# Locking Threads Pending Mod Review.   Why?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locking-threads-pending-mod-review-why/637126>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [October 8, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locking-threads-pending-mod-review-why/637126 "2012-10-08T20:12:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locking-threads-pending-mod-review-why/637126/1 "2012-10-08T20:12:11Z")

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Is it really necessary to lock a thread when someone threadshits? If the member’s misconduct is bad enough that a mod mentions a referral to the mod loop, why can’t the mod temporarily suspend a member’s posting privileges pending that review, and leave the thread open?

That’s exactly what happened in this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=667817) by \*\*bup \*\*. Colibri locked a thread and promised an unlock after the mods decided how to handle the situation. In the meantime, the thread floundered and fell from sight, finally making it to the thread graveyard. This is not a complaint about Colibri’s action, but about the policy of thread locking due to potential member misconduct. Can’t we leave the threads open and allow them to return to their topic?

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**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:** [October 8, 2012, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locking-threads-pending-mod-review-why/637126/2 "2012-10-08T21:57:49Z")

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I only locked it temporarily pending discussion, as I said. The discussion took longer than I expected, in part due to some moderators being away for the weekend. I have reopened the thread and moved it to IMHO.

I probably should have reopened it sooner once it looked liked the discussion would take more than a few hours.

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**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locking-threads-pending-mod-review-why/637126/3 "2012-10-08T22:16:19Z")

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Thank you.

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**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2012, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locking-threads-pending-mod-review-why/637126/4 "2012-10-09T02:43:44Z")

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In case of assumed trolling, I think banning in lieu of discussion would make more sense.