Resurrecting REALLY old threads... Why??

[bUU]

I'd much prefer that person to start their OWN thread and start out with, "I'm new here and in need of advice. I've read through older threads and found some that sort of address my situation, but I have additional questions and/or my situation is slightly different -- can you help me?" That way we know from the get-go that they've at least tried to find the information they're seeking, and no one gets confused.

That's a lot to expect of someone new to online forums, but I agree that it would deflate the bloviation of posters that I referred to in my earlier post.

The other thing is that not all of these threads are being resurrected by people asking new questions. Some of them are just commenting on that thread's topic, or giving the OP advice.

Even there, though, you have to differentiate. We all agree that giving the OP advice years after the question was asked is silly. However, that assumes that every thread is one person posting a question about their own personal situation. There are other - truly "discussion" - threads that pop up - much less frequently here than on other forums, but there are still a few.

Furthermore, I think it is essential to leave open the ability to comment on an old thread labeling the comments within it as having been superseded by later changes. If we are going to expect new people to search the forum for their answers before asking themselves, then we shouldn't leave a lot of old information around, with no ability to keep it up-to-date.

Sorry if this makes me sound curmudgeonly, but at least I know I'm not alone in this!

I'm sure you're not. I think only that is important to focus on the entry-path into a forum - i.e., the new member's experience - more so than what's more convenient for the veteran, who by virtue of being a veteran is better suited to adaptation.

[Snodog]

I am wondering if some of these zombie threads being resurrected are the work of bots?

I also think this may be the case.

[neatdesign]

I could manually delete their posts when someone replies to an old thread. But there are a few issues with that.

It would be subjective. How old is old enough to warrant me deleting a post? And, if the info is still relevant, then should the age of the thread matter?

It would be a lot of work and a lot of constant monitoring. I'm not online all the time. Either is Steve or Jeffery.

I should clarify that I'm NOT suggesting that the moderators should delete any posts or lock any threads. I was just venting about what I consider a weird and somewhat inappropriate practice I've seen a lot of recently.

[disneysteve]

I should clarify that I'm NOT suggesting that the moderators should delete any posts or lock any threads. I was just venting about what I consider a weird and somewhat inappropriate practice I've seen a lot of recently.

This has been an issue for a long time. A new poster comes on, dredges up threads that are months or years old, and then usually disappears. I'll never really understand the point.

[gostumpy]

GOOGLE!!!


Google is the cuplrit!

I've searched something on google, found a thread, read the thread, went to reply, and only then did I realize the thread was from 2007!

Who really pays close attention to the date of a thread? Not many!

[disneysteve]

GOOGLE!!!


Google is the cuplrit!

I've searched something on google, found a thread, read the thread, went to reply, and only then did I realize the thread was from 2007!

Who really pays close attention to the date of a thread? Not many!

Ah-ha! That makes sense. Thank you for that. Of course, I've also seen where the same brand new poster replied to numerous old threads on varied topics so that probably doesn't explain all of it.

[elfen lied]

That was probably me. It causes all sorts of confusion because people assume that it's a new thread and go and find the first post or the last old post to respond to, when the OP has moved on. Many times, I see that the new post has a slightly different twist on the first problem anyway, and then the replies become completely confused between the old posts and the new.

I have seen this happen with threads from 5 or 6 YEARS ago, and forum members will again start trying to help the OP who has been long gone from CAF. It just gets confusing and the new poster doesn't get the help he/she needs but attention is paid to a problem that is no longer current.

Other forums encourage people NOT to make new threads, but this one is the opposite. Now, searching for archived threads MAY give you some helpful advice, but if not, start a new thread!