StormyWays13 91 Share Posted September 28, 2019 Hi all! I am curious on how everyone deals with their closed threads and archives. I have seen some sites that keep their archives open to allow members to browse them. I have also seen sites that hide their archives. So first, do you keep closed threads in the forum or move them to an archive forum? Also, if you do move them do you allow your members to view the archive? 1 “There's a scream permanently lodged in my throat now.” ― Michelle McNamara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormWolfe 557 Share Posted September 28, 2019 Hey there! Yes, we have a category with archive forums in it. The forums are Abandoned, OOC, and IC. They are open for browsing but are Read Only. After 90 days - or when I remember - we delete the abandoned posts and threads. Our IC archive forums are arranged by IC year. So, when we finish up an in-game year, we archive those threads. OOC archives are a case of is the thread important enough to keep. Since our site tends to do all its chatting, plotting, and planning in Discord, most OOC threads that get archived are Characters Wanted, site/multi-character plot discussions, etc. 2 Someone somewhere went to sleep and dreamed us all alive. Dreams get pushed around a lot, and I doubt if we'll survive. We won't get to wake up, dreams were born to disappear. And I'm pretty sure that none of us are here. ~ None of Us Here by Jim Stafford ~ *your one-stop RPG resource site! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxx 317 Share Posted September 28, 2019 I move closed threads to an archive, yeah. It's open to member and guest view, mostly because I also put apps in there and I want people to be able to get those apps if they swing by after leaving. I think it's kind of weird that some sites hide their archives, especially if they're hidden to members. People tend to be nostalgic and like reading over past threads. Those threads don't cease to exist in the timeline because they're finished. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huskerdust 625 Share Posted September 28, 2019 We just lock closed Threads and leave them as is. 2 Reality is an illusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deep Sea 326 Share Posted September 28, 2019 I gave up and just let dead threads drift to the bottom of the forum. I tried having auto-locking threads with no reply after 60 days, but I have like three players who are active, but basically post quarterly... didn't feel like locking their 1x1 since it was technically still active, lol. Glub glub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Operations Mod Dragon 673 Operations Mod Share Posted September 28, 2019 Back when I did mess with archiving threads, I put them away into a member only archive. I had literally no other reason for doing this, other than it was just what most sites do. I've since stopped archiving threads. At the moment they're set to auto lock after being inactive for so long. Otherwise they remain in the general forums. It's one less item off my task list, and it allows for prospective members at a glance proof that our forums are active, and most of our threads actually get fully completed - which is kind of a rarity in many parts of the rp verse. No one has ever complained to me about not archiving threads. I have dealt with all kinds of complaints about archiving them - its too hard to find them later, people want the staff to add location tags (but couldn't be bothered to do it themself upon posting the thread...) Icon & Profile set by The Inquisitor of Dragon Age: Absolution Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NFT47 40 Share Posted September 29, 2019 I move my threads to the archives when they are done, or haven't been replied for an extended period of time, or one of the players are no longer on the board to reply to them. I don't restrict access to this area either. They are opened for viewing. I don't really look back in the archives unless I have good reason to, but I do separate apps/misc threads/threads for easy access. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Morrigan 1,826 Admin Share Posted September 29, 2019 I actually loathe thread archives if I'm honest. Depending on how they are setup (which is often just one board for IC and one board for OOC) they are atrocious and impossible to find anything. You lose context unless it's explicitly mentioned where the thread starts somewhere in the thread which is normally not the case. Finding a thread that you knew was in X forum after the fact is damn near impossible, especially on sites with poor search capabilities, to find a thread that you're looking for (and for me these are often important to find information I forgot). Some places sort archives into a mirror of their main sites forum structure which in a way is better but still equally as frustrating because of the amount of clicks to get there. Another peeve I have about archives is the "inactive for a while but not complete" thing. Sometimes partners take some time to complete things. I remember I had some partners in the past that would take months to reply and having to poke staff to get it out of the archive to continue is annoying. For me if 1 of the people are active but it's not complete leave it alone unless they ask but that's just a personal meh thing. If you didn't understand through the information provided as to why I don't use them the answer is no, I don't archive things. Dead/completed things naturally fall to the bottom of the forum and are easier to find for reference. Why do I archive here on the Initiative? Most of our archives are searches/help topics that are irrelevant or outdated. Information from prior to a site move that was no longer applicable or features we have retired. I make it members only because I don't want google to index it. 1 1 Profile set made by myself and original Artwork by Fae Merriman, my daughter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huskerdust 625 Share Posted September 29, 2019 It’s different with a resource forum. Certain areas need to be cleaned up so people know what’s still an active request. Although I do appreciate that you don’t archive discussions like some resource forums do. It’s so annoying to want to discuss something that was previously there and has since disappeared. Why start a brand new thread If one exists? Reality is an illusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
River 57 Share Posted September 30, 2019 We have an archive forum with old applications, closed threads, and other miscellaneous things like LOAs that are no longer active. In theory, a thread is archived after two months of inactivity, but in practice, it goes a little longer than that because archiving is the kind of thing I do when I get bored and don't want to wite anymore. I think it looks a lot cleaner to clear out those old threads. Archives are hidden to guests but not to members. Why? I don't know. It was the convention before I got on staff and I just work here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prophetess 137 Share Posted October 1, 2019 I have archives but they're weird (because I embrace my weirdness). Twice a year I go through with everyone and take the dead or finished threads and put them in histories that everyone can see. It's easy to find and since it's in the past makes perfect sense. New folks can see them and get the feel of things that's happened already. If someone wants to pick up a thread again it's easy enough to move back. Now character apps, odds and ends (old lore, old plotters, taken wanteds. etc) have an archive that's hidden from everyone but staff. This is so that if someone leaves their ideas can't be well cloned is a pleasant phrase. If they require something we're more than happy to offer it to them as it is. The only time we really delete anything is if someone specifically asks the staff to do so. Then of course we delete it immediately. It seems to work though as a system. (And I can enjoy writing more.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormyWays13 91 Author Share Posted October 1, 2019 Thanks everyone for the feedback. The reason I ask is because I have recently come across two different sites that take all their finished threads and archive them into one forum. But they were not accessible to members or guests, which I thought was weird. I'd like to where the plot was at and what the other characters are like. I think it makes it extremely difficult as new member to not know what had previous happened. Again, thank you all gain for the feedback. ❤️ “There's a scream permanently lodged in my throat now.” ― Michelle McNamara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yume 99 Share Posted October 1, 2019 I've been lazy about archiving recently. But when I did, I would archive about once a month or so, and the archives would be left in a read only category that members and guests alike could see. Depending on the site there may also be a non-visible trashcan for things that have been deleted or totally hidden archives with like, old biographies and things like that - this is to prevent them from being stolen, but to keep them there in case the staff wants to reference their old ones, or an old member returns and wants theirs. I can't imagine why you would archive all of your old threads -and- hide them so no one can read them. Sometimes rereading an old thread is the best form of nostalgia there is. 1 Some must be warriors that others may live in peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugs 63 Share Posted October 1, 2019 As far as IC threads go, we leave them where they are. We have a bunch of location subforums (probably too many if I'm honest, but the setup works and wouldn't be worth the hassle to reorganize) so having them in that location makes it easy for finding old threads, and knowing where what was going on. It's probably because most of my experience RPing has been with sites that handle things this way, but I have always prefer to just let old completed threads sit where they are, rather than moving to archives. We do have an archives section for old stuff that just needs to be moved - for example, old OOC threads from before we did our reboot, or if someone asks for something to be archived, etc. For old characters/custom elements or what have you, we have inactive sections within those parts of the site that we sort those things into when they go inactive. Administrator, Star Wars Universe RP An AU Star Wars Roleplay set in the Old Republic era Story | Cast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThistleProse 8 Share Posted October 3, 2019 Back in the beginning, we were going to archive the threads on SP, but honestly. No. Its such a pain in the arse, and a major waste of time in my opinion. So we just leave the threads. When they're finished, the topic author (or an admin, if one is following the thread) will go in and change the Prefix to a [C] for closed and that's that. We don't even lock them, we just change the prefix. Its honestly really useful for scrolling down the 'recent activity' list, because you can immediately see which threads are completed, and which are still in progress 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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