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Hey Mods...what's wrong with old threads?

Discussion in 'Empty Closets Help and Feedback' started by biAnnika, Sep 16, 2014.

  1. biAnnika

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    I'm just curious...but have been curious for some time about this.

    Brad the Cat (presumably) just closed the thread on whether homosexuality is a sin, saying the thread is 5 years old and imploring us to look at the thread's age before posting.

    I'm generally not one to dig up an old topic...but sometimes others do and suddenly a thread I've forgotten about or sometimes never seen bounces to the top. I certainly note the little warning at the top of the page...it's hard to miss. But if the topic is interesting, I feel no compunction against posting on it...especially if there are interesting recent posts on it that I might want to agree/disagree with, comment on or otherwise respond to.

    But the little warning at the top of the page, along with the Mods' apparent attitude make me wonder whether I *should* feel some compunction against posting on an old thread.

    Can the Powers and/or the Wise please enlighten us as to why old threads are bad to post on? Isn't a thread a thread? An idea an idea? A question a question? Or should ideas and questions have expiration dates? Is it really preferable to start a new thread with the same (old) question, rather than using an existing one that's more than 3 months old? If so, isn't there a way to *automatically* close a thread after 3 months, so we'll not be led into temptation (or simply post out of ignorance of our sin)?

    All thoughts are welcome...for the next 3 months.
     
  2. Nick07

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    I feel the same. There really is a possibility to automatically lock old threads, but I see no reason to do that.
    I understand that some questions are not to be answered several years later (like Should I break up with my bf/gf?). But the one you mentioned?
     
  3. LD579

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    This might just be an attitude of internet forums in general, actually (The discouragement of 'necroposting'). Certainly if it's something general or like in the Fun and Games section, it's not an automatic lock. It's not something we look down upon and dislike, and apologies if that is the impression you got.

    One argument is that those threads had their 'time' to shine in the spotlight. Besides resurrecting old disagreements or sentiments, they also can detract from more recent threads that we like to keep near the 'top' of the forum. There are arguments for sometimes locking and then never locking old threads, of course.
     
  4. Chip

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    It cuts both ways. We've had about 12000000000 "how often do you masturbate" threads where no one bothers to go find the other threads with 200 responses each. And various other threads ("Have you seen Prayers for Bobby?" and "What percentage of EC people are left-handed" are two I've seen a dozen times each) where finding the old thread might actually make more sense.

    But most of the older threads... it would make more sense to start a new one and giv the topic a fresh start. One of the reasons is that most people read threads chronologically, and may start reading something 5 years old (a 9 year old thread came up recently) and responding to a poster that's long left the community.

    So it's a nuanced issue, which is why we have not auto-closed all threads older than 6 months or a year as many boards do. But in general, in most cases, we encourage starting new threads.
     
  5. biAnnika

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    Thanks guys...good to hear your thoughts on it!
     
  6. Martin

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    Just to add on to what Chip says, another reason I personally prefer new threads over old threads is because it allows for much more free-flowing communication. In the past, I've seen people bump a thread, and other people fail to realise that it has been bumped and will reply to particular posts within a discussion, despite the poster having been gone from EC for x amount of months/years etc. It seems counter-productive to have people spend time and effort potentially making valid and lengthy points within a discussion just to have it unread by the person it's directed at because so much time has passed. Additionally, if somebody was to reply to one of your posts discussing and challenging your opinion, you'd probably want to read it and have the right to reply, which is highly unlikely to happen after such big blocks of time. In many cases, the communicative dynamics are just all over the place, and everything just flows much more harmoniously when the discussion, people and context are all in the 'here and now'. :slight_smile:
     
  7. BryanM

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    As a general rule, thread necromancy is usually looked down upon by society, as well as regular necromancy. :slight_smile:
     
  8. Nick07

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    A lot of things (and people) is usually looked down upon. That doesn't make them bad. There are good old threads that don't need to be forgotten (or not discovered by new members)
     
  9. BryanM

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    You do have a point. There are some threads that are very informative that just happen to be old. However, there are some threads that have frankly had better days. If you feel like referencing an OLD old thread and feel like it's relevant enough you could post a new thread and link or quote the old thread in it, and also get some new responses instead of it getting locked for necromancy. :slight_smile:
     
  10. Fallingdown7

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    I can understand it to some extent, if someone asks a relationship question and they left EC years ago....it makes no sense to respond now. General questions, although I can understand why they would be locked, I don't think they should be. There are threads from April that could be considered old, but how many people would ask the same question months later? It can get a little repetitive, if there's a million different threads on one subject, but you want to revive the subject at the same time to see what people's views are.
     
  11. Blossom85

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    I don't mind not revisiting older threads and making new comments on them, however sometimes I feel newer members who search through and just reply might feel a little like they have done a bad thing by opening up a old thread.. I think there might be a more sensitive way to inform someone that a thread isn't really relevant.. I know when I replied on an old thread (That someone else has already replied to before me and I just saw it was closer up To the newer threads) that was only in about April, I kind of felt like I had my hand slapped like a little kid for doing something I was not supposed to and something I should have automatically known I should not have done. Other forums I have been on, they actively encourage you to search for older threads if you are in a similar situation so you don't need to start a whole new thread again, so someone who is familiar with one way of thinking will take some time and adjustment to the way the new forum they are on works.

    With older posts from members who may not be on EC anymore.. The new member who is just searching around looking and exploring the site is most likely not going to know the member has left a long time ago.. I know certain threads like break up ones etc, the member should be reading through them all and then using their better judgement to reply or not, but other threads, the new member might just want to add their own experience, maybe they might feel intimidated to make a whole new thread relating to themselves so instead they just reply on something that is similar to their own situation.
     
  12. Nick07

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    Blossoms85, that's a very good point. I don't think it has happened to me (yet), but I know that I feel the same when it happens to someone else. There is often the "check the date" advice. Well, what if I have and still thought that it would be interesting to bring it to life again? But you can't explain that because the thread is now locked.
     
  13. Gen

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    General topic threads are often allowed to continue on unless the time difference is noticeably great (2+ years). Additionally, there is a difference between general topic threads and provoking discussions. When more discussion based threads, possibly controversial topics, are revived it can make things very counterproductive, because most thread revivals are caused by member who merely want to respond to the original post, rather than reading through pages of discussion. For instance, Member X doesn't understand the concept of biphobia, so they make a thread asking the community about it. A five page discussion is carried out on the subject and, while they may have been some disputes, everyone is relatively on the same page by the end. Then, ten months later, a member that wasn't around during that discussion jumps in and claims that biphobia doesn't exist without adding anything of substance to the discussion.

    So a "Do you shave your legs?" thread is often free to receive additions for years and years. But the reviving of threads on social issues, race, sexism, gender issues, etc, are often much less productive than simply starting a new thread that people will feel more inclined to actually read through.