Question for any Moderators

[itsdaveyj]

So I had made a thread trying to troubleshoot a problem I was experiencing and when I hadn't gotten any new replies in several hours after giving new information, I had asked if anybody had any new ideas about what the issue was. It was my fault for not realizing that would count as a bump and so a moderator closed the thread. I had just thought it would be better to ask and keep the same thread continuing than to start a new, identical one. I know that sometimes when I Google search problems and threads from this website come up, it can be aggravating when the thread doesn't end in a solution. So I figured I should continue the thread until a solution was reached.

After, I had sent the moderator a private message asking if I should make a new identical thread or if he would prefer to re-open the closed thread. Instead of getting a direct response, I was linked to a thread discussion about why bumping is not allowed on the forum. Obviously, this didn't answer my question. So I told the moderator that my question was still unanswered and asked again if I should either make a new identical thread or if he would re-open the closed thread. After a couple of hours I haven't gotten any reply even though the moderator appears to still be active on the website.

Basically my question is if it is alright to create identical threads instead of bumping slightly older ones? Or should I try to have the same thread re-opened to continue discussion? Thanks!


Just a few words to get some thoughts off my chest... I totally don't mind the action taken considering I messed up and violated a forum rule. But I find it quite rude for someone who is supposed to represent the website to not address my concerns at all when I privately messaged him and then completely ignore me afterwords when I said the link he posted was not answering my question. I do customer service for a living so I suppose I am extra sensitive to this sort of stuff, but needless to say I was offended. Beyond this, I have had nothing but great and helpful experiences here. The people here are wonderfully helpful and intelligent. I really don't want my feelings about this site to change because of this.

Sorry if I seem whiny, upset or anything like that. I just figured I would try here to get an answer. Thanks for taking the time to read this and respond! I appreciate it.

 

[jpishgar]

Hey there itsdaveyj!

Very sorry you ran afoul of the no-bumping rule, it gets innocent users in trouble from time to time. We have this rule implemented to keep the forum clean, otherwise a good 20-40% of our threads would contain worthless bumps and people wouldn't get the answers they've come searching for. Our moderators are all volunteer, and their primary role is enforcement. The overwhelming majority of the time, they will absolutely offer in-depth guidance to a user who is uncertain about how to do something, but this might be a case of limited time.

Usually, making a re-post isn't a problem, provided you wait a little while. If a thread has just been closed for bumping, you'll probably want to wait at least a day before you toss the same one back up and go fishing for answers again. Forum netiquette in this regard requires a bit of patience. In the interim, I'd highly suggest an in-depth search of the forums, particularly question types that have been answered surrounding your question topic. With the millions of threads and responses on Tom's, I've noticed that there are rare instances when a question is truly new.

Don't take your run-in with bumping as your only impression of our forum - we're a welcoming place, and we'd like to have you with us for a while.

-JP

 

[itsdaveyj]

Thank you for taking the time to answer! I will give it another try.

If I may say however, I have a suspicion that it was not simply a case of limited time as a simple one sentence response saying, "Yes you can create a new thread." would have been perfectly sufficient. Having volunteer moderators is great and they perform a valued service, but I hope there is some measure of quality control and avenues for people to take if they encounter any issues with the moderating staff. Unfortunately, this is not the first I have heard of issues with the moderating staff and people have reached out to me saying they have had similar experiences. I think it could be valuable for some moderators (by far the vast majority of them have all been pleasant and nice) to remember that they are not only the enforcers, but they also represent the website by interacting with the community. How they interact with people affects the reputation of the site as a whole.

Anyways, thank you again for taking the time to respond! I truly appreciate that you took the time to reply.

 

[jpishgar]

There is definitely a venue to lodge a complaint if you have one as it regards the moderation staff. You can post here in Forum Feedback to get input, you can send me a private message or an email, or tell one of the other moderators who will bring the matter to my attention.