Enable sellers to close their own threads upon completion

PROBLEM: How many times have you seen the following types of questions posted in a thread?

"Are links still available?"
"Is this contest still open?"
"Is your service still available?"

I think DP should install a mod that would allow sellers, service-providers, and contest-holders who start threads ONLY in the following categories to instantly close/lock (not delete) their own threads upon expiration of their sale/offer/contest:

"Search Engines --> Directories --> Solicitations and Annouce." (misspelling of "Announcement" abbreviation?)

"Business --> Buy, Sell or Trade"

Why do this? Well, unless one checks the LAST post of a thread before posting (which nobody does), one doesn't realize that the offer is over because the thread hasn't been closed/locked. DP members continue posting in pursuit of DEAD ENDS. This is bad for the DP community for the following reasons:

1. Wastes all DP members' time because DEAD offers are constantly shot to the top of categories because of new posts from DP members who are unaware that these offers are no longer active;

2. Wastes DP's bandwidth and miscellaneous resources;

3. Wastes DP moderators' time;

4. Burries the DP community in outdated, confusing, irrelevant content.

SOLUTION: If the starter of such a thread can instantly close/lock (not delete) his or her own thread when his or her sale/offer/contest has ended, numbers 1-4 above will be things of the past.

Just my 2¢.

 

Hi, just hit the button and report it to mod and ask them to close it. Very simple. I wish more people would do this.

 

People don't know how to do that, or just don't want to take the time to do it. This is a fast-paced environment, after all.

More importantly, to get to the point at which one MIGHT decide to report the thread (out of avoidable frustration), one would have already wasted time clicking on it and reading through it before discovering that it's a DEAD offer. DP members won't have to deal with that anymore if the posters of dead sales threads have the ability to close/lock the threads immediately upon expiration. DP members will see the lock icon on the thread directly from the main category listing. People won't waste time pursuing dead offers, and dead threads won't get rotated to the top of category pages.

 

why can't the seller just post that the thread is closed ?

You're asking him to edit the title, what makes you think they'll do that if they can't even post the thread is closed..

DP doesn't need this IMO

 

I'm not requesting the ability to edit the thread title. Where did you get that? I guess you didn't read my first post before responding:

"Why do this? Well, unless one checks the LAST post of a thread before posting (which nobody does), one doesn't realize that the offer is over because the thread hasn't been closed/locked. DP members continue posting in pursuit of DEAD ENDS."

It doesn't matter if the thread owner later posts "THIS OFFER IS OVER" in 30pt font--people read the first post and then reply. That's a fact. This causes dead offers to continually appear at the top of categories when there is absolutely no need for that time-wasting distraction. DP members don't go to the LAST page of a sales thread and then start "backtracking" amongst the newest posts in hopes of coming across and expiration notice that probably doesn't even exist, anyway.

In my opinion, DP definitely does need this option.

 

OR we can alternatively have a time system for the sales or offer threads:

When we are creating a new thread, we can specify how much days the thread has to be kept opened. After the time passes, its automatically closed.

 

I have to agree with the OP on this one. Just because the forum has gotten by without this type of allowance doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement!

I'd like to see DP stay away from the auction model that sites like SitePoint use but some extra options for sellers in the BST area would be nice

 

Actually I did read your thread.

I was referring to thread pre-fixes which is what we were talking about above my post

I still say this option isn't needed.. DP has gone along just fine without the op being able to close a thread


Move on..

 

This forum is for suggestions. Making your opinion clear is one thing but there is no need for the OP to 'move on' with or without your urging.

Also, I'll repeat, the fact that the forum has gotten along fine without something doesn't mean that that same thing's addition wouldn't be an improvement. I got along fine without my wife before I came across her but that doesn't mean she wasn't a life improvement

 

EXACTLY my point.

Loco, your argument makes absolutely no sense, and you certainly have no right to tell anyone to "move on." The goal of this category is to make suggestions that will improve DP and make the user experience more efficient/enjoyable. If you want to retain a less-than-optimal workday, that's your choice. You're in the vast minority.

 

EducationLinks, I agree with you.

There's no matter of a user reading a thread of 10 pages full of spam, "If its still available, PM me!"

Is that fine or a closed thread which has no such posts?

 

I'm on with the idea to have "close thread" button. I'm also the onw who would like to do that on my threads.
sometime people asked me is this offer still available? and i didn't reply them coz it's already closed the deal or i didn't go back to check the thread, that make me look like i'm rude to him for not replying and he may dont want to do business with me in the future.

 

i would like that too, i get a lot of bs pms cuz of that sometimes lol but it really doesnt matter, the report button works just as great, the mods are pretty fast here on that

 

Aagin, the point is to not have to do that.

Think about it--how did you get to the point at which you decided to report the thread? Well, you entered the thread because the title interested you. You probably posted. Either you never heard from the seller, or you came across an "expiration" post on the last page of the thread after being redirected upon posting. So, you:

1. wasted time reading a dead thread that should never have attaracted you in the first place;

2. you posted in a dead thread, pushing it to the top of the category again;

3. you made more people view the dead thread and post in it, furthering the unnecessary cycle.

This is all easily avoidable if the seller can immediately close his own thread, making a "lock" icon appear on the thread directly from the main category page. If people see the "lock," they won't waste time reading it, and they certainly won't inconvenieice others by posting in it and pushing it to the top over and over.

 

What would need to be done is have the users be able to "edit their first post" so that they can put that their offer is now closed but of course we have a lot of scams going on around here so they took that important feature out.

Yes I agree we should be able to close our own threads. I don't see any problems with it as vB has the options to choose what the users can do such as edit their posts, close own threads, etc...

 

"y dont u shut up about this already?"

That's the red rep that someone gave me on my previous post. I have a pretty good idea who did it, too. If you look back through the posts of this thread, you'll have a pretty good idea, as well. Someone is upset that I haven't "moved on." It's really sad that someone would give me a red rep for taking my valuable time to try to improve the DP experience for everyone.

 

This is one of the more useful suggestions I've red here already.
In my opinion you've got a few very good points, and I can't see any disadvantage of it in fact.

Like mentionned above already, we now already have the reporting system, and it works quite fast too thanks to DP's moderators, but if an OP lock system is installed, we don't have to bother the moderators (who can then take more time for other issues), and of course its even more fast.

I'll keep myself updated about this thread