Some of you may have noticed that I've started closing threads that have titles like "Help Please", "Help Me", "Need Help", etc,... You may be asking yourself exactly what my problem is. You may be thinking I'm being incredibly petty and if I have a problem with the thread titles I can change them myself. Just to make sure there's no confusion about this I'm going to let you know why I'm doing it.
#1 - It's against the rules
Yeah it sounds like an excuse rather than a reason, but if you'll read through the rest of this post you should start to understand why it's a rule.
#2 - They're stupid thread titles
The vast majority of the threads here are asking for help. Saying you're asking for help almost goes without saying. There's nothing wrong with saying you want help, but given the scope of every forum here it doesn't really say anything. Plus there are people who won't read those threads because the title doesn't indicate it's something they can help with. If you want to maximize your chances of getting help you should put something in the title that will draw in the people with the knowledge required to assist you.
#3 - It's rude
If you want others to give you help with something the least you can do is put a minimal amount of information in the title. If you can't be bothered to put a little thought into your thread title why should other people put the effort into helping you?
Until now I've always either ignored this issue or changed thread titles myself. Today I've closed about a dozen of them and to me that's a ridiculous number. This is nothing personal and if your thread is closed for this reason you should feel free to start another thread for your question with an appropriate title.
Edit Jan 1, 07: If you have a complaint about my reason for closing a thread you should PM me, another mod, or an admin. Posting complaints in the Shoutbox of my AD profile won't get a response, but may get deleted. I have no intention of engaging in a public debate about my moderation. If you make a reasonable request for an explanation or wish to explain rationally why you disagree with my decision I'm more than happy to discuss it. If you want to bitch publicly you'll be doing it without my participation - although it may end up causing your account to be suspended temporarily or even permanently.
My killer sig came courtesy of bb "El Jefe" mayo.
The Forum Rules You Agreed To!http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/2487 "And there we saw the giants, and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight" - Numbers 13:33
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