 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Hyperactive Member
Many old unresolved threads
Hi,
There are a lot of unresolved threads for example https://www.vbforums.com/showthread....ing-on-another
Even thought this thread is old, it should be answered and if still is not resolved, then solve problems with thread starter.
I mean - put resolved threads at the oldest positions, so guys can focus on unresolcvded only.
I mean - I have some threads still unresolved, but I have replied that I am facing issues, but no answer yet.
See the point?
Many thanks.
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How? Under this post there is "RATE THIS POST" button. Click on it.
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Nov 11th, 2021, 02:35 PM
#2
Re: Many old unresolved threads
This is not a bad idea. Also, I've always believed mods or even more senior members should be able to mark threads resolved because a lot of people come through, ask a question and then leave after getting an answer and they don't mark them resolved. My guess is that one time members haven't explored this site enough to know how to do that or even if they do, they don't deem it important enough to do it or perhaps they just couldn't be bothered to.
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Nov 11th, 2021, 02:42 PM
#3
Thread Starter
Hyperactive Member
Re: Many old unresolved threads
Sure, thats one problem.
But I am talking about threads where members seeking for help, but another posts were posted... and that thread is forgotten... even though is not resolved yet.
Please dont forget to add good reputation if my advices were useful for you.
How? Under this post there is "RATE THIS POST" button. Click on it.
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Nov 11th, 2021, 03:02 PM
#4
Re: Many old unresolved threads
Don't get me wrong, I think your idea is great but my point is that so many resolved threads actually still remain unmarked as resolved that unless there is a way to also deal with this, I'm not sure we will get much value out of sorting unresolved threads to the top. It would still be polluted by unmarked but resolved threads.
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Nov 11th, 2021, 03:13 PM
#5
Re: Many old unresolved threads
Some threads can't be solved. Sometimes that is because it is technically impossible (such as: how do I determine the date format from "3/4/21") , and other times it is because the thread starter does not provide enough information (or phrases it badly, so we can't understand what they mean).
Some threads take too much effort to solve (we aren't paid for our time answering, so we limit our time based on how interested we are). That is usually because the thread starter isn't putting in enough effort (eg: hasn't learnt data types properly, and doesn't go and learn when prompted), or because they have taken on something that is too advanced for them at their current skill level.
Originally Posted by VB.NET Developer
Even thought this thread is old, it should be answered and if still is not resolved, then solve problems with thread starter.
I disagree, that would be a waste of time.
After a few days/weeks (sometimes a bit longer) the thread starter doesn't care about the issue any more - and there is no guarantee that anyone else will ever need help with the same problem. If somebody else needs help for the same issue in the future, they can post their own thread for it.
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Nov 12th, 2021, 05:16 AM
#6
Re: Many old unresolved threads
Originally Posted by VB.NET Developer
Hi,
There are a lot of unresolved threads for example https://www.vbforums.com/showthread....ing-on-another
Even thought this thread is old, it should be answered and if still is not resolved, then solve problems with thread starter.
I mean - put resolved threads at the oldest positions, so guys can focus on unresolcvded only.
I mean - I have some threads still unresolved, but I have replied that I am facing issues, but no answer yet.
See the point?
Many thanks.
That's a BAD Example.... If You look at his profile you can see: Last Activity-> Oct 17th, 2012 08:43 PM
Which means he basically never came back after creating the thread..... 99.999999% of the active members here didn't even know the thread existed until you linked to it.
IF and when you're working with someone and the thread "should be" resolved but isn't marked that way..... Post in it and remind the OP to mark it resolved.
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Nov 12th, 2021, 02:56 PM
#7
Re: Many old unresolved threads
The current system favors threads that are active, which is a viable system, and a pretty effective one. Marking a thread as Resolved does nothing more than let people know that no further information is being sought on the topic, though they may well reply to it anyways. It is the replies that keep a thread near the top of the page, so any thread that is getting lots of replies will remain near the top of the page, and those that are getting no replies will fall down the page as other threads stay above it.
Personally, I see no advantage to doing this any other way. If you go looking for a thread, it might be of some value to know whether it were resolved, or not, but it wouldn't be great value. You still wouldn't know what the solution was, unless the OP came back and stated which solution worked for them, which few do. In fact, the solution may not be in the thread at all. Perhaps the replies gave the person some ideas which they then took in a different direction such that no reply was actually the solution that they ended up with. This will often be the case when the question isn't exactly about code. The typical way to solve this issue is to allow for up and down voting responses to a thread, much like SO, but you can go to SO for that. This forum has more of a conversational approach, in which cases voting replies up or down within a thread would mess things up pretty badly, unless that vote didn't alter where the reply was in the thread. I really doubt that would work, too, as so few people mark threads resolved, let alone saying which solution, if any, was the one they used.
I have many threads, most are marked resolved, few of them had specific code that I made use of. That's largely because of the nature of the questions I ask. Quite often, no one answer is 'right'. Many are just pointing me towards different links, of which some are going to be better than others.
My usual boring signature: Nothing
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Nov 12th, 2021, 05:42 PM
#8
Re: Many old unresolved threads
I would submit that a thread should be considered resolved when no further value can be gained from the conversation regardless of whether the thread has the solution or not.
The most common example is where some one asks a question and gets pointed in a direction rather than receiving an outright solution.
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Nov 12th, 2021, 06:08 PM
#9
Re: Many old unresolved threads
By that rule, we should have ended that VB6 vs VB.NET debate thread before it even began.
My usual boring signature: Nothing
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Nov 12th, 2021, 06:39 PM
#10
Re: Many old unresolved threads
Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker
By that rule, we should have ended that VB6 vs VB.NET debate thread before it even began.
A debate is completely different beast from a user asking a question that has a straight answer or multiple straight answers.
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Nov 13th, 2021, 04:46 AM
#11
Re: Many old unresolved threads
Originally Posted by Niya
I would submit that a thread should be considered resolved when no further value can be gained from the conversation regardless of whether the thread has the solution or not.
The most common example is where some one asks a question and gets pointed in a direction rather than receiving an outright solution.
And it would ONLY take three hours a day - seven days a week to put a dent in this....
Is there "no further value" or is someone coming back to the thread any day now with good additional information? And if they do, do we remove the Resolved mark?
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Nov 13th, 2021, 05:10 AM
#12
Re: Many old unresolved threads
That is a good point. Ultimately, this is not a hill I'd die on. I'm fine with how the boards work. I just felt it was an interesting thing to discuss as the system isn't perfect and there is room for improvement.
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Nov 15th, 2021, 11:14 AM
#13
Re: Many old unresolved threads
I'm not sure that the flaws in the system are more significant than the flaws in the users, in this case. If people were better about marking threads Resolved, and were better about not firing off a question and vanishing for the rest of time, this likely wouldn't be an issue at all.
My usual boring signature: Nothing
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Nov 15th, 2021, 01:38 PM
#14
Re: Many old unresolved threads
We are not SO - that site likes to have a thread on a topic that contains the ultimate info, rated in a way for others to find. And they lock or close down threads that are duplicates.
That is not the setup of VBForum, imo. We are a less strict, let's open a thread and have a talk about something kind of forum.
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Nov 15th, 2021, 01:40 PM
#15
Re: Many old unresolved threads
SO is more Q&A. VBForums has more of a discussion based format.
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Nov 15th, 2021, 04:58 PM
#16
Re: Many old unresolved threads
Originally Posted by Niya
SO is more Q&A. VBForums has more of a discussion based format.
I've certainly seen you do your part for the "discussion" here, lol!
And yes - agreed and totally my point.
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