Dredging up old threads

[MasterofSquirrels]

Toots,
I would have to say, I think the opposite as you.  On this forum, I have noticed posters will tell a new poster to put in paragraph breaks, not use ellipses, or even the proper way to use the quote feature all "in thread". A PM can offer the same advice without the embarrassment of being "called out" in public.  Of course it needs to be worded gently and not preachy. I think a PM can be a nice way to explain an issue without causing any embarrassment.

[stargazer]

Toots,
I would have to say, I think the opposite as you.  On this forum, I have noticed posters will tell a new poster to put in paragraph breaks, not use ellipses, or even the proper way to use the quote feature all "in thread". A PM can offer the same advice without the embarrassment of being "called out" in public.  Of course it needs to be worded gently and not preachy. I think a PM can be a nice way to explain an issue without causing any embarrassment.

Agreed.  Advice is sometimes best sent in a PM so the poster isn't "called out" in a thread, derailing it. 

[whatsanenigma]

What can also make this confusing is that often, new members to an online community are urged to read over the former postings, to see what's already been discussed so they don't start new threads for ongoing discussions.  Sometimes, it's even said straight out that if there is an ongoing discussion, new posts about it should go there instead of making a new thread...but then there ends up being an "unspoken rule" about how old that old thread can be before starting a new one is allowed.

And, of course, it kind of depends on the topics of the threads and the intent of a forum.  If the thread is like most threads here, where the topic is "This specific poster is posting about a specific problem he or she is having and wants advice" then after a certain amount of time, the dead thread really should stay that way, unless the OP comes back.  There is just no point.

But OTOH, if it's like some threads here in the sense that the topic is general and can be ongoing, then there is no reason why it can't be "brought back to life" if someone has a new idea.  Such as, a thread about a movie title might get started: "What do you all think of movie XYZ", right when the movie comes out.  Somebody doesn't get to see "Movie XYZ" until 6 months after the initial thread has stopped getting posts, but decides to read and post something anyway, and the discussion gets reopened.  No problem there.

What's really concerning me about the newcomer in the OP, though, is not so much that she's navigating this difficult area, possibly with less than desirable results.  It's the information in the update.  I fear that that is what will make her difficult to deal with and I hope it all works out well.

[Instantkarma]

Toots,
I would have to say, I think the opposite as you.  On this forum, I have noticed posters will tell a new poster to put in paragraph breaks, not use ellipses, or even the proper way to use the quote feature all "in thread". A PM can offer the same advice without the embarrassment of being "called out" in public.  Of course it needs to be worded gently and not preachy. I think a PM can be a nice way to explain an issue without causing any embarrassment.

Agreed.  Advice is sometimes best sent in a PM so the poster isn't "called out" in a thread, derailing it.

I agree too much kinder to point it out in pm then in a thread and less distracting

[BabylonSister]

In my experience, different forums have different rules re: old threads. Most forums frown upon necroing, but the other forum I attend prefers to not be cluttered with a lot of threads and if a discussion is started on a topic that was discussed recently, the new thread will be locked or merged into the old one. Necroing over there is not particularly discouraged. Maybe it's because it's not a "help me with this situation" forum, but one about a specific interest.

[AdakAK]

I wouldn't say, "let her know this is generally frowned upon"--that sort of unsolicited advice, especially if worded that way, is not that well received. I know; I just received a "you're doing it wrong" PM from someone at a forum I'm on, and I did not appreciate it at all.

Even long term posters can sometimes do things wrong.  I can understand that the knee-jerk reaction is to not appreciate it, no one enjoys being wrong!  I think it's a kindness, especially for those who have been someplace long enough where they are known, to send it via PM.  That way we are able to quietly look again at our post(s).  I know if I received a PM saying a post I had written was somehow wrong from someone I 'knew' here (vs someone brand new to the forum), even if it upset me I'd give it a bit to calm down and then reread my message.  It's likely that there's some truth to it. 

The person from the OP may be new to forums, or new to forums that frown on bringing up new threads.  I might focus on a few where the OP isn't a member of the forum anymore, and let them know that Forum has a fairly high turnover so people she's posting to on old threads aren't ignoring her, they're gone.  You could say that typically threads that are a month/6 month/year out of date aren't posted to anymore since it's likely that a lot of the original posters/commentors are not members anymore. 

edited to fix quote

[pierrotlunaire0]

Well, speaking as one who did recently resurrect an old (one year) thread, I think it depends on the kind of thread.  I see nothing wrong if the thread is one in which we share experiences with a common theme.  The one I resurrected was the one asking if people had had experiences which led them to leave a smaller tip.  I recently had had a very poor experience in a restaurant, and so I deliberately posted there, although I did mention that I was pulling up an old thread.  Since those threads have no "resolution," I think that periodically resuming them is not a bad thing.  Kind of like re listening to the classics.

But one with a specific issue, and that has reached its end needs to lie in peace.  I don't see it as rude, necessarily.  But on those, I do have a tendency to think, "Oh, not that one again."

[LifeOnPluto]

I agree that it depends on the type of thread. If the OP was posting about a very specific matter, then giving them advice three years later seems rather silly. In that case, I don't think it hurt if a "regular" sent her a private message gently letter her know that the matter was likely to have been resolved a long time ago!

On the other hand, if it's a general-type thread, (such as "When do you leave a smaller tip?") I don't think she's being rude to add her comments. (Although I can see how it would be a bit annoying to other posters if the forums get "clogged" with such zombie threads.)

[The Wild One, Forever]

On some forums to which I belong, it seems like you just can't win.

If a person, usually a newb, starts a new thread about a topic which has already been discussed, they get told to UTSE, (with a couple additional letters added,of course),  , but if they pull up an old thread discussing the topic, they get accused of necroing and chastised for it.

I have not personally seen that it's much of a problem on our forum here either way, however.

On the gaming forum my son moderates, it seems preferred that a new thread be started.  I guess every forum has its own culture/written or unwritten rules.  I like the idea of locking threads past a certain expiry date;that solves the problem nicely.

[rachellenore]

I am sick to death of necro rule mongers. Some forums are so strict one way or the other. One I go on does not allow any new threads to be made about a topic, regardless if it's been 6 years and the OP isn't even around anymore. Another will give you a warning for a 3-month-old necro even if the thread is still on the first page!

If a person started a thread and is still present on the forum, it shouldn't count as a necro. If the OP got banned or hasn't been seen in 3 years, then make a new thread.