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300Bucks

300Bucks

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Apr 19, 2005
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People of Buckland,

I was taken to task by a couple of folks for a statement I made that I try to keep someone from bringing back a multi page Thread from the past (at least more that a year) then all they would make is a comment of one line, such as ' I agree with these statements.' I was also noticing these were often associated with someone who had just joined BladeForums and their post may have actually been their first one. I commented to them how they should post comments or questions as a new post and link the old thread rather than bringing all the old posts forward.

So, I am asking for only a dozen or so votes/replies/comments - would you like me to stop saying that to new people and let really old threads that are brought forward come and go in normal posting flow. Or, keep commenting to new people to start new thread and use link to old multi page thread as reference. It's your forum.

300Bucks
 
Craig,

I agree with you on this one. Let the dead horse stay dead and start a new thread. If they choose to link the old dead horse so be it. Some folks don't notice it's an old thread and start adding to it. The archives are there for all of us to go and read and learn. However, lets not waste the forums bandwidth with old info.
jb4570
 
I don't see how it is a big deal . If you don't want to participate on the thread . Don't and if nobody does it will just go away as fast as it was resurrected. The bucklite thread never seems to go away but how old is that one?I checked over 3 yrs. I don't particularly like bucklites but I bypass the thread.
 
honestlyinsane said:
I don't see how it is a big deal . If you don't want to participate on the thread . Don't and if nobody does it will just go away as fast as it was resurrected. The bucklite thread never seems to go away but how old is that one?I checked over 3 yrs. I don't particularly like bucklites but I bypass the thread.
Click to expand...

The Bucklite thread is an on-going thread, it has not stopped and been dormant for years, it's been added to often and folks are actively participating in it each week. That is way different than an old thread that has been dormant for month's or years. This site is not free and the space in active use cost's money. An old thread that is activated again use's space, bandwidth, or what ever it's called and that cost's the forums money. I pay for a gold membership here each year to help offset the cost of running the Buck section of the forums. Maybe it would be a good thing to make some forum changes that you must be gold member or higher to activate a dormant thread!
.
I know Craig was asking our opinions and now he has two...so far.
jb4570
 
honestlyinsane said:
I don't see how it is a big deal . If you don't want to participate on the thread . Don't and if nobody does it will just go away as fast as it was resurrected. The bucklite thread never seems to go away but how old is that one?I checked over 3 yrs. I don't particularly like bucklites but I bypass the thread.
Click to expand...

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
Some good points JB. Generally speaking, it is considered bad form to resurrect a long dormant thread without adding something substantive and new to that discussion.
Something like : "I like your knife!": would not qualify.
Part of the problem with resurrecting old threads is that the original participants may well have moved on, and are not even able to respond. Forums can be quite a learning curve to newbies, as I myself had a lot to learn of the nuances of how these boards work.
It can be easy for even seasoned posters to get caught off guard by an old thread surfacing, and post right into it without realizing it.

300, you have been doing a great job, from what I have seen, to keep things on an even keel. You seem to have a nice way of delivering a firm, yet friendly reminder of the proper ways of things...
 
Keep doing what you are doing 300Bucks. Some folks have never been exposed or oriented to a forum setting.
I especially enjoy resurrections on "Sale" threads..."why yes, that knife from 4 years ago is still available;)"
Plus, re-reading old posts with deleted photos, to get to the new post, is a drag.
 
I'm with you, 300. For a long dormant thread if there is something new, start a new thread and maybe reference the old thread. I think you are doing well for a moderator who is relatively new to the game. If people are really interested in a subject, they can use the search function.
 
hum good question ther 300
a qualified form user would start new thread and link the old one
but
newbies may not know how ... ( ugh.. I don't ~)
times I read a thread and like have to brush the dust off the lap top
but ... long as they post some thing new or ask new questions
I really don't mind... band with ... yea whish I had some ... lol
 
Why is it sooo difficult for a person to start a new discussion? Why even search and find the old one, just come on out with a new discussion (IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING NEW TO SAY ABOUT IT). We'll jump right in and help you out. Some of the same subjects are constantly brought up here but that's computer chat rooms. I've seen other Mods lock threads for the same reason. Heck, I've seen other Mods do worse!
So, this is really a very small item. DM
 
I am also with you. Most threads that are old are missing because the links are no good. I can see a reference to an old thread in a new thread.
 
Your comments at this end of the year consideration have been helpful. You know some folks get on BF and just read and never post, I know several knife experts that do that. So when someone posts for the first time they may have been around a spell. I didn't think about all the dead photos in the really old threads , that is one reason I use PhotoBucket and never try to fowl up my old postings. By your comments the feeling I get is to be as liberal as possible to new posters. For folks with one or two posts I may contact them with a PM to make sure they consider not making it a constant habit to drag up threads several years old unless there is a important point to make. I will still have to comment to first timers if they start talking money or transactions. Most moderators will issue a official warning right off the bat, but they seem to moderate threads that have fewer gentlemen and women than the Buck world attracts. The upmost goal is make sure no Buck interested person is scared off. I will commend several members to the Buck forum for their kind acts in policing the posts that are against BF rules. I will say to sign off, lots of you could do this job, because your classy participation in the Buck Forum makes it easy for me and the Idaho boys.......300Bucks
 
PostScript:

Every once in a while a real zealot googles up an image of their cutlery dream and with exhaustive effort tracks it to a forum. Perhaps this Buck forum. Like a desert survivor seeking water give them a drink, I am watching Lawrence Of Arabia just now, and let them rip their tale. Even if it offends.

Like the kind religious words included with every Buck knife let them find their goal and not punishment at the finish line.

My hat, if I wore one, is off to you. However, I am pretty sure that the sight of my balding head is less of a reward that you deserve for making this place warm and friendly. WTG.
 
The old threads is what get people into this PUBLIC forum. Non members google something up on knives and a bladeforum thread pops up. Then the non member will join to comment because this thread caught their interest (seeing that they looked it up). Either way if I don't like a thread, there is usually some threads below it that I can click on instead.
 
extrastout said:
The old threads is what get people into this PUBLIC forum. Non members google something up on knives and a bladeforum thread pops up. Then the non member will join to comment because this thread caught their interest (seeing that they looked it up). Either way if I don't like a thread, there is usually some threads below it that I can click on instead.
Click to expand...

Extrastout makes a good point here. I think that is how I first joined BF. Maybe if it is their first post, let them know they are welcome here, but starting a new thread is preferable to resurrecting a zombie thread.

Being in a position of authority is not easy. Most people don't think of the other side of the coin. Judgement calls constantly need to be made, and we're only human. I think you've done a bang-up job as a moderator.
 
It really is a double edged sword...

So many times, new people will start a thread asking a question that has been covered countless ways before, and they are told to Search because it has been covered before.
Then, if they do actually search, and pull up an old thread that pertained to the question they wanted to ask, they get jumped for digging up an old thread...

There is no way for them to win, or make everyone happy LOL.

One thing about digging up a two year old thread that has died is, many of the people that originally participated, are no longer active members, or have moved on to other topics. I guess it doesn't hurt anything, and maybe bringing in new input will revive a topic.... I know when I first joined here, I had lots of questions, and was eager to learn and participate. What I didn't take into consideration was, members who had already been here for a few years, had already grown tired of some topics.
 
I don't think it's an issue that should involve a Moderator, I've been around here for years and have seen threads that pop back up after several years and get a few responses, but it doesn't bother me. I usually realize its an old thread and either re-engage or pass it up. New potential members may find something interesting, such as a prefactory Buck knife and want to comment but don't have the information, knowledge, or desire to start another full thread. I personally don't care for threads that just have one specific comment and don't spark conversation. If we limit what people say and do the "Rules" get to be a drag and push people away. Just My 2 Cents...
 
I don't see anything wrong with bringing old threads back to life so to speak. A thread is a conversation and age has nothing to do with the subject matter at hand. The subject is is the core of the conversation, how old it is doesn't matter, the fact that it draws interest does matter. It is also interesting to see old threads evolve with new members and input.
 
One thing to consider is that when a long dormant thread gets dredged up with someone's first post, it's usually from a Google search. They find a thread addressing a specific question that they had, for whatever reason they feel it's important enough to make an account and comment. I would say that the majority of members here stumbled upon BF in a similar fashion, and since the product cycle of a lot of knives isn't like cars, there are many dormant threads that are still applicable 8 years after the fact.

I don't think the forum as a whole addresses this phenomena directly enough - and it's probably not a good idea for anyone to alienate a new visitor for doing it (not saying that's what happens, I know 300Bucks is one of the more liberal mods, and very personable). Yeah, bandwidth does cost money, but generating new traffic is one primary goal of a website, and new traffic is generally worth more than the recurring traffic on forums when everything is considered (of course BF has a unique monetization scheme, so who knows). With a knife forum, you're really looking at a body of material that is timeless to the Internet (the people searching for information on Buck's heat treat is consistent, whereas the people searching for 2014 Mustangs or Jay-Z's baby will decline after this year), even though it's outdated to members here. Someone searching Google may not even realize a thread is 6 years old. The algorithms in VBulletin work well to return old threads to dormant in a few days if members just ignore the activity after they identify a resurrected thread, and usually you won't see a new member go off and resurrect a dozen threads - maybe 1 or 2. From what I've seen it takes more energy and causes more butthurt when everyone jumps in with a joke about threads older than Methuselah and mods give out a stern advice about it to someone that doesn't even know they did such a thing (and may never even return to see the posts anyway) than it would if none of that happened, 4-10 people post their one line opinion and the thread fades back into obscurity. Of course it always opens up the opportunity that someone adds something really poignant or awesome as well.
 
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