- Nov 8, 2005
- 157
- 598
For those of you who have been on BlackHat World ® (BHW) for awhile, you will notice that forum threads get locked after a certain amount of time. And, of course, in other sections where threads aren't regularly closed, they may be closed manually by the Community Team.
In this article, we're going to talk about the different thread locking policies around the forum.
Forums Where Threads are Regularly Locked
There are several forums through BHW where threads are regularly locked after a certain amount of time. In no specific order, these are:
Introductions
The Introduction Forum is a place where new users, or lurkers who have been around for awhile but just created an account, can introduce themselves!
We welcome more veteran users to come and say hello, drop some advice, or just have a chit chat with the newcomer. However, inadvertently, if these threads are left open too long they become a place where people start spamming simply to get their post counts up.
In general the life of an introduction thread is about 3 days. After a week, these threads tend to become spam magnets. So it's our policy to close all Introduction threads 7 days after the first post was made.
Joint Ventures
The JV section is a place for those, whom meet the posting requirements, to find a business partner.
In this section, threads can be closed in one of two ways:
1. The thread starter can either contact the Support Team or report the thread to ask for it to be closed.
2. The thread reaches 30 days from its initial creation and closes automatically.
Want to Buy (WTB) & Hire a Freelancer (HAF)
Just like the JV section, threads in WTB and HAF can be closed either through support/reporting or automatically after 30 days.
Forum Suggestions & Feedback
This is a special section where BHW users can give the BHW team valuable Suggestions and/or Feedback.
Threads in this section aren't closed a certain number of days after thread creation like the other sections. Instead, threads can either be closed after a question is answered, or discussion has died down.
Question Threads
These types of threads are where users generally ask questions that can be readily answered by staff members. In general, the answers have either been answered before in this section, or the answer exists somewhere on the site. Usually in the Newbie Guide or Knowledge Base.
In short, the question can be answered and there really isn't further discussion to be had.
Feedback Threads
Feedback is a little different than a question. When users give feedback of some sort, there can be lively discussion as other BHW users weigh in on the suggestion, problem or feedback. So these threads could stay open for a few hours to several days depending on the engagement.
Dispute Resolution
One again, DR threads are a little different than other threads found within BHW.
Disputes generally stay open for the duration of the process, however, they can be temporarily closed by staff (i.e. put on hold). This means they're locked and nobody will be able to reply until it's open for business again.
After the Dispute is resolved, we generally leave them open for 7 days so the public can leave commentary. After 7 days the threads area locked.
Honorable Mentions - The Marketplace & Random Threads on BHW
If you're wondering why the Marketplace (MP) isn't on the list at the top of the thread, this section has its own rules governing when a thread closes. You can read more about those rules here.
And of course there are the random threads throughout the forum that end up locked. While we currently don't have a direct policy on bumping old threads (necro bumping), if it's being done consistently and the thread(s) no longer make sense today, we tend to lock them. Additionally, we will close threads that are violating the forum rules.
In this article, we're going to talk about the different thread locking policies around the forum.
Forums Where Threads are Regularly Locked
There are several forums through BHW where threads are regularly locked after a certain amount of time. In no specific order, these are:
- Introductions
- Joint Ventures
- Want to Buy
- Hire a Freelancer
- Forum Suggestions & Feedback
- Dispute Resolution
Introductions
The Introduction Forum is a place where new users, or lurkers who have been around for awhile but just created an account, can introduce themselves!
We welcome more veteran users to come and say hello, drop some advice, or just have a chit chat with the newcomer. However, inadvertently, if these threads are left open too long they become a place where people start spamming simply to get their post counts up.
In general the life of an introduction thread is about 3 days. After a week, these threads tend to become spam magnets. So it's our policy to close all Introduction threads 7 days after the first post was made.
Joint Ventures
The JV section is a place for those, whom meet the posting requirements, to find a business partner.
In this section, threads can be closed in one of two ways:
1. The thread starter can either contact the Support Team or report the thread to ask for it to be closed.
2. The thread reaches 30 days from its initial creation and closes automatically.
Want to Buy (WTB) & Hire a Freelancer (HAF)
Just like the JV section, threads in WTB and HAF can be closed either through support/reporting or automatically after 30 days.
Forum Suggestions & Feedback
This is a special section where BHW users can give the BHW team valuable Suggestions and/or Feedback.
Threads in this section aren't closed a certain number of days after thread creation like the other sections. Instead, threads can either be closed after a question is answered, or discussion has died down.
Question Threads
These types of threads are where users generally ask questions that can be readily answered by staff members. In general, the answers have either been answered before in this section, or the answer exists somewhere on the site. Usually in the Newbie Guide or Knowledge Base.
In short, the question can be answered and there really isn't further discussion to be had.
Feedback Threads
Feedback is a little different than a question. When users give feedback of some sort, there can be lively discussion as other BHW users weigh in on the suggestion, problem or feedback. So these threads could stay open for a few hours to several days depending on the engagement.
Dispute Resolution
One again, DR threads are a little different than other threads found within BHW.
Disputes generally stay open for the duration of the process, however, they can be temporarily closed by staff (i.e. put on hold). This means they're locked and nobody will be able to reply until it's open for business again.
After the Dispute is resolved, we generally leave them open for 7 days so the public can leave commentary. After 7 days the threads area locked.
Honorable Mentions - The Marketplace & Random Threads on BHW
If you're wondering why the Marketplace (MP) isn't on the list at the top of the thread, this section has its own rules governing when a thread closes. You can read more about those rules here.
And of course there are the random threads throughout the forum that end up locked. While we currently don't have a direct policy on bumping old threads (necro bumping), if it's being done consistently and the thread(s) no longer make sense today, we tend to lock them. Additionally, we will close threads that are violating the forum rules.
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