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May I suggest a way to flag zombie threads.

  • 15-09-2025 06:36PM
    #1
    The Continental Op
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,889 ✭✭✭


    I've fallen for posting in a good few zombie threads in the past. Probably after some bot has found the thread and posted.

    Why not change the background colour of the page according to how old the last two posts were? If the either of the last two posts was more than say 3 months old the background colour could be changed to the pink used in boards notices.

    Wake me up when it's all over.



Comments

  • #2
    Flinty997
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,488 ✭✭✭✭Flinty997


    They should just close them automatically if they didn't want people posting in them.



  • #3
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,381 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    Three months is a bit drastic to use as a "zombie" marker. I've followed threads where some on-going problem or project would have an interval of longer than that, but the update is a valuable progress report. It's the threads with a ten-year gap being brought back to life by bots and other "new reg" posters that should be closed.

    Mind you, chances are every thread will be closed within three months so hardly worth asking Vanilla to banjax the site on us again for the sake of this one new feature.



  • #4
    The Continental Op
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,889 ✭✭✭The Continental Op


    I wonder if it could be added to someone's enhancement package?

    Wake me up when it's all over.



  • #5
    elperello
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 18,036 ✭✭✭✭elperello


    I agree that 3 months is a bit short but the idea itself is good.

    ATM unless someone reports a zombie thread being reopened the mods can't act.

    If some marker could be applied automatically people wouldn't get sucked in and reporting would happen more often.



  • #6
    Dial Hard
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 15,183 ✭✭✭✭Dial Hard


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123819759#Comment_123819759

    Even reporting them makes no difference in many cases. A lot of forums either don't have an active mod to respond to reports, or are so dead themselves that the mods are happy to see any posts at all, even ones on threads that are 15+ years old.



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  • #7
    elperello
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 18,036 ✭✭✭✭elperello


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123819854#Comment_123819854

    Yes it probably wouldn't help to trigger action in the case of unmodded forums.

    At the same time some sort of flagging be it a different colour or something else would at least alert posters.



  • #8
    Flinty997
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,488 ✭✭✭✭Flinty997


    We asked for all this years ago, post migration. Never happened..

    Utterly pointless now.



  • #9
    con747
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 10,359 ✭✭✭✭con747


    How would that work in dark mode? Probably not? Something needs doing though if the site survives. I hate going into a thread with a new post to find it's from 2005 or similar.

    Don't expect anything from life, just be grateful to be alive.

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  • #10
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,381 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    Proper forum software almost always includes a simple setting to automatically close/archive threads when the last post dates from [user-defined-interval].

    But apparently we're never going to get proper forum software, so it'll need a custom mod.



  • #11
    The Continental Op
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,889 ✭✭✭The Continental Op


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123820135#Comment_123820135

    I hate being an idiot for replying to a post from 2005 or similar.

    Wake me up when it's all over.



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  • #12
    con747
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 10,359 ✭✭✭✭con747


    Just got sucked into another zombie 1. 🙄 https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2057054025/cost-of-pallet-storage-in-cork

    Don't expect anything from life, just be grateful to be alive.

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  • #13
    reactadabtc
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 140 ✭✭reactadabtc


    Reddit automatically archives a thread after 6 months (although this is the default, subs can change the time period.) It's probably a good idea. Given the nature of threads here. maybe the rule should be 6 months after the last comment.



  • #14
    John_Rambo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,942 ✭✭✭✭John_Rambo


    I actually like when old threads get resurrected. They’re like little time capsules, you get to see what people thought back then, and it’s interesting to compare the reactions and the shift in attitudes over time. Some of my own posts in Motors and Pets would be completely at odds with how I feel now! And I reckon some of the more controversial threads I’ve been involved in recently will vindicate me (and a few other forward thinking posters) down the line.

    Personally, I don’t see it as a big problem.



  • #15
    10-10-20
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 9,516 ✭✭✭10-10-20


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123838093#Comment_123838093

    I'll join you in that. I think that in the situation can differ though for different topics - example being "news and current affairs" might decide to mark a thread as a zombie after 3 months as the context/news-cycle (or reactions and attitudes) have changed, but in DIY you can have a problem with a bathroom fitting which matches another problem from 2005 and it's sometimes good to have context and references in that respect. So opinions will differ as to whether that should be a global or a per-forum change.



  • #16
    con747
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 10,359 ✭✭✭✭con747


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123838093#Comment_123838093

    It's usually where bots, shills and post counters venture to go unnoticed but a lot of normal members get caught out by them as well.

    Don't expect anything from life, just be grateful to be alive.

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  • #17
    John_Rambo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,942 ✭✭✭✭John_Rambo


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123838138#Comment_123838138

    You're most likely 100% correct and I'm 100% the "normal member" that get's caught out and continues the thread.

    Do you mind explaining to my ignorant self why a bot would bother resurrecting an old thread?



  • #18
    con747
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 10,359 ✭✭✭✭con747


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123838146#Comment_123838146

    I have no idea! When I was reporting spam and shills and bots in the dedicated thread in feedback they were some of the most frequent places I would see them.

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