# dead-end threads



## rafajuntoalmar

Hello,

Using the search engine I have come across some threads that, in my opinion, are not useful at all, because they do not provide any information on the meaning of the searched term.

I wonder whether the administrator or the moderators have thought about the possibility of deleting those "dead-end threads" in order to enhance the already very good service WRF provides to us all.

I am well aware of the difficulties involved in such a time consuming task as identifying those dead-end threads may be. However, it occurs to me that users themselves might help by suggesting which threads are dead ends. The WRF web site already includes tools that, duly adapted, could be used to make such suggestions: the report post feature.

Please, take into account that this is a question or suggestion and by no means a complaint.

Thank you.

Best regards.


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## avok

I agree with you. Especially threads like "Hello!!! How can I say "your eyes are shining in my world of loneliness" in Spanish/English/Chinese?" lose their importance within a day/month/year. Most of the time, those threads seem to be opened by the users who visited WR Forums only once or twice (to thank) just to ask this very question. I don't think they are of any use either.


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## belén

Hi guys,

Interesting comments, but my question is: How do these threads annoy you in particular? Do you bump into them often? Do you click on a thread that says "hello I love you" and you are surprised to find what the content is?

Just curious to know up to what point these threads are annoying in order to value if the energy invested in eliminating them would be worth it. Hope I have explained myself. 

Thanks!
Belén


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## Jana337

To return to rafajuntoalmar's point: I sometimes find a thread whose first post contains something like "please translate ROSA DAMAGE", the second one "What do you mean?" and that's it because the thread opener never came back to clarify it. This is indeed useless and moderators will surely be happy if you report such threads.

But like Belén, I fail to see any harm in shining eyes.  Do you know that love threads are, along with insults, birthday wishes and letter opening phrases, among the most frequently googled WR threads?


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## elroy

It seems to me, and I'm sure that Belén and Jana would agree with me, that such situations are best handled on a case-by-case basis.  Whenever you come across a thread that you feel is "useless" for whatever reason, please report it and explain in detail why it is that you think the thread should be removed.  The moderators will consider your argument and make a decision.


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## avok

Hiiiiii,

No, I don't find those "hello, I love you" threads annoying but those threads are so personal hence... I just think those threads serve only for the very person that happens to open the thread, that's all. 

By the way, I have not bumped into "shining eyes in my world" thread I just made it up to make my point more clear  And I did not know that love threads are among the most frequently googled WR threads.

But I am annoyed when people visit WRF only "once" to ask their very personal threads.


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## scotu

The threads that, in my opinion, should be deleted are the ones where a question is asked, a forero requests a clarification of the question or requests context, and this request is never answered. And the ones that the obvious answer to the question is found in the WR dictionary.

The thread which annoys me is the "first poster" testing us with an obsenity, Although it annoys me, I'm not suggesting that this kind of thread should be handled differently than any other question (unless it violates decency)

(Speaking of annoying; how about a "specialty forum" for lyrics?)


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## belén

Scotu said:
			
		

> How about a "specialty forum" for lyrics?



Well, it would have to be such a special forum that lawyers couldn't be able to see it!! 

Don't forget the copyright rules, please...


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## avok

scotu said:


> (Speaking of annoying; how about a "specialty forum" for lyrics?)


 
I beg your pardon? Another joke


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## Sidjanga

Hi,

I agree on that there is a whole lot of dead-end threads where actually the questions wasn´t aswered for whatever reason, and reporting them is certainly a very good idea (maybe you could even post a note on that in the WR dictionary).

On the other hand, there are loads and loads of threads that are indeed useful -or could be it- but sadly their title doesn´t delay anything at all about the nature of the question, so that it´s almost impossible to recognize them as what they are, and consequently they also end up being dead-end threads, unless somebody bumps into them by chance.
I think we all would profit a great deal from thos threads being renamed or receiving an additional "label word" in their title. 

I am talking about threads about grammar questions, for example, the Spanish subjuntivo or verb tenses, just to give two examples, where all that figures in the title is often/normally just the sentence the person who opens the thread is having problems whith, whithout any posibility for you to recognize from "outside" what all that is about, so that you´ll be quite unlikely to have a look if by any chance you find it at the bottom of the dictionary, even if you´re lucky enough to just coincide in time and space with this thread when your looking for some clarification about a question concerning subjuntivo or verb tenses, although this thread might contain the perfect aswer to your question.
Those threads appear at the bottom of the dictionary pages of each and all the words that make up the title, many times without claryfying nothing at all about the meaning of these words (if you had been looking for their meaning in the dictionary), just because the topic of the thread treats something very different and isn´t anything to do whith semantics.
In those cases reporting might also be useful.

I hope it´s not necessary to mention that this is far from being a complaint, but just an observation and suggestion.
Actually, these forums are one of the best things I have ever bumped into in my life. 

Saludos
___________
PD: the "label word" in the title could be an acceptable substitute for the additional "context field" suggested here, the latter one obviously requiring too many changes in the forum structure


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## TrentinaNE

Sigianga said:


> On the other hand, there are loads and loads of threads that are indeed useful -or could be it- but sadly their title doesn´t delay anything at all about the nature of the question, so that it´s almost impossible to recognize them as what they are, and consequently they also end up being dead-end threads, unless somebody bumps into them by chance.
> I think we all would profit a great deal from thos threads being renamed or receiving an additional "label word" in their title.


Now you know why some moderators are so insistent on changing thread titles of current discussions. 

Unfortunately, going back and changing titles of old threads is a task of Sisyphean proportions. Again, the best advice we can give is: if you happen to come across an old thread that you think should be deleted or amended (such as having its title changed), please use the Report-a-Post feature (
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





) and be as specific as you can about the problem. 

Grazie mille.
Elisabetta


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## mkellogg

I agree that _someday _we will probably need to somehow start allowing people to mark threads that are not useful as links in the dictionaries.  I'm not convinced that we have reached that point yet, though we probably will get there in the next two to three years.


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