Context and closing threads

[maiki]

Continuing the discussion from Is there a roadmap for Hugo?:

@pgr sent me a private message, but I don’t read private messages from non-mods on this site, so here is a chance to share whatever.

Also, I wanted to point out that closing threads doesn’t lose context. As an example, let’s see if anyone can figure out which thread I’m referencing.

For future reference, if one has someone to discuss with me concerning a moderation action and is not a mod, they can start a thread in #meta and @maiki me.

[pgr]

Cool, I didn’t even know there was this Meta site, I agree it’s better to talk like this, open for anyone.

So this was the message I sent and you didn’t read

I just happened to notice yesterday you closed this topic:

Is there a roadmap for Hugo?

Just wondering if there is some form of roadmap for Hugo. An outline of planned features, integrations etc for the coming quarter or for the year.

I didn’t get any notification of this, I just happened to go back on the thread and saw it. Now, I had just made a post there asking a question. How am I supposed to get any answers if the topic is closed? And how was I supposed to know this is now closed (and why) without any specific message saying it?

I guess you thought my post was either resurrecting an old thread, or off-topic. That’s arguable - actually I am a Forum moderator myself, and I make these kinds of decisions all day. I think I was sufficiently on-topic here, and I had sufficiently engaged with the users on this thread, they had replied to previous questions about this same thing I am asking now. If I had started a new thread, I would have lost valuable context.

So, I just decided to write you this note. Not so much to question the decision of closing, but so that you realize that it’s not a good way to do things unless you leave some notice. I could have just sat waiting for answers that would never come, without realizing it was closed…

Thanks for reading this far, and no hard feelings!

Just to add a bit of explanation -

There is a bit of context we lose with closing - the people who were on the old thread don’t get notified. That’s the upside of closing (avoiding spamming too many people), and it’s the downside of closing (the intended people aren’t reached).

But my main point is “close but tell me something, since closing does not generate any notification”, it’s not about context or about whether closing this particular thread was right (which as I wrote, is arguable, and I accept that the site’s Mods have the final say).

[maiki]

@pgr

Not so much to question the decision of closing, but so that you realize that it’s not a good way to do things unless you leave some notice.

I disagree.

@pgr

But my main point is “close but tell me something, since closing does not generate any notification” , it’s not about context or about whether closing this particular thread was right

There was nothing to tell you.

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@pgr

Hi everyone. Any news on this new Asciidoc renderer? Is it progressing well?

I wonder if this is testable, even as very early alpha version. Can I run it on my site and see the bits that it is already capable of rendering?

@pgr

I could have just sat waiting for answers that would never come, without realizing it was closed…

Context (linguistics)

I shall temper my expectations of your future postings appropriately. (That’s a fib! I muted you; I wont see your posts anymore! )

[pgr]

I’m baffled by your attitude. Close the thread, say you don’t answer PM’s, dry condescending replies with little actual arguing, irony, mute me. What a nice, friendly non-conversation this has been. An example of how to poison a perfectly functioning Community and call it “moderation”. So long.