Closing trade threads

[IdolEyes787]

I understand that there has been a problem in the past with unwanted and sometimes hostile spam but I still feel that "openness" ( especially in that particular section) should supersede anything else .
If a person is too delicate ,too secretive/dishonest or simply too much of an ass that they can't stand anyone posting in their thread then they probably shouldn't really be a member here then should they?
Besides it should be up to the mods to control threads and those people choosing to post in them and not individual members.

[Cabalo]

I think it may have started when the whole "I'm anti trader and I hate traders to death" movement started.
Things have kinda settled down, so I fully support your idea.
We should revoke the ability for users to close their threads in the trade section.

[anon]

Let's see this through a trader's viewpoint:
Why leave the thread open so that people criticize your activities (i.e. searches for "high-level" stuff, buffered accounts, etc., or the mere fact you're trading to get from X to Y) or generally spam your thread, when you can close it and keep it visible by bumping it regularly? :shifty:

[IdolEyes787]

I don't think it would take much "suggesting" by the staff here to show repeat offenders the error of their ways.It's not like I'm scared of staff here but I'd certainly have enough respect to accede to their wishes.
The whole point is ,everything as much as feasibly possible , should be out in the open.
It would benefit everyone trader and non-trader alike ,being better able to see what people are really up to.

[Artemis]

Since the trades are completed via pm or often via IM outside of the site, there is little reason to stop people commenting in the threads. If someone is a complete spamtard and simply trolls the trade section then he will be dealt with by the mods.
(In saying this I would gladly hug the staff member who puts anoneemuse out it's misery).
All other sections of the board have a level playing field and comments are welcome, why is the trade section special ?

[IdolEyes787]

My thoughts exactly.
FST supposedly prides itself on being absolutely unbiased in such matters but unless I am misconstruing things this sort of proves otherwise.

Actually I've already made the point elsewhere ,how it is unfair to expect noobs (who are possibly totally without either pretense or experience and might be truly harmed by idiot comments) to have to endure sometimes unfair criticism as a matter of course and then give special dispense to others who in certain cases richly deserve it.

Really though I think the important point is that allowing such secrecy isn't good for anyone.People have a right to know who they are dealing with - both figuratively and literally.
Having a bunch of "I have X ,PM me your offer.Closed" threads allows neither.

[megabyteme]

Those who make trades should be as open to public comments (good or bad) as the request section.

[cinephilia]

Those who make trades should be as open to public comments (good or bad) as the request section.
thread starters have the ability to lock their own threads in the bt invite section.

[megabyteme]

Those who make trades should be as open to public comments (good or bad) as the request section.
thread starters have the ability to lock their own threads in the bt invite section.

Requesters only lock their threads after they have received an invite. Anyone closing their thread before, would not be successful in getting what they want. Traders who close their threads continue to conduct "business" after the thread is closed.

[IdolEyes787]

So no administrational thoughts?Everyone fine with it then ?
See to me it's not even like being a real member of the site when you operate like that.Just conduct your business in your own little vacuum with no thought or obligation to anyone else.

[IdolEyes787]

Bump.

[The_Martinator]

I understand where you're coming from Idol and I support you on this one. However, I've decided long ago not to post in the trade section here, since I wouldn't have anything good to say anyway.

[IdolEyes787]

Yeah but closing threads isn't some occasional occurrence it's now become the norm which, like I tried to explain, besides being counterproductive to the security of the average user here also ( galling to me at least) goes against the very thing a "forum" is suppose to even be about.

I don't know maybe I'm being my usual over-dramatic self but that allowed practice ( of immediate closure)much more than the fact there is even a trading section makes me question if maybe my time wouldn't better be spent someplace else.
Someplace being where so-called unbiased freedom of expression actually means something and isn't just a nice buzz-word brought up every now and again to defend against what some people see as this sites poorer attributes.

[Skiz]

So no administrational thoughts?Everyone fine with it then ?
See to me it's not even like being a real member of the site when you operate like that.Just conduct your business in your own little vacuum with no thought or obligation to anyone else.

What do you want to hear? :unsure:

We started allowing traders to close their threads due to the immense number of reports of hecklers and fluff postings such as "good offer". This solved much of that.

[Artemis]

So no administrational thoughts?Everyone fine with it then ?
See to me it's not even like being a real member of the site when you operate like that.Just conduct your business in your own little vacuum with no thought or obligation to anyone else.

What do you want to hear? :unsure:

We started allowing traders to close their threads due to the immense number of reports of hecklers and fluff postings such as "good offer". This solved much of that.

Well it seems all the hardcore 'anti-traders' have packed up their bat & ball and gone home, so there isn't that much heckling of traders anyway, and having the trading forum separate does most of the job anyway, and you get fluff posts all over the board from n00bs in a rush to get into the invite/trade sections.

I doubt there would be an 'immense' amount of heckling now, and it seems that the trade section has some kind of special privilege ?

[Skiz]

If that many people are closing their threads, it must be something they feel the need to do. They have probably left their threads open in the past and had them fluffed to high heaven and now prefer to do their trades w/o commentary from others.

I don't see what's so bad about that.

[IdolEyes787]

If that many people are closing their threads, it must be something they feel the need to do. They have probably left their threads open in the past and had them fluffed to high heaven and now prefer to do their trades w/o commentary from others.

.

That might be true if it wasn't something that members (apparently) new to the site seem to have( on mass ) taken upon themselves to do.
Also as Art correctly stated if you look at the few trade threads left open any that are made by people that aren't blatantly scamming or who don't already have some serious black marks against them are pretty much left alone.
Case in point http://filesharingtalk.com/vb3/f-bittorrent-trades-158/t-need-whatcd-408863 He just even got his ass handed to him in another section over the very same thing and yet here everyone is leaving him alone.


And like I said as I see it it's a trust /security/accountability issue that goes far beyond the mere divide between trading and not trading.
Sort of like other sections being the FBI and closed trade threads being the CIA.
Anyway that's my last word on the subject.

[ca_aok]

Re: the heckling, I'll be perfectly willing to heckle them if they try to bitch about how they lost an account in BT general (that guy's case) or if they're requesting invites in the Requests/GA section. Can't really be arsed to do so in their own section, that's what it's there for anyway. It's not something I see that often aside from a bunch of people saying "never gonna happen" or something along those lines.

I don't really have an opinion either way here though. If you're going to let the idiots openly trade, then I don't really see how preventing thread closure really helps anyone. If a user has something legitimate to add to the topic they could probably just PM a mod and have it unlocked or edited.