Resurrected Old Threads

I would like registration to force new members to click each sticky at least once before being allowed to post. An etiquette sticky will only help if we can get someone to read the things ;)
 
Yeah, "necroposting" is a bit of an annoyance. People shouldn't do it unless the have something really important to add.
 
The thing to bear in mind is that some people use message boards as a sort of repository for information. You may not think it makes any sense to reply to an old thread adding new information (because the original poster is no longer around). But the fact is someone could very well have the same problem in the future, and adding new information to the old thread helps make it complete for the next persion viewing it. Maybe that's why they searched for the thread in the first place... they were having the same problem, then had to figure it out because the thread was incomplete.

In a sense, we need to separate ourselves from the notion of time locality on the information we post. You just never know when someone will read the message, or need the information that is missing from the old threads.

- Greg
 
bladsmth said:
Just out of curiosity, how have you folks who are resurrecting old threads been finding them. Are you doing a search and find an interesting thread,then replying to it not realizing that it is months to years old?
Stacy
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I think that is it.

with search down, we tell everyone to use the google site search and then so they do...

If Spark reopens search to the free members (with advertising) I think it would go a long way towards reducing the frequency of the stupid simples.


and it is true, most of the best info is in the old posts...most of the smart people have died off.

it drives me nuts to find exactly what I was looking for, but the poster used ebay or broken phototime links to point to pics or products that are long gone.
 
:D Nathan, I guess you just defined irony for us quite well;)

There is a valid point for the need for good information not having a expiration date, and just resuming a conversation where it left off, but it also doesn't take but a second or two to start a whole new thread that is fresh and current.

I also think it would be simple common courtesy for the poster to read the entire thread and see if the answers are there without resurrection- but more importantly see if the thread was a friendly one that people would welcome seeing again! There are some threads that most of us are happy to give a decent burial as we enjoy the peace of watching it finally sink off the front page. To necropost in that situation is inconsiderate, and if a person where to do it simply because they read it, got irritated, and want their pound of flesh I think would be nothing short of trollish.

I personally think that threads dealing with quenchant choices, scrap steel, controversial techniques and several other contentious topics are best read on the 50th page, instead of bringing them back to the top so a whole new group of people can go at each others throats. It is never a good idea to dig up a rotting corpse that was properly laid to rest, once dragged back to the surface it just stinks the area up, reminding us all why it was buried, and brings much grief to those who attended the original funeral.
 
Not that I drag up old threads to post at on purpose but we got all new computers at work, so my cookies from the login page are gone. The government computer firewall has blocked the login page so I have no choice but to go in as a guest. So, I have a bunch of time on my hands so I go back to like.... page 900 (literally) and just start browsing and reading on a regular basis. One night I browsed from page 900 to like page 400.
 
Nathan, You are a patient man.

If I would have thought to post to this thread after it died, I might have lasted a couple of months before I snapped and drug it back up. But you took it to a whole new level of waiting.

You did good
 
John T Wylie Jr said:
The first thing people tell a newbie is to search , if they search and find something that they would like clarified or have further questions about , I find it a great service to resurrect old threads. Many of those older threads have valuable information , for someone to get wound up ( not referring to you Stacy ) about old posts revived , well they should be careful about telling people to search in the first place :)
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+1

bladsmth said:
I agree with the information value of old threads.
What baffles me is a thread from 2004 saying, " I am trying to wire my VFD,does the 220VAC go to L-1 and L-2?" ( or such), and the resurrection post in 2009 is, "Yes, hook the black wire to....". There is no sense to such a reply???
Stacy
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+2

Kevin R. Cashen said:
:D Nathan, I guess you just defined irony for us quite well;)
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+3 .. :D

Kevin R. Cashen said:
There is a valid point for the need for good information not having a expiration date, and just resuming a conversation where it left off, but it also doesn't take but a second or two to start a whole new thread that is fresh and current.

I also think it would be simple common courtesy for the poster to read the entire thread and see if the answers are there without resurrection-
Click to expand...
:thumbup:
 
I've been using the search feature while finding info on how to do things, much as someone on here told me to do. If there is a question I have pertaining to the thread, I post on it rather than starting a new thread. My biggest complaint is the lack of picture in some of the 4 or 5 year old threads.
 
You know stealth you are correct, we could ignore em, but when you see em time after time, and especially when knowledgeable folks tell em from the start that whatever method or unknown steel they are using has a huge potential to be a failure then they get defensive, why drag up a thread like that again. Folks think that cause the answers were straight to the point and did not sugar coat it that folks in this forum are out of line (insert 4 letter word to replace out of line...).

Now that I think about it my post right here is almost making this thread into one of those pointless arguments that contributes nothing to the board.

I for one do enjoy a thread about something interesting besides how to HT 5160 -for the 37th time- but then again too, it's not their fault since the search is not available to non paying members. That is kinda counter productive to a new guy who is not ready to pay the membership if they are just starting out posting feeler threads to gain knowledge.
 
I just thought the talk about "rotting corpses" was a bit over-dramatic for something as harmless as old threads.
 
Seeing that you have been around for almost three years I figure you would have noticed all of the above mentioned things by other forum members about the old threads. Rotting corpses does not bother me all that much, I like it when my favorite band sings about em. A little bit of openness maybe?:D
 
Kevin R. Cashen said:
:D Nathan, I guess you just defined irony for us quite well;)

There is a valid point for the need for good information not having a expiration date, and just resuming a conversation where it left off, but it also doesn't take but a second or two to start a whole new thread that is fresh and current.

I also think it would be simple common courtesy for the poster to read the entire thread and see if the answers are there without resurrection- but more importantly see if the thread was a friendly one that people would welcome seeing again! There are some threads that most of us are happy to give a decent burial as we enjoy the peace of watching it finally sink off the front page. To necropost in that situation is inconsiderate, and if a person where to do it simply because they read it, got irritated, and want their pound of flesh I think would be nothing short of trollish.

I personally think that threads dealing with quenchant choices, scrap steel, controversial techniques and several other contentious topics are best read on the 50th page, instead of bringing them back to the top so a whole new group of people can go at each others throats. It is never a good idea to dig up a rotting corpse that was properly laid to rest, once dragged back to the surface it just stinks the area up, reminding us all why it was buried, and brings much grief to those who attended the original funeral.
Click to expand...

Well, yeah... but it almost begs the question.... Is it still funny?
 
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