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As to the issue of dredging up really old posts, there is a setting under the admin console to automatically lock threads after a specific period of inactivity. This does not prevent admins and mods from posting to threads such as the faq that usually have very long periods of inactivity (and are locked ot teh public anyway).
We discussed this a bit before. It has two drawbacks:
1. Someone must do something to make this happen(even if it's just setting a configuration option or installing a package to the vBulletin system), and it's not generally that much of a problem.
2. There are valid, publicly accessible threads, that are long-lived and meaningfull.
I think both of these are argument enough to not change the current system.
Waking old threads doesn't happen so often that it REALLY causes a problem.
--
Mats
This was brought up just recently. Old threads being resurrected is such a small problem that it isn't worth the small hassle that comes from locking them presumptively.
Not that I actually have a preference, either way would be fine with me as long as the period of inactivity was at least a month if not six.
IMO it doesn't happen enough to need it and there are a few possible cases where we wouldn't want to limit it. And it is pretty easy for mods to just close the thread.
I'm in agreement that the problem is not widespread enough to warrant any changes in how we currently handle it. If someone posts and the last post before it was 20 to 30 days ago then I usually close the thread.
Besides, sometimes those resurrections are legitimate.
No matter how legit they may be if they go beyond a specified time frame I will close them.Quote:
Besides, sometimes those resurrections are legitimate.
... or split the bump into a separate thread.
Yes you could do that but that also might get a bit annoying.
Why?
You always tell people to search for posts with similar problems... people assume if they are told to search for them, they can also reply to them.
It would be nice if the board would auto-close very old threads. That way they could still be searched and viewed but could not be posted to.
I don't see that it's wrong to post in an old thread if it's a legit reply.
That suggests that you would close the C/C++ Recommended Books thread because it was X years old and someone happened to be interested in a book and posted there.
As long as it is a legit reply, I don't see it wrong to bump an old thread at all.
There shouldn't be a rule that says close after X time.
It can be a disturbance if you bump a thread so old that the people who posted there are now gone.
The books thread is just a good list, and lists can be appended over time. That's the only reason the thread doesn't get closed. It's not a rationale for a complete rule change.
It's not just my decision.Quote:
As long as it is a legit reply, I don't see it wrong to bump an old thread at all.
My 20 to 30 days is more than what our forum guidelines call for. According to the guidelines I'm operating within the normal procedures for the board.Quote:
5. Don't 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).
I've seen in several forums that it shows a warning near the reply box in old posts. I think that would be the best solution.
Just a thought, though I know it would take a bit to implement.
How about the board automatically starts a new thread for a reply (quick reply or advanced) to a thread that is x days, weeks, whatever old. At the top of the thread it would put a link to the old thread and a blurb explaining that this new thread is a response to that old thread. The old thread would then be "left alone" and others coming into the new thread wouldn't see all the baggage of the old one unless they follow the link. Quoting a post from the old thread would work just like normal.
And to go one step further, a reply to an "old thread" could also do a search for recent threads that are also replies to that old thread (or perhaps the old thread could have a list of the new threads started as responses to it). If a reasonably recent thread is already replying to the "old thread", then this reply would be added to that thread instead.
And if there are other threads started in reply to that old thread, but they are all old themselves, then this reply would start a new thread which would put a list of links to all of the reply threads at the top.
I realize this isn't a big enough problem to warrant going through the trouble of updating the board software. It's just an idea I had and wanted to share. :)
This means that the poster should have created a new thread in the first place.Quote:
The old thread would then be "left alone" and others coming into the new thread wouldn't see all the baggage of the old one unless they follow the link. Quoting a post from the old thread would work just like normal.
Well, the best solutin woud lbe for the board to let peopel reply to old threads, but if the thread is more than X days old, it shoudl go up for moderator review prior to being posted. I'm not sure if vBulletin has this feature or not, ill have to check later tonight.
Yes, but it would automate a task for the moderators so they could focus on other things, and would serve as a reminder to not try and revive old threads. I'm sure the poster would be a bit confused as to why it started a new thread instead of replying to the old one, and a result of that is a higher likelihood of remembering not to do it again.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubba