Old threads

[jeffcobb]

I have noticed two interesting things here:
1. There are some good but old threads and
2. When a new person to the forum responds to an older thread they are chastised.

I would submit that there is nothing wrong with replying to an old thread if you have something of value to add. Case in point: in the general section there is a thread on freeware dated back to 2004. As software availability is an ever-evolving resource, being able to add new and additional links to this discussion would seem to be a good thing.

Moderators? If not, why not?

Peace.

[VirtualAce]

2. Please follow the forum structure when posting. Post threads on the board best suited for the topic. Please do not cross post (i.e. post the same question on multiple boards). Do not bump threads. (Bumping: Posting messages on threads to move them up the list or to post on a thread that has been inactive for two weeks or longer).

Nothing says you cannot start a new thread along the same lines as the old thread, provided it is not in retaliation for a thread closure or some other immature reason. The reason we do not allow bumping of old threads is b/c it keeps the forums fresh and up to date. Often when people see 10 or more replies in a thread they will bypass it b/c it requires too much reading to get up to date. Plus you inevitably will have one person who will continue to bump their thread to keep it at the top even if no one is responding to it and this gets annoying fast.

[jeffcobb]

Nothing says you cannot start a new thread along the same lines as the old thread, provided it is not in retaliation for a thread closure or some other immature reason. The reason we do not allow bumping of old threads is b/c it keeps the forums fresh and up to date. Often when people see 10 or more replies in a thread they will bypass it b/c it requires too much reading to get up to date. Plus you inevitably will have one person who will continue to bump their thread to keep it at the top even if no one is responding to it and this gets annoying fast.

Bubba; Understood about the "bumping"...I have seen this before and had not considered it when I made this post...I just saw the very old thread on free software and as a FOSS person that kind of thing is near and dear to my heart and would like to add some fun links of my own (finding; all of the software I write is GPLed anyhow so thats kind of a non-starter). I did mistakenly reply to a thread that was about two weeks old and was called on that which kind of surprised me.

Look, I think this is a neat community and while I know I don't know everything I do feel I can add things here and more than that I KNOW I have stuff I can learn here. I have never been to college (though I did teach for a while back in the day) so all of my know-how is very task/domain specific and I have a lot to learn and hope to do it here.


Peace,
Jeff

[VirtualAce]

Well we do welcome you to the forums and I'm sure you will make a great addition to the community.

[DavidP]

Regarding freeware, the "lots of freeware" thread is specifically "stickied" on this forum for the exact purpose of keeping it at the top. All other freeware threads should happily progress down the road to oblivion

[Fordy]

I think the rule on old threads is right.

If I had a problem, ran a search, found a thread with a similar problem and didnt get what I needed to resolve my problem, then I wouldnt want to polute that resolution with my issue. I dont like searching different forums and finding problem upon problem piled onto one thread. It's such a pain to read through reams of unrelated issues to find the answer to your problem

Also, some people lile to reserect old threads with thier own solution: by then the people originally concerened with the thread are either long gone or uninterested, meaning that the new post gets no feedback as to whether it offered any extra help with the original problem.

Posting a new thread for a problem is my preference

[sean]

being able to add new and additional links to this discussion would seem to be a good thing.

All of your points are valid, and I believe have been dealt with above (i.e. the FOSS thread is stickied because we encourage additions and review of it), EXCEPT for one little assumption. I agree, bumping a thread might be acceptable if it added something useful to the conversation - but I don't think I've ever seen someone bump a thread and add something useful. 90% of the time all they say is, "help! I'm stuck and I have the same problem!"

Most of the retaliation you see is not because someone did something inherently rude or wrong, but because it's blatantly obvious that they never read the forum rules or tried to get any forum etiquette. I've also seen people get chastised for starting a thread when a thread for the same problem already existed, so I would suggest that the ideal solution is to search for old threads, and if you do have a SLIGHTLY different problem, you should start a new thread and cite the original: it's always nice to help people who have already done their homework for themselves.