Locking Topics during Reply

[D_Hailsham]

On several occassions I have replied to a post only to find that someone else has posted a similar reply or even a completely different one. Sometimes the replies can be very confusing to the OP, who is trying to make sense of a very dis-jointed conversation.

My suggestion, if it is workable, would be that, as soon as someone hits the Reply Button, the Topic would be locked to further Replies until the first reply has been posted. The Topic would still be readable and a message displayed saying that a Reply was being posted.

 

[RF Lighting]

But what then happens if someone starts posting a reply, and gets distracted by the doorbell ringing for example.

They return to their computer 2 hours later, and can't remember the question, during which time no one else was able to reply.

Also if someone goes to post a reply and get a 'topic busy' screen, they will not bother replying at all, when they may have had the best soloution all along.

 

[dave.m]

On some forum software, if you have hit the reply button but not yet posted a reply and someone else has posted one then you get a warning that 'Since you started to reply someone else has posted' this give you chance to read the other reply before posting yours.
Not sure if it happens on here because I have not experienced it.