it would BE/SEEM beautiful, but i'm sorry to disappoint you that it doesn't WORK like this, and for sure wdn't LOOK beautifully
mods cannot switch posts by places - this forum is build on VB platform, and moderation tools are not so mighty to do that.
if they merge several threads into one - the posts will any case go in time order only: no matter which old thread they belong to, they will all be shown in new thread in order of appearance relatively to posts created all over s8 forums.
they can _create_ empty post from other member' name at any place of thread, and then that member can edit this post.
but i'm not sure if they can create this post at the place of post #1 of the thread started by other member than target one.
if even they had such a tech possibility, i'm sure they cannot and in no case HAVE to do that, because... i have no idea how it looks from the point of forum rules, but from pure human rules it wd look like discrimination of user started the thread, no matter what he meant to do next.
and for sure they DO NOT HAVE to guess wd that user update the topic or not, or wd it be appropriate to pass the rights for updating to other user (by creating post under his name) - who knows if this user can do what he always did before, for whatever reasons.
they are actually same players as we are, and even if from our side it looks like they have exclusive rights that we do not have - it is not true, and i'll tell you more - they have much less rights in some means.
filtering of what we are saying is our own choice. if we say smth wrong / unacceptable - they will moderate it.
but they - do not have the right to say smth "unfiltered" in the forums. they must weigh any word they're gonna write here.
i'm saying it because i know exactly how it feels & works. i was a mod during several years (not here, no. couple of other resources). and this is very hard (mentally) and unappreciated job overall (not even job, coz you don't get wages. just work - that you accept to do because you love the resource / the game / etc... and because someone HAS TO).
just remember how many times they said "thank you for starting this goal thread and for keeping it up to date" - and how many times it didn't get any effect from "starter"'s side, and they had to update it themselves, - then you will undertsand what i mean.
in case you love to read, i would be proud to recommend you a novel of authors who had been prohibited in ussr : "hard to be a god" by arkady and boris strugatsky. even despite it was written in 1964 (when there was no internet), you'll cardinally change your internet communities & authorities view after reading this thing.
oh well! let's get back to our elephant in the room!
i think we just have to work out together some system.
otherwise we will keep making same mistakes and getting same results.
i understand my own feeling and of those who shares it - regarding goals "post #1" i mean (no wonder, eh? - it's my own!).
but seriously, we offended new member. and this is not about "delicate feelings". he/she was just new. and didn't know. and was just happy to find such a community about the game he/she plays. and now just imagin what he/she got from us.
and i'm still sorry about it - coz it was me who started it (again).
truly: "sometimes it's better to chew than to talk" (c) stimorol.
i'm trying to "chew" during last year. somehow i've broken this rule now. but i'm gonna back to it one day.
however, it is not the decsion of our topic.
i offer to keep watching on "schedule" during next couple of months, and to reserve the threads respectively (if mods will allow us to do that).
at least, let's make this experiment and see will it work or not.
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dear mods, please do not consider this post as "discussion of your or someone else's actions".
we are talking about _common_ things, not _exact_ ones.
i hope we will find some solution of the prob we created ourselves...
once again, thank you for your hard work!