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Question for everyone… when someone asks a question that is being discussed in another thread, is it better to close the duplicate topic and instruct people to reply to the original topic or simply merge the two together? For example, here‘s a question that was posted as a new topic, and here is a thread already discussing the same problem. I thought merging the two topics would work well, as it would keep all the information/questions together in one topic, but then would the member who posted the duplicate wonder where his topic went and not see that it was merged?
I’d close it…
Merging them would, as you say, perhaps confuse the member and he/she may wonder where their original topic has gone. I think by saying what I said in reply to the repeated question, like pointing the member to the original thread, and also encourage Forum Searching is fine.
It all depends upon the information. If the questions are basically EXACT duplicates, it is usually better to direct them to the other discussion and close that one. Sometimes people will post a subject RIGHT after they read some one with the same question…they want to be special or something 😛 But, in all seriousness, use your best judgement. There is a reason you are an Advisor, because you have the smarts to be on the staff…none of us (Team Leaders, Advisors or Mentors) are completely right 100% of the time, but the reason we are where we are is because we’re good…we’re DARN good! 🙂 It’s hard to be confidant your first few months…(and then I was always uncertain when trying a new thing like closing a topic for the first few times, editing for the first few times.) I just had to kick myself in the behind and think “I can do this and if it is not the right thing…Jeff will let me know and he can fix anything!” 😀
(Also, Martin, usually there is a redirect when topics are merged. 🙂 At least if my memory serves me correctly)
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