Old threads

Mr. Presentable

OK, not a challenge to anyone or a fight the power Q, but, when is a thread an "old thread" not to be posted to?

mike65

This is something I'd like to know the answer to as well. While dragging up something which is has been superceeded by events is pointless some old threads are still pertinent months or even years later. Indeed their very age could be the most important aspect of the "bump".

DubMedic

I'd guess that it's threads that just did not have any potential to be a lengthy thread in the first place.. like asking for directions to somewhere.

If it was a thread that was in any way lengthy and interesting I would consider bringing it back with a bump.

.

Silverfish

I presume this is in reference to your post in PI, in that case the thread was from May '09.

I think in the case of PI threads, that's too old to be brought back up again, and really at that stage it would only be okay for the OP of the thread to revive it if they wished.

Mr. Presentable

It's a general question, yes inspired as you observe, but where is the cutoff? If a thread is too old, and therefore dead, perhaps it ought to be closed.

Silverfish

nipplenuts wrote: »

It's a general question, yes inspired as you observe, but where is the cutoff? If a thread is too old, and therefore dead, perhaps it ought to be closed.

What if the OP wants to reply to it though?

Mr. Presentable

I'm confused

Are you saying there's a cutoff point, but not for the OP?

For example, one of the Admins (I don't recall who) had a thread re safe surfing, from 2003, to which I responded recently.

Today, as you know, I responded to a thread from 2009.

Is there a line, generally, after which one shouldn't post to a thread?

Is it six months, or six years, or other?

Silverfish, I am not trying to be awkward here, but, in the case cited, for example, how can the OP respond now the thread is closed? Where is the line?

Silverfish

nipplenuts wrote: »

I'm confused

Are you saying there's a cutoff point, but not for the OP?

For example, one of the Admins (I don't recall who) had a thread re safe surfing, from 2003, to which I responded recently.

Today, as you know, I responded to a thread from 2009.

Is there a line, generally, after which one shouldn't post to a thread?

Is it six months, or six years, or other?

Silverfish, I am not trying to be awkward here, but, in the case cited, for example, how can the OP respond now the thread is closed? Where is the line?

I don't know, I just fail to see how the info posted would be of any help to a PI poster a year after their original post, unless they bumped their thread themselves requesting the information.
Is it not possible just for people to check the dates on a thread?

Why search for an old thread just to bump it?

I understand maybe in discussion forums, but PI is not a discussion forum, it's a forum for advice.

Otherwise you're asking us to go back through nearly 10 years of threads and lock them all just because people don't check dates.

Jay P

This is something that's perplexed me too. I don't see it as a problem in most cases, unless the thread is a piece of history, like the very first posts here.

I agree with PI having a relatively defined line with regards zombie threads, but in other forums, I don't see the problem. Generally, I'd rather drag up an old topic rather than start a new thread on the exact same thing.

My name is URL

Jay P wrote: »

This is something that's perplexed me too. I don't see it as a problem in most cases, unless the thread is a piece of history, like the very first posts here.

I agree with PI having a relatively defined line with regards zombie threads, but in other forums, I don't see the problem. Generally, I'd rather drag up an old topic rather than start a new thread on the exact same thing.

I think starting a new thread is a better idea in most cases. There'll be a different group of people discussing whatever it is, and the flow won't necessarily follow what has been posted previously

It's like altering an old photograph to add new people instead of just taking another picture

Jay P

My name is URL wrote: »

I think starting a new thread is a better idea in most cases. There'll be a different group of people discussing whatever it is, and the flow won't necessarily follow what has been posted previously

It's like altering an old photograph to add new people instead of just taking another picture

That's a good point. But a few times I've posted a topic, and seen other topics posted, they've just been referred back to the old thread. Then the flip side of that is that is that I've seen zombie threads being locked for being old, even if there was a proper discussion taking place.

Magenta

It drives me mad when people pull old threads out of the stone age.

2007- "hello my puppy is sick, should i bring him to the vet?"

2010- "yes you should get him there ASAP".

The puppy by now is either a 3 year old adult dog, or he didn't recover from whatever he had.

2005- "hello i've just moved to x town, whats the quickest way to y town?"

2010- "take road a and then the right to road b"

The OP has now been living there 5 years I'm sure he's figured it out by now.

I mean come on!

dr.bollocko

I will laugh so heartily when I bump this thread in three years.

star-pants

Magenta wrote: »

It drives me mad when people pull old threads out of the stone age.

2007- "hello my puppy is sick, should i bring him to the vet?"

2010- "yes you should get him there ASAP".

The puppy by now is either a 3 year old adult dog, or he didn't recover from whatever he had.

^^ This is mostly the reason I hate threads being brought up from ages ago in Animal/Pets. Most of the threads are looking for opinions/help/advice and posting months/years later (when they've already gotten their answer ON thread and if they haven't they've probably gotten it somewhere by now) you then get subsequent posters thinking it's a new thread and responding accordingly. You have to go in and explain and lock it. Or delete a post and send it back to where it came from.

Or you get a thread asking about where's the best place to buy X pigs, and then a year later someone else goes 'ooh I'm looking for pigs too OP can you help?' and you can tell by looking at the thread that the OP is long gone (you'd recognise regulars).

It usually just causes more confusion than anything else. When other posters see the thread they might think it's new.
IF the thread is a few months old, and the new post adds to the thread, whether info or insight, I might leave it, as it could be helpful.
But more often than not, dragging up old threads usually gets them locked. What I tend to do sometimes, is make the new post into a new thread, so they still get to ask their question or whatever, but that it's fresh.

When is a thread 'old'? It's depends on the forum and the thread itself and of course the new post in it.

tbh

each thread is a different case. Sometimes it's appropriate, sometimes not. because of that, I'd never give out a punishment for bumping an old thread - if I can't tell the poster what the rules are, I can hardly punish them for breaking them.

Magenta

star-pants wrote: »

^^ This is mostly the reason I hate threads being brought up from ages ago in Animal/Pets. Most of the threads are looking for opinions/help/advice and posting months/years later (when they've already gotten their answer ON thread and if they haven't they've probably gotten it somewhere by now) you then get subsequent posters thinking it's a new thread and responding accordingly. You have to go in and explain and lock it. Or delete a post and send it back to where it came from.

My favourite is when the thread-digger replies to argue with a point that was made 4 years ago, and whoever made that point in the first place is either long gone from the forum or probably doesn't even remember saying it.

I remember one day I went on the forum and all I could see were threads about guinea pigs. Yeah they're a nice pet but when did their threads start outnumbering cats and dogs? When I read the threads I realised that someone who likes guinea pigs had registered, done a search on them which pulled up loads of old threads on them, and replied to them all!

star-pants

Magenta wrote: »

I remember one day I went on the forum and all I could see were threads about guinea pigs. Yeah they're a nice pet but when did their threads start outnumbering cats and dogs? When I read the threads I realised that someone who likes guinea pigs had registered, done a search on them which pulled up loads of old threads on them, and replied to them all!

Yup this happens too. They do a search and find lots of threads about their specific concern and reply to them all. If it's the exact same post, I'll remove some of them and/or drop them a pm.
to be fair posting 'omg they're sooo cute, yeah I have one of them too, little divils always playing tricks' to a thread from yonks ago, it's going to get removed, it's serving no purpose. If they want to start a thread about their pet that's fine but trying to spark up conversations with posters who are long gone does nothing but confuse people.

Mr. Presentable

tbh wrote: »

each thread is a different case. Sometimes it's appropriate, sometimes not. because of that, I'd never give out a punishment for bumping an old thread - if I can't tell the poster what the rules are, I can hardly punish them for breaking them.

In the case cited, I came onto the thread via a link on another, current one. Had I noted the date of the thread I'd have refrained from posting, but I seldom check the date of a thread - it's just not something that occurs to me to do.

Magenta

star-pants wrote: »

Yup this happens too. They do a search and find lots of threads about their specific concern and reply to them all. If it's the exact same post, I'll remove some of them and/or drop them a pm.
to be fair posting 'omg they're sooo cute, yeah I have one of them too, little divils always playing tricks' to a thread from yonks ago, it's going to get removed, it's serving no purpose. If they want to start a thread about their pet that's fine but trying to spark up conversations with posters who are long gone does nothing but confuse people.

Sometimes they don't even read the thread they're replying to.
Someone could have asked 2 years ago "I'm interested in animal X does anyone know anything about them". There could be 20 replies full of information and 2 years later the thread is dug up with "hey i was thinkin of gettin animal X does anyone have any info on them?" etc etc.
Bah! I think I just spend too much time in that forum! lol

tbh

nipplenuts wrote: »

In the case cited, I came onto the thread via a link on another, current one. Had I noted the date of the thread I'd have refrained from posting, but I seldom check the date of a thread - it's just not something that occurs to me to do.

which is why I'd never punish you for it It doesn't occur to me either.

Silverfish

tbh wrote: »

which is why I'd never punish you for it It doesn't occur to me either.

There was no punishment given. The PI thread just got locked. Nobody was infracted or banned.

tbh

Silverfish wrote: »

There was no punishment given. The PI thread just got locked. Nobody was infracted or banned.

aye - sorry, I assumed that was the case alright. I was just making the point that, while it can be annoying, it's nothing personal.