Quote:
Originally posted by VAN de
What constitutes closing a thread?
I've had two rather creative thread ideas that required a little deeper observation of music and pop culture, but they've been closed. I know I haven't opened those threads with malicious intent, but I'm a newbie so I don't really understand what's going on. 
Just some questions I have so I'll know for future references:
1. When a thread is reported does that mean it will automatically close?
2. Can a whole thread be closed because some people are breaking the rules with their comments in it?
3. Is there somewhere that details WHY our thread were closed so we can avoid that mistake the next time around?
Just for reference these were my two good threads:
http://atrl.net/forums/showthread.php?p=7022136#7022136
http://atrl.net/forums/showthread.php?t=146212
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1. Not every thread that is reported will automatically be closed. Not every thread that should be closed is reported.
2. Yes, a thread can be closed if members participating within the thread repeatedly misbehave. Warnings/reminders may be issued to encourage better behavior, but it's not always possible to get a thread that's been derailed back on track. Even if the thread starter may not have intended to create a thread that would cause controversy/arguments, in situations where the conversation deviates and it seems unlikely that civil discussion will resume, the thread in question will most likely be closed.
3. Sometimes moderators will comment at the end of the closed thread and explain why the topic was closed, but this is not always done. In some cases an explanation seems unnecessary, but I realize some members like some sort of justification and I think we can make more an effort to offer an explanation.
There are a lot of reasons a thread might be closed, but there are some common occurrences that account for most thread closures.
Excessive fighting within the thread.
Flamebait via the original poster.
The topic has already been posted in a different thread.
The thread is found to be inaccurate/misleading.
The thread has no point.
And so on and so forth.
Some threads that should be closed manage to stay open for longer than others. Ideally there'd be a handful of moderators on at all times to catch these threads, but of course this isn't really possible. Still, we try to respond as quickly as possible when we are active.
