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First published by Anthony_Mann (Microsoft Contingent Staff)
When: 14 Jun 2010 9:20 PM
Last revision by Tomoaki Yoshizawa (eMV)
When: 10 Sep 2012 7:13 PM
Revisions: 11
Comments: 5

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Forum Moderation Guide: Managing Posts and Threads: Splitting Threads

This page is part of the Moderating Microsoft Forums series.

Splitting threads is the opposite of merging threads. While merging threads combines them, splitting threads breaks them apart. The biggest reason to split a thread is because the posts within it take a different direction than the original poster intended. Posts within a thread should discuss a specific topic or answer a specific question. When the conversation veers off course, it is time to split the thread.

Unlike merging threads which are done at the thread level, splitting threads is done at the post level. You determine specifically at which post in a thread the conversation needs to be split and the system will create a new thread beginning with that post and all posts below.

Note: If a thread is split at a post that is a direct reply to a post other than the original post, the entire threaded reply will be split. This is done to prevent splitting a thread at a point that would cause readers of the new thread to lose context of the discussion.

To illustrate this point, refer to Figure 1. If the thread is split at Reply 1, a new thread is created only with Reply 1 in it. On the other hand, if the thread is split at Reply 2, a new thread is created with Reply 2, Reply 3, and Reply 4, leaving only the Original Post and Reply 1 in the original thread.

Figure 1: Splitting Thread Example

Note: It is easier to view the hierarchy of the thread by setting your profile to use the Threaded List View. This change can be made in your profile settings.

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