Locking threads - Dangerous grounds

[IWIK]

Competitive Response: Limited Time Offer for Freedom Mobile thread was recently locked by @Jeremy_M on the grounds of keeping it "easier and searchable" while still saying "Great conversations going on in this post"

Call me a conspiracy theorist but I suspect this has everything to do with the poor response this was receiving from the current community and nothing to do with "searchability" (whatever that is) although I'm sure it does make things easier for the PM team.

Public Mobile, please, I love you and you're doing great things here but resist the temptation to censor your greatest supporters! You know you will obviously take a ton of flak for making a promotion that rewards some people and excludes people that have been here, growing this community WITH you!

Remember who keeps your community (which is what separates PM from other providers) alive and well.

I tell people to check out PM, and will continue to do so. Even though I don't know anyone on Freedom Mobile.  

[NDesai]

This is the reason it was locked: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Public-Lab/Force-New-Topic/idi-p/158708

If you like, you can create a new topic in the Discussion board to discuss this promo. 

[IWIK]

I respectfully disagree with this approach, more threads to search through doesn't seem better then one single topic thread.

I think relevant solutions should be naturally bravo'd and if really good added to the original post.

Just my thoughts, I've seen other communities go down the thread locking road before.

[NDesai]

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@IWIK wrote:

I respectfully disagree with this approach, more threads to search through doesn't seem better then one single topic thread.

I think relevant solutions should be naturally bravo'd and if really good added to the original post.

Just my thoughts, I've seen other communities go down the thread locking road before.

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I agree with you. I think there is a setting in your profile to set how many post you would like per page. This eliminates clicking pages after pages. I will get hold of Jeremy and see if he can revert this. 

[SD08]

I honestly don't think the threads were locked to prevent criticism, and I'm one of the ones who posted a less-than-glowing response to the Freedom-targeted promo. The talk + text promo thread received some criticism as well and that one remained open for two and a half months. Jeremy and/or the moderators did go to the trouble of moving some help requests/questions that were posted into those threads, into separate topics and re-titled them, which supports their explanation that it was done for searchability/visibility reasons.

[homer]

how about introducing a summary section for promo threads to answer FAQs? 

(I think we already have a "spoiler" section to serve this purpose LOL) 

[Luddite]

Haven't changed my mind. New topic for every customer's concern is best long term for helping each person.

[SD08]

@homer

That would be good, just like the RFD forums have for their deal threads.  For example, the PM Fall 2016 promo thread had an attached summary here:  http://forums.redflagdeals.com/public-mobile-limited-time-4gb-40-plan-promo-2050037/

Not sure how easily that feature could be added with the Lithium platform.  If it can't be added as a feature, then an alternative would be for @Jeremy_M to immediately add his own reply underneath his promo announcements, thus reserving a spot as a thread summary that he can edit whenever needed.

[will13am]

To some degree it makes sense to have these announcements be simply that, announcing whatever the topic is.  Given how this platform is set up where members can comment in the announcement as if it is like any other thread and that members are used to conducting business this way, the members should be allowed to do what they are used to doing.  Consistency and predictability is important, otherwise the conspiracy theories start to appear.  The solution for future is to revamp the announcement section so that its behavior is not the same as a discussion thread.  Until such time, no sensorship please.  BTW, I did try to observe the intend function of the announcement and initiated a thread in the discussion section on the merits of a targeted promotion. 

[homer]

@SD08 high five - an RFD user here 

good suggestions 

[Jeremy_M]

@IWIK @NDesai

As @SD08 & @Luddite mentioned in their reply the reason for locking the threads was due to make things easier for people to find answers regarding the promotion. If you do a search in the Community and type "Freedom" you will see this for yourself. No conspiracy theory here, criticism good or bad can be found everywhere and without much searching.... the posts that were moved were the ones that had a question and answer. If I couldn't find the answer to the question I left it in the original thread.

Also, multiple pages of reply's can be very difficult for someone to navigate through, especially one that is new to our Community. 

Jeremy