Questions that can be Closed
 

I read the post about the points sysytem, and I thought of an alternative. Why not allow people to close a thread, marking it as answered.

For example, I start a thread with a question: "What is 2 + 2?"

Joe and Sally both post and argue a bit and eventlly Sam posts an answer that I can accept: "5."

I now post a 'closing comment' that says that I am happy that the question that I originally asked has been answered and that the thread does not really require any more input. This marks the thread as closed causing three things to happen:

Firstly, the thread now has a new icon in the list of threads. Someone browsing a forum can opt to view or search only closed threads, allowing them to see if their question has been asked and answered before.

Secondly, the thread goes into discussion mode. Any more posts after the closing comment are shown as discussion posts that look different.

Thirdly, the thread could be added to a database of proved solutions, which is simply a special search that lets people search for proven solutions. Opening a search result shown ONLY the initial question, any pertinint posts and the closing argument that describes the solution to the question.

No. If you look at this forum, a thread starter can mark their question or thread as answered, but no one uses it. Why would we want to close threads? Even answered solutions to maybe one person won't be for the next that comes along. This also prohibits others from maybe adding more valuable information to the thread.

The forums are just a massive database of answers and solutions, leave it open for everyone to contribute, answered or not answered.

So this means threads cannot be closed...??

Only by Moderators and Jeremy, this is because it is possible that someone will come along with an identical problem and wish to ask for clarification or further help.

Threads are only closed if they are duplicates (and therefore unnecessary) or somehow violate the LQ Rules. Otherwise, No, threads are not closed because a future reader may have the same question and/or new information to share.

There are many, many existing threads on this general topic, but the ability for someone to mark their own thread as "Solved", "Closed", "Answered", etc, already exists - all that's needed is for that person to post a followup comment in the thread indicated what steps/actions solved the problem. -- J.W.

Is this valid for all fora or only for this one? Because I just looked at an old thread of mine to mark it as "answered" but couldn't find any button or procedure to mark it so...

JZL240I-U, the feature is only enabled in WS&F (it was a test).

--jeremy

In that case YOU are the culprit :D since you are the owner of this site and thus only you can close an issue definitely :p ;) :D

ARRGH
 

dangit jeremy, THAT led me astray for a while. Was that announced anywhere (read: did I miss it?) or what?

:)

may I suggest that it (the test) be expanded to other forums to see if it is used? (ex linux general would probably be a good *hem* general place for a test.) what I mean is that the function was not used on this forum because the questions are thought of as "not real questions" thus not requiring "answered" status, if it were something, life or death like how to install samba on suchansuch configuration, then people might use the function.

titanium_geek

Re: ARRGH
 

You missed it. :D The Answered/Unanswered flag was added to the WS&F forum a year or more ago (?) as a test to see if it would be used............it wasn't. Because of this it was decided not to extend it to the rest of LQ. The problem is that, as you can see on a daily basis, if no one will even post back to say "thanks <solution> worked", getting them to hit "answered" is equally as hard. And the quesions here are as 'real' as elsewhere.

Jeremy prefers LQ to not be intrusive, it has been suggested that an email be sent periodically to ask if the queston is still unanswered, but that would be seen as annoying/intrusive/etc.

I like your policy jeremy. thankyou for not being intrusive.

I guess I just missed it then. oh well!

titanium_geek