I tried to keep this question private by attempting to write to David directly, but it looks like the user name was changed to "Guest" and I was summarily informed that I am not allowed to send "Guest" a PM.

So in the absence of any other alternative I will raise the issue here.

I was following the thread 30A vs. 50A and was beginning to understand that there was more than just a dead short that could pose a hazard with undersized conductors connected to a 50A outlet; that other impedance issues could also present a fire hazard.  I was looking forward to a better understanding of those other impedance issues, when someone complained [I forget who and if I go back and look, I may have to start this post over, and it doesn't really matter anyway] that the issue had become the "beating of a dead horse."  I didn't think anything of it, in a subsequent post and thought the thought the thread would just carry on, even posting on the topic and making a silly comment about a horse recipe.  

When I went back later in the day to see what was developing, I was surprised to see it locked.  I don't know whether there were complaints about the thread to the administration or if someone had gotten bored with it.  But shutting down a post in this fashion when it is still very active is not really fair to the membership. I realize it is the right of the owners to not only lock out anything they choose, indeed limit participation in any manner they prefer, but it is not, perhaps, the best way to encourage participation.

This board serves a really useful purpose for all rPod users, but it takes some sorting through to find the little jewels of information that actually are fact based.  Quite frankly, there is a tremendous amount of anecdotal opinion offered in solution to issues that involve engineering and physics issues.  I've probably offered such opinions myself.  But those opinions are not always soundly based in fact.  There are several members who appear to be active or retired engineers who have made very helpful contributions based upon engineering calculations and the application of principles of physics.  I have found those contributors posts to be especially helpful, especially in understanding the physics and geometry of WDH's, electrical functions, solar power, etc.  I have learned a great deal from them and truly thank them for taking their time to post.

But without any apparent reason except, possibly the complaint about the "dead horse," one of these topics was summarily shut down.  I sincerely hope that this does not portend things to come.  Such summary lockouts will not promote detailed technical discussion that has been one of the principle reasons for following and participating in this forum.  It is that technically supported discussion that sets this site apart from all the internet clutter that inundates us every day with unfounded opinions and alternate "facts."  I hope you reconsider locking out such discussions in the future.

furpod, this was not good for the forum.  No one is forced to read any topic, much less comment on it.  For those taking the time to post on the theme, there were still important issues to be resolved.  For those that were losing patience and arguing about the issues, all they had to do was leave it be and let others continue the discussion.  If they couldn't exercise that modicum of restraint, then why should those who were still benefitting from the discussion be locked out?  As I stated above, I was beginning to understand the other forms of impedance when you shut it all down and now, I still have open questions.

We have some posters who have very strong feelings about the correctness of their posts and their opinions, whether factually correct or not.  For myself, I try to be respectful of others and not take the argument bate, instead sticking to the topic and offering other views -- sometimes making a crumby joke instead.  If you use arguments as the criterion for shutting down a thread, you are inviting people who hold very strong opinions to use their argumentative nature to shut down informative discussions.  That is not in the best interest of the forum nor of its members.  Perhaps a better approach would be to encourage those who are argumentative to tone it down a bit if it's truly getting out of control.  

As I stated above, I hope you reconsider this very significant change in the philosophy of monitoring the board.  

I join the others above in expressing my sadness to see David leave the board.  He did an outstanding job and it shows in the board's success.

It is not the first time a thread has been closed, It isn't mine or anyone else's plan to change how the forum is run. Occasionally, it has happened.

I didn't get some kind of joy out of it or anything like that. In fact, to tell you the truth, since becoming a moderator, my happiness here has gone downhill.
I don't intend to make a point or habit of explaining myself either, but, as I said above, the question about what outlets where available was answered, and the ongoing "discussion" of how to handle it when there was a problem, actually constitutes the dreaded, and much maligned, "thread drift."

If the OP wanted to know all our opinions about connectors and adapters.. that's fodder for a new thread.

A few thoughts, not in any particular order:

I'm really sorry to hear that David felt the need to leave, and that he's gone!

I don't have a problem with the same topics coming up over and over again, even if I know the discussion will drift off into the same old debate over whether A or B is the better option.  There are usually some new people involved, and despite the Search feature of the forum, sometimes there's some new info or perspective.  (Usually not, but I find it very easy to just quit reading a thread if it gets too... whatever.)

I tend to think that short of profanity, name calling, or some other perversion, closing a thread is generally not a good idea. I respect the moderators' right and responsibilty to make such decisions though.

It would be nice if instead of piling on "facts", that we'd understand that regardless of the facts anyone presents, other people are going to do or not do whatever it is anyway and not have any ill will about it.  On the other hand, I'm not sure why anyone finds offense with a thread they think has gone on too long.

What bothers me the most is that whatever's going on is driving good people away.  This is what we should be thinking about, talking about, and doing something about. Despite my feelings, maybe cutting off more threads that have run their productive course would be a good idea, I don't know.  This has been a very valuable forum for me; there are too many good, smart people here -- not to mention the good people who come here looking for help.  We need to be careful or we could lose this place.

TT

Unfortunately, the same question ends up being asked over and over again. However, one can point gently to threads where it has been discussed and provide a little guidance on proper use of the search function. Sometimes a search requires use of the advanced search function to return the topics where something was discussed previously. It is there that the parameters of the search can be changed to allow searches of topics over six months old. Six months and newer seems to be the default for the basic search. Use of the board is not intuitive so sometimes people need a little help.

From what I have seen, it is even worse over on Facebook where there is no history or ability to search that I have found so far. The same topics come up regularly and the same basic information gets covered over and over again. For all the flaws in the Web Wiz Forums software version being used, it is exponentially better than the Facebook interface for communicating useful information. I appreciate you moderators and the work you do, often behind the scenes and many times without thanks. If you do hear from David, please let him know some of us appreciate him and would like to see him return.