Random Whine about Posts being marked as Solved

[Cat]

I read the forums regularly - sometimes it's because I'm reporting an issue, sometimes because I'm looking for advice, sometimes to keep up with current changes & features, but mostly I do it because I enjoy reading about the experiences of my fellow Zazzlers. I'll often follow a thread (well, usually I just lurk) that doesn't really concern me at all just because I'm curious about how other "blind men" experience the Zazzle "elephant" (if that metaphor works) and also in the hopes that I might pick up a random bit of information that could come in handy at some point.

Recently I've noticed a tendency for posts to get marked as "solved" relatively quickly - like as soon as one marginally helpful response has been posted. I may be missing something here - like maybe there's some reason that it's important to mark things as solved - but in general, I find myself frustrated by this practice because once a post is marked as solved it tends to cut off further discussion when I think there are other points of view/experiences that might be useful to all of us. 

Of course there are times when it's perfectly appropriate to mark things as solved - like when there's a very specific technical problem or something - but often it seems like there's a rush to mark a very general question as "answered" and it's disappointing to me because I feel like I'm missing out on discussions and points of view that might be helpful or interesting.

Anyhow, I just wanted to put this out there to see what y'all think. maybe I'm the only weirdo who likes to fill her data banks with random bits of information, but I just wanted to express my general preference for discussion and participation over "resolution."

[KeegansCreation]

I have accidentally hit "solved" when I meant to hit "reply" and there's no undo for that. Probably others have too. 😣   The elephant metaphor absolutely works.

[Cat]

That makes total sense - it would be really easy to do. It's a shame that we can't undo that.

[idraw]

I posted this on 2/23/23—
<https://community.zazzle.com/t5/general-zazzle-discussion/how-to-correct-when-solution-checked-by-mi...>

[Scott]

There should be a way to do this. If you accidentally hit the Accept as Solution button then go to the down arrow in the top right corner of the post and select "Not the Solution" from the menu.

[PacifierCity]

I just added to a conversation that had been marked solved.  I to like to read most posts in the forum too.  There are so many little tidbits to be gained from our fellow Zazzlers that often appear in a single sentence in a thread.  And it is often not picked up on by many.  I would encourage folks to open and add to "solved" posts as people do still open and read them and sometimes they add more to the topic too.

PC

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[Barbara]

I can't remember which of the forums this happens in, though I suspect it's in Ask a Question, but when you try to click Reply, it turns into Solution. If a person doesn't notice this, they're likely to falsely mark it as the solution. Back a while ago, one person apologized for having done this. Wherever this situation occurs, and if it's possible, the Solution and Reply buttons shouldn't occupy the same real estate.

EDIT: I checked it out, and it seems that in the Question forum, only the OP can mark a post as the solution. I tested this by looking at some of the threads and then at one I started. Only the one I started had the Solution button, which I've almost clicked a number of times by mistake.

It's also in the pro forum, and again, available only to the OP.

Colorwash's Home

[Cat]

I've noticed that too! You click on reply and suddenly your mouse is over the Solution button. Hmmm... I'm guessing that's a function of the forum software and not something under Zazzle's control. As Scott mentioned below, you can undo it - which I didn't know.

My point is more that I'm getting the impression that some OPs are feeling some urgency to mark things as solved, and I don't really understand why. Maybe it's just a function of having the option to do it in this new forum? Anyhow, I guess I just wanted to encourage folks to chime in with their experiences even if it isn't necessarily a "solution" because I think it's beneficial to all of us.

[Barbara]

I figured that's what you meant, and then... I went wandering off into the weeds. 🙂

That being said, it never dawned on me that only the OP could claim a solution. It makes sense, of course.

Colorwash's Home

[PacifierCity]

When I start a post in most forums I get an email hour later or the next day... maybe two days out at the most asking me if my post has been solved... I forget the wording...  but the email is basically encouraging you to go and select a solution.

PC

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[Cat]

Now that's interesting. I don't recall ever getting an email like that from the Zazzle forum - but I have most email notifications turned off. Hmm...

[Barbara]

I've had solutions from members and have thanked them, not clicking the solution button. I figure they'll see the acknowledgment, and it seems they always do.

Colorwash's Home

[Windy]

You are right about this Cat. I do not know why people will read an answer to their question, and find half the relevant info in one answer and then mark that half answer as the solution.  The only thing that makes me more irritated is the "drive by" questions.....SO many people dip into the forums, ask a question, and then twelve people will respond with supremely detailed and thoughtful answers. The Drive By poster will never once submit ANY acknowledgment! It's almost as the Drive By poster hops along to do something else for the next few months and never bothers to check in to see the answers. 

It got so bad for awhile that my standard answer to certain people was "what have you tried so far?" 

[Cat]

Bwahahaha! "Drive by" questions... I can't stop chuckling. I sometimes think that people get worked up into a frenzy of frustration over some problem they can't figure out and just sorta explode all over the forum (or any place else they can think of) to rant about it. Then once they calm down the answer comes to them and they forget all about their random "help me" posts! I like your "what have you tried so far?" approach - it's right up there with "are you sure it's plugged in?" 😄