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Dragging Up Old, Old Threads


caderoux

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I disagree. I've occasionally dug up old threads, either as a followup to the discussion, or to provide more info to future searchers...

 

I've always been a big fan of "Don't open a new thread if there is already an existing thread."

 

Not that I'm worried about a feature such as this being implemented. Don't count on it. Embrace the fact that The Archives are a living document.

 

Jamie

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I don't think anyone has a problem with old threads being available. The information they contain has value. However, many, many old threads are simply no longer relevent for many reasons. Technology may have passed them by (how bought those four-year-old battery threads), advances in knowledge may have proved them wrong, and the posters may no longer support their old arguments.

 

All three problems are resolved by starting a new thread and citing the old ones if they are relevent.

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I don't think anyone has a problem with old threads being available. The information they contain has value. However, many, many old threads are simply no longer relevant for many reasons.

 

The possible relevance of a thread is depending on the reader and can not be determined by objective means.

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The thread cited in my OP was an example of the problem. It happens on a fairly regular basis here. Someone posts to a long-dormant thread, other people reply and then realize there is no need to rehash the thread. And then the thread gets locked by a mod or the OP (if they're still around).

 

As far as ignoring them, the recent activity causes the thread to pop up to the top, and there isn't any indication that the thread had actually been dormant for years.

 

There is an indication that it started long, long ago (if you read the date), but not that it is dormant.

 

I'm a fan of don't open an existing thread if there is already an active discussion. Just like you wouldn't round up the guests from a dinner party 2 years ago to reargue a point. Assuming you have something new to say, and everyone stopped talking about a topic months ago, make your new point and link to the old dormant thread.

 

If a thread stays active, I don't have a problem with that.

 

Having said all this, someone could just make a Greasemonkey which turns your textbox red if you are replying to a post where the past reply was more than X months ago. That way, you can do it if you want to, but you'll get some indication that the thread has been dead for sometime. It won't be able to stop the piling on later, and it will only help the script users.

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I don't think anyone has a problem with old threads being available. The information they contain has value. However, many, many old threads are simply no longer relevant for many reasons.

 

The possible relevance of a thread is depending on the reader and can not be determined by objective means.

But does it need to be posted to?

 

Should every thread about the slow website be closed and just have one master thread for gripes about the website and complaints which have long since been resolved?

 

Should every lame micro thread be dredged up and brought back to life?

 

Would this eliminate the need for markwells, since everything you could possibly want to know is further up the thread?

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I always enjoy it when fizzymagic's Geocaching Growth thread is "dredged up" and updated with new data. This is one example where having all of the old and new posts (with their graphs and charts) togther in a single thread is very helpful, rather than having to follow separate links to each one.

Excellent example! Another is the "Useless Hints" thread, which often lies dormant for long stretches until someone familiar with its history bumps it up after stumbling across a new useless hint.

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I don't think there needs to be a Patriot Act because a thread or two is raised from the dead every so often and tricks people into believing that it is a new topic. They should just read the dates more closely.

 

If it got out of hand it would be more worthwhile to do this.

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