# Has an entire forum ever been locked? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 25, 2006, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519 "2006-01-25T05:34:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/1 "2006-01-25T05:34:06Z")
I just saw the option down near the bottom of the front page and got curious. I’ve seen plenty of closed threads, but what could possibly cause a _forum_ to be locked? ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/2 "2006-01-25T05:55:57Z")
Well, I imagine if we ever get that archive of really old posts together, that’s what we’ll do – move them to a locked forum. ---
**Author:** ![Feydeau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Feydeau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feydeau)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/3 "2006-01-25T06:20:53Z")
Just once. In the 1960s… you know. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/4 "2006-01-25T13:20:56Z")
NOT gonna say it. Nope. TubaDiva But I was tempted. ---
**Author:** ![Let\_the\_machine\_get\_it](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@Let\_the\_machine\_get\_it](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Let_the_machine_get_it)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/5 "2006-01-25T19:59:34Z")
Maybe the SDMB doesn’t. but some vBulletin-based sites will lock individual forums for maintenance. They might, for example, want to purge threads older than a certain date and not want new posts slowing down that process. There are some extra forums at SDMB. There used to be archive forums that were read-only, which I guess would show up as locked. And currently there are some hidden forums for the mods, which on other sites are visible in the forum list but can’t be viewed without the right permissions. ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/6 "2006-01-25T20:05:05Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#): > > Well, I imagine if we ever get that archive of really old posts together, that’s what we’ll do – move them to a locked forum. You mean [this “archive”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/f-3-p-444.html) ? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/7 "2006-01-25T21:56:07Z")
There was a forum UNlocked for time — the super-secret moderators’ cave was exposed for just a brief spell. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2006, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/8 "2006-01-25T23:18:19Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > There was a forum UNlocked for time — the super-secret moderators’ cave was exposed for just a brief spell. Ooooh. Was it all sparkly and colorful with stalagtites made of pure chocolate? 'Cause that’s what my super-secret cave would be like. What? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/9 "2006-01-26T01:39:21Z")
Nah, it was filled with (very put-upon looking) goats. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/10 "2006-01-26T12:48:58Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Nah, it was filled with (very put-upon looking) goats. Hey, you take that back! Them goats _like_ it when we bring 'em out! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/11 "2006-01-26T13:58:57Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > There was a forum UNlocked for time — the super-secret moderators’ cave was exposed for just a brief spell. A “lock” is different from invisible. Locked means no posts may be made. Invisible means that only persons with the proper access privileges are able to view it. The mod forum has never been locked; it is always invisible to the general membership (or rather, it is _supposed_ to be). ---
**Author:** ![Corrvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bbce88/32.png) [@Corrvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corrvin)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/12 "2006-01-26T14:31:27Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > A “lock” is different from invisible. Locked means no posts may be made. Invisible means that only persons with the proper access privileges are able to view it. The mod forum has never been locked; it is always invisible to the general membership (or rather, it is _supposed_ to be). So you expect us to believe in an invisible sparkly cave filled with chocolate stalagtites? I mean, not that I’m against it or anything. It’s kind of comforting. Corr (“credo qui consolans” never meant this much before!) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/13 "2006-01-26T14:52:07Z")
> [@Corrvin](#): > > So you expect us to believe in an invisible sparkly cave filled with chocolate stalagtites? > > I mean, not that I’m against it or anything. It’s kind of comforting. > > Corr > (“credo qui consolans” never meant this much before!) And Ponies! ( You left out the Ponies. You cannot do that. The Ponies will cry.) ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/14 "2006-01-26T16:03:18Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > A “lock” is different from invisible. Locked means no posts may be made. Invisible means that only persons with the proper access privileges are able to view it. The mod forum has never been locked; it is always invisible to the general membership (or rather, it is _supposed_ to be). An important distinction to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/15 "2006-01-26T21:57:17Z")
There’s always the fun “[forum 15](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=2&f=15)”. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/16 "2006-01-26T22:12:36Z")
For people who complain about our mods and admins being overzealous, I would like to say that I have seen other forums using the same software where the posting situation gets so out of hand that they do, indeed, lock a forum to get people to walk away from the keyboards and cool down. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/17 "2006-01-26T23:30:32Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > The mod forum has never been locked; it is always invisible to the general membership (or rather, it is _supposed_ to be). And how exactly is a magical invisible forum that has no connection to the rest of the message board different from a forum that doesn’t exist? Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/18 "2006-01-26T23:42:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Was it all sparkly and colorful with stalagtites made of pure chocolate? So, what’s a stalagtite? Is it something that starts at the floor of the cave, and then goes down from there? Or does it start at the ceiling and point up? ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/19 "2006-01-27T00:37:12Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So, what’s a stalagtite? Is it something that starts at the floor of the cave, and then goes down from there? Or does it start at the ceiling and point up? Actually they only form in the tunnels under Colonel Hogan’s quarters. And yes, they are made of chocolate. Yummy swiss chocolate. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2006, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519/20 "2006-01-27T00:38:23Z")
Okay, German chocolate probably would have been more appropriate. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-an-entire-forum-ever-been-locked/341519.md?page=2)