Time limits for unfocused discourse threads?

[nsajko]

The opposition to the time limits seems significant. Perhaps an additional category for unfocused threads/chat should be introduced to the forum?

@jonniedie

@nsajko

The problem is, I think, that such threads siphon off the usefulness from the rest of the forum. The fact that someone might say something useful or significant in such a difficult-to-navigate thread is a problem because the information is then made relatively inaccessible.

I think that’s making the assumption that these conversations are inevitable and what doesn’t get brought up here will necessarily have been brought up as a new topic. Often these useful conversations only happen because there is less social friction to responding with an example in a thread like this than creating a new topic. The fact that we have so many instances of important discussions happening in unrelated threads can just as easily be interpreted as those threads being necessary to spark discussions that we wouldn’t otherwise be having.

@TheLateKronos

I agree - archiving stuff, by making updates impossible via locking, can really change an evergreen thread like this, or an a focused discussion on a fast changing subject, into a stale conversation that fades away collecting dust. This is a good example of a thread that I feel adds value from being open, with minimal harm.