How to close a Thread

[Lordof Dorkness]

Can you close your own thread?

[The Glyphstone]

No. Only moderators and admins can close a thread.

[KillianHawkeye]

You can, however, report your own thread and include a message asking for it to be closed so that the relevant moderator becomes aware of your desire.

[Haruki-kun]

IIRC you'd need a really good reason to request that, though. When you start a thread you "release it into the wild" and don't really have any ownership over it.

Or at least I remember this has been stated at some point before. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

[Killer Angel]

IIRC you'd need a really good reason to request that, though. When you start a thread you "release it into the wild" and don't really have any ownership over it.

Or at least I remember this has been stated at some point before. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Yes, once you've posted a thread, it's no more "yours". Of course, you can remember the other posters to stay on topic, but that's another matter.

The only exception to this "lack of ownership", may be in the case of a creation in Homebrew: the original poster got some right on the thread, that normally wouldn't have (as said by the rules, "the OP may revive a creation beyond the six-week threshold without prior Moderator approval").

[Mystic Muse]

Though just because you don't own a thread doesn't mean the mods won't be willing to lock it. It depends on a couple circumstances I'm not aware of though.

[Flame of Anor]

IIRC you'd need a really good reason to request that, though. When you start a thread you "release it into the wild" and don't really have any ownership over it.

It's the "death of the OP", as Barthes would put it. :smalltongue:

[Keld Denar]

Ah HA! I found it! I knew it was somewhere (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4725536&postcount=78)...



We do not recognize the right of "ownership" of a thread by the person who starts it. Once you create a thread, it is released into the wilds of the forums, with the exception of various play-by-post games that require a GM or such. That's why you can't request us to lock a thread when the discussion takes a turn you didn't like, or ask that a thread be moved or deleted. It's not yours anymore once people respond to it.

Therefore, the original poster has no special status with regard to it being locked or being given some sort of special notice about it; they do not get the right of first refusal to be the thread starter on a given topic for the rest of eternity. Our position is that no one gets to reserve the right to be the OP on all future threads, even if they were the first to think of a topic. This is simply not going to change.

That should pretty much answer your question. That said, if discussion of a given thread has reached the end of its natural life, it'll simply sink down to the bottom of the forum and decompose return to the electrons that gave it life. Most threads don't need to be locked when you are done with them...simply stop posting in them and they'll probably just die on their own.

[Claudius Maximus]

On the other hand, I believe I have seen some threads get locked on OP request. All the examples that come to mind are instances in the Roleplaying Games forum, where someone makes a thread for a simple question or request, gets it answered to his/her satisfaction, and then requests a lock.

I'm not sure how that interacts with The Giant's statement up there, but a mod could probably tell us where the lines are drawn.

[Kansaschaser]

Ah HA! I found it! I knew it was somewhere (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4725536&postcount=78)...



That should pretty much answer your question. That said, if discussion of a given thread has reached the end of its natural life, it'll simply sink down to the bottom of the forum and decompose return to the electrons that gave it life. Most threads don't need to be locked when you are done with them...simply stop posting in them and they'll probably just die on their own.

Wow, you have an answer for almost everything. You would make a good Lawyer, if you arn't already a lawyer. :smallwink:

[Keld Denar]

No, not a lawyer, engineer. And I wish I could apply my memory of this forum and D&D 3.5 rules to the rest of my life...

[Ursus the Grim]

On the other hand, I believe I have seen some threads get locked on OP request. All the examples that come to mind are instances in the Roleplaying Games forum, where someone makes a thread for a simple question or request, gets it answered to his/her satisfaction, and then requests a lock.

I'm not sure how that interacts with The Giant's statement up there, but a mod could probably tell us where the lines are drawn.

I've gotten one of my own threads locked. It was less a "I'm OP, and I want it locked" so much as a "I posted a question about a problem, the problem's been resolved, and the rest of the the thread is turning into a flame war."

The OP, and probably any other poster, can have a thread locked if they provide good enough reasoning for it, I assume. Of course, the OP would be the person for whom it is easiest to justify the resolution of a problem. The Giant's statement specifically mentions instances where the OP doesn't like the responses, not necessarily an instance where the thread SHOULD be locked.