Bumping old threads instead of making new ones

[Pippen]

Hi, could someone please tell me if it is OK to bump old threads on here? I have found one that is hilarious and on topic so to me it seems to make more sense to add to that rather than start a whole new one.

I have noticed some people comment how old a thread is when this is done so I'm just not sure how other people view it. The last post in this thread was in March 2012 and is 20 pages long.

Many thanks.

[Ceallach]

I believe it would depend on the topic.

If it was a specific question by a particular poster, continuing it now could cause a great deal of confusion as people will start addressing advice to that person who may no longer be around.  If a thread is very old it can also be annoying to somebody who participated years back to suddenly have the thread popping up so many years later when perhaps they're not interested in participating in that conversation anymore.    However, if it was more of a joke or general story type thread etc then it would probably be ok. 

March 2012 isn't that long ago so I think it would be fine, but obviously that's just one person's opinion.  In general I prefer old threads not suddenly re-appear unless there's an actual update to that story, I'd rather see a topic raised again from a different angle.   But 5 months isn't that long.  I'd be interested to hear what others think about this!

[Pippen]

I believe it would depend on the topic.

If it was a specific question by a particular poster, continuing it now could cause a great deal of confusion as people will start addressing advice to that person who may no longer be around.  If a thread is very old it can also be annoying to somebody who participated years back to suddenly have the thread popping up so many years later when perhaps they're not interested in participating in that conversation anymore.    However, if it was more of a joke or general story type thread etc then it would probably be ok. 

March 2012 isn't that long ago so I think it would be fine, but obviously that's just one person's opinion.  In general I prefer old threads not suddenly re-appear unless there's an actual update to that story, I'd rather see a topic raised again from a different angle.   But 5 months isn't that long.  I'd be interested to hear what others think about this!

Thanks. It is a general type of thread along the lines of the 'Special Snowflake' one so people just add their experiences so it isn't actually asking for advice as such. I was having a laugh reading it and thought it deserved to be resurrected. There are probably plenty of similar ones but when I did a search this one stuck out the most.

[sparksals]

I find it very confusing when someone starts a new thread as an update to an old thread.   Many people have not seen the original thread, do not know the history, so I prefer it if they update, they update the existing thread b/c those watching it will be notified of the update.  Those with no knowledge can read the existing thread right there without being confused. 

I don't mind old threads being bumped.  It provides the history necessary for those who have not seen it.

[Ceallach]

I find it very confusing when someone starts a new thread as an update to an old thread.   Many people have not seen the original thread, do not know the history, so I prefer it if they update, they update the existing thread b/c those watching it will be notified of the update.  Those with no knowledge can read the existing thread right there without being confused. 

I don't mind old threads being bumped.  It provides the history necessary for those who have not seen it.

Oh yeah I totally agree - if it's an actual update e.g. by the same poster or person involved - then it should go in the same thread so those involved can see it.    Otherwise it feels like some kind of in-joke or confusing conversation where people assume you know what's going on. 

But if it's another poster who happens to stumble on to an interesting topic from ages ago and bump it up, that can get really confusing because none of the original parties are involved, and people reading it don't realise how old it is and start giving really specific advice to a 5 year old question etc.    It works if it's a generic topic like SS stories, but doesn't really work if it's a thread discussing 1 person's specific issue.   

[LifeOnPluto]

Ironically, there was another thread about this issue a few months ago, IRC. It would have been funny if you'd bumped that one. 

I think that general conversation threads, where people swap anecdotes and stories are fine. But if the OP was seeking advice on a specific issue, it seems a bit silly to reply to that thread, when the problem has probably long since been resolved.

[MariaE]

Ironically, there was another thread about this issue a few months ago, IRC. It would have been funny if you'd bumped that one. 

I think that general conversation threads, where people swap anecdotes and stories are fine. But if the OP was seeking advice on a specific issue, it seems a bit silly to reply to that thread, when the problem has probably long since been resolved.

Found it

[Bijou]

I like the ongoing ones likes Ghost stories, Personal mysteries, special snowflakes, what song is stuck on your head, what projects are you working on and things that are just fun stuff.  If it is specific to one person's question, I prefer another be started and not inserted into an existing thread on a similar subject.

[rose red]

If one must bump an old thread, at least please say "bumping an old thread because..." instead of just typing out a post like years haven't gone by. 

Once in a while a thread will be bumped with no explanation and when another poster notices, they will say "Er...this thread is from 1985  " and the rest of us will think "Huh?" and think it's a troll who did the bumping.

[Texas Mom]

It's extremely irritating (to me) when anyone other than the OP bump an old thread.

I've never even thought it from the troll angle.  It seem it's usually someone who hasn't been here very long & wants to fit in by giving their input.

Do you still get a message when you try to resurrect a thread?  It used to be once threads got to be a certain age (I think 180 days), it would ask if you really wanted to post to the thread.

[Elfmama]

I'm a mod on another board.  Having an old thread suddenly bumped by a new person when it hasn't seen activity in many moons is a trigger to check the new poster out VERY thoroughly, up to and including ISPs and where said ISP is. I've yet to see one where the new person isn't a spammer.

However, that's usually a really new person.  As in they joined yesterday and this is their 1st/2nd/3rd post.  You've been around for a while, with 700+ posts under your belt.  If it's a long-running post like the ghost story one, which sees sporadic activity anyway, a new post is fine.

[gramma dishes]

This is probably the wrong place to put this, but I keep reading references to certain apparently old posts such as "Snakes in the Restaurant" and I have no idea what they mean.  Even a research check doesn't reveal what the original thread was about.  So it can be very frustrating.

[Pippen]

This is probably the wrong place to put this, but I keep reading references to certain apparently old posts such as "Snakes in the Restaurant" and I have no idea what they mean.  Even a research check doesn't reveal what the original thread was about.  So it can be very frustrating.

I have seen that a number of times as well and have no idea what it refers to. If someone could fill me in it would be most appreciated.

[Elfmama]

I was not around for the original Snake in a Restaurant, but I gather that someone was dining with a friend when Friend pulled her pet snake out of her purse.  The poster objected, Friend tried to justify herself, and Unpleasant Things happened.  I don't know if they were thrown out of the restaurant or not.  Unanimous forum consensus was that taking snakes to a restaurant was exceedingly rude to other patrons, many of whom might have a snake phobia. (I know that if my mother had seen a snake on another table where we were dining, she'd run out screaming and refuse to ever go back there again.  That's if she didn't keel over in a dead faint or with a heart attack.)

[gramma dishes]

Thank you, Elfmama!