# What happened to the Best Mini-Series thread? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 8, 2005, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448 "2005-04-08T18:55:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/1 "2005-04-08T18:55:28Z")
It’s gone. I found it a very interesting thread. Was it started by a sock? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/2 "2005-04-08T19:01:09Z")
Yep. See the associated Pit thread. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/3 "2005-04-08T19:05:26Z")
You know, regardless of who started it, it was a very interesting discussion. Couldn’t we have locked it and started a new one with another valid user? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/4 "2005-04-08T19:17:58Z")
**Patty O’Furniture** had an excellent [suggestion.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6036116&postcount=6) Is this doable? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/5 "2005-04-08T19:21:47Z")
Which forum was it in? I’m the one who removed all the OP’s. I think I can retrieve this one. I assume it was in IMHO? samclem ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/6 "2005-04-08T19:23:38Z")
I thought it was Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/7 "2005-04-08T19:25:42Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Which forum was it in? I’m the one who removed all the OP’s. > > I think I can retrieve this one. I assume it was in IMHO? > > samclem If it’s possible to adopt a thread, I’d be willing to adopt it, with an appropriate disclaimer about the unnamed sock. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/8 "2005-04-08T19:30:23Z")
> **[The best mini series in TV history?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=310997)** > > Quatermass and the Pit I just started it again in IMHO. While it was about TV, it’s totally opinions and a poll. A moderator from IMHO can move it if necessary. Hope we can accomodate posters when possible. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/9 "2005-04-08T19:32:26Z")
Yay! Thanks! Can we make that a policy with harmless threads from now on? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/10 "2005-04-08T21:30:25Z")
It’s a lot of work, especially if the jerk has posted multiple times in the thread. And, of course, we can’t pre-date posts, so the new “What’s this thread all about” (replacing the jerk’s OP) would come well into the thread, if I’m understanding what you want. However, I don’t see why we can’t do it. It would solve the problem of what to do when an undesirable poster creates a fun thread. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/11 "2005-04-09T01:01:45Z")
Well, you have the ability to edit posts, right? I’ve seen links broken and fixed and such. Perhaps deleting or editing the OP (if appropriate) and changing the user name to something like Banned Sock would be useful? ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/12 "2005-04-09T04:17:21Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=310997](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=310997) > > I just started it again in IMHO. While it was about TV, it’s totally opinions and a poll. A moderator from IMHO can move it if necessary. > > Hope we can accomodate posters when possible. Urk. I just moved it to Cafe Society. Apologies to all; hadn’t caught the full backstory on this one. This thread has to set a record for being tippped upside down, pulled inside out and generally shuffled around. Veb ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_griffin-kentzel/32/14787_2.png) [@Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Griffin-Kentzel)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/13 "2005-04-09T05:00:16Z")
**Veb** made the correct move. Polls about art, books, entertainment, movies, etc., belong in **Cafe Society**. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/14 "2005-04-09T13:03:41Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Well, you have the ability to edit posts, right? I’ve seen links broken and fixed and such. Perhaps deleting or editing the OP (if appropriate) and changing the user name to something like Banned Sock would be useful? Tain’t that easy. Deleting the first post deletes the thread. And we can’t change the username that easily – well, OK, we could, but then each new such would need new username, and we’d be at “Banned Sock 23” in no time. And, of course, it would change all the other posts by that person to the new name, which would make documentation an absolute bitch. We’ll discuss amongst the Mods. If a sock starts an interesting thread, we might find a way to kill the initial post and keep the thread rolling, although that might be confusing without the first post… ? ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/15 "2005-04-11T06:16:14Z")
**Dex** , could you make _one_ generic name (SockDoe, comes to mind), so any interesting, sock-generated, threads would be reassigned to a single ghost poster. I guess what I’m suggesting is moving all the responses, other than than the sock’s, to a new thread with a surrogate “mom.” For clarity, paraphrase the original OP. And are there really that many _interesting_ threads started by socks? Aren’t most sock posts just “more of the same”? I know it might be more time consuming than feasible, just a brain storm… well, more like a little squall. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/16 "2005-04-11T08:28:09Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > **Dex** , could you make _one_ generic name (SockDoe, comes to mind), so any interesting, sock-generated, threads would be reassigned to a single ghost poster. > I guess what I’m suggesting is moving all the responses, other than than the sock’s, to a new thread with a surrogate “mom.” For clarity, paraphrase the original OP. > And are there really that many _interesting_ threads started by socks? Aren’t most sock posts just “more of the same”? > I know it might be more time consuming than feasible, just a brain storm… well, more like a little squall. 😃 I don’t think this is really practical. We’d have to rename ALL the socks to the one name, and we do keep track of things like IP addresses and posting habits. That would make it much harder to discover new socks. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/17 "2005-04-11T12:59:15Z")
As for the confusion of deleting first posts in “when good threads are started by bad socks,” may I suggest that an edit placed at the beginning of (former) post **#2** might be in order? Something like: “Mod Hat on: A returning sock-puppet suggested that discussing what typical TV shows might be like on a TV network in the Tolkien universe. His OP has been removed; what follows in this post and others are responses to that question. Mod Hat off.” ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/18 "2005-04-11T13:53:39Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > As for the confusion of deleting first posts in “when good threads are started by bad socks,” may I suggest that an edit placed at the beginning of (former) post **#2** might be in order? > > Something like: “Mod Hat on: A returning sock-puppet suggested that discussing what typical TV shows might be like on a TV network in the Tolkien universe. His OP has been removed; what follows in this post and others are responses to that question. Mod Hat off.” If we delete the original post, the rest of the thread is also deleted. ---
**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:** [April 11, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/19 "2005-04-11T14:10:51Z")
And therein lies the problem: We can’t change the original poster name without destroying our chain of evidence, which is sometimes a necessary thing. We can’t simply remove the original starter post; that automatically deletes the thread. What we can do is start a new thread and maybe move the responses to it, but with the board problems of late, that may well be difficult to accomplish; the system times out for us like it does everyone else. We’ll do what we can for you, though, as we can. your humble TubaDiva ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448/20 "2005-04-11T14:18:17Z")
> [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > If we delete the original post, the rest of the thread is also deleted. Yes. But what I did in that case was to first move the entire thread to the sekrit lab. Then I split the thread, leaving the offending OP on the cutting room floor, and moving the entire rest of the thread back to the boards. **poly**. You’re right–I should have added a mod-type comment in the 'new" OP. But I made a judgement that it read OK as is. Again, I hope the TM don’t get the idea that this is something we’re gonna automatically do in every case. I’d take it to be NOT the norm. Give it some time for the Admins and Mods to discuss in email. And, again folks, we have lives. This is not something that will be written in stone by tonight. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-best-mini-series-thread/298448.md?page=2)