Yes, that does seem to drive a lot of revivals. I know that Google takes me to many old forum posts across the Web on subjects where I want to learn about something. But I at least try to look at the age of those threads before I post! And some software will warn you or not let you post in old threads. Some forums simply archive the old stuff where there is no chance of further interaction.
There is no perfect fix. But it could be better than it now is.
The thread will pop to the top and will be seen by others who can comment about its merit. I would venture a guess to say that 80% of the discussions here are around relatively stable technologies, so the technical merit is also largely stable.
It was a rhetorical question , the point being that the OP is irrelevant, what matters is the raw data.
Most likely an OP who hasn´t even visited the Forum for a few years won´t appear now just to to answer ... how would he know?
But useful data will still be there to help, and that´s what matters.
The biggest one I can think of is the occasional "is this still available?" question for a 10-year old marketplace thread. Or "I'll take three!". Or if there's an announcment about a meetup or event that has long passed.
It might also be because some people don't like seeing a new message on an old thread that is several pages long, which means needing to go back and process the entire thread. Closing inactive threads means that there are fewer multi-page, multi-year threads, so the content is "fresher"?
Or it could be that it's just due to different ways people experience the site. Some people seem to regard the conversations as "OP-heavy" -- that is, the OP should start and direct the conversation, and when it's done, it's done. Others tend to see it more like a cocktail party conversation, where someone might start a conversation in a group but then wander off while the conversation continues. I think I'm in the latter camp, but I recognize different perspectives.
Somewhat related: I saw a thread recently where the OP basically said "OK, no more posts, this thread is closed" which struck me as odd. Personally, I think it's a bit selfish: It's like saying "I started a thread for a specific purpose, and collected all the information I wanted, so you all can go away now. I got what I need." I may be over-thinking it, but that seems to treat this place as "expertise-as-a-(free)-service" which tends to go against the DIY hobby mentality, where people do this for fun in their spare time.
That it seems to be an issue with some people.
I personally do not find them overally problematic, each needing to be dealt with separately, but usually they have been left alone.
dave
Not to a lot of neco-posters. They often ask a direct question of the OP, even if the OP hasn't been on the forum for years. The new poster doesn't even bother to look. The data is another matter, and of course it remains, even in closed threads.
The problem that a lot of people don't like it and complain about it. 😛 It's seen by many as forum noise. But the problem isn't dire enough to have ever been fixed, so we find ourselves in discussions like this. Perhaps in the year 2030 some newb will post in this thread, too.
Some sort of notice like "This thread has been inactive for 10 years, do you really want to post?" and/or "The OP has not visited the forum in 12 years and is unlikely to see your question." could go a long way.
HERE IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE FROM TODAY:
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/bessel-vs-critically-damped-enclosure.320428/post-7116224
I did not check the date before posting. What a waste of my time to do so.
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/bessel-vs-critically-damped-enclosure.320428/post-7116224
I did not check the date before posting. What a waste of my time to do so.
Your contribution was valuable and on-topic, even if the thread was old. People searching for information about this may find your comments helpful.
It doesn't look like a big problem to me?
It doesn't look like a big problem to me?
OK, never mind then. It seems this is only something that annoys me. I get that all content can be valuable.
This may be the real issue:
The forum hides posts. Sometimes, and not predictably. I can understand if 5 replies came in the 10 minutes I was typing, but this thread was not "hot". I do not understand forum logic.
Hi Allen, yes, I believe that is what did happen.
I read through the thread. Then I went back to the first post, logged in so I could respond, and quoted it. I think that only pulls up an input box at the bottom of the current page, and not the last page. Once I posted I looked up and only found IIRC one post from this year, the previous from 2+years ago. That is when I thought "necro thread" but later I discovered that small notice that "other posts not shown". When I went back later to check it was something like 2 more pages of posts, and most were made recently. So pie on my face I guess. But it was not a behavior I expected.
Charlie, nor I. The suggestion that dkfan9 has just made is one of the changes on the table to address this.
To quote over multiple pages one can save the reply between pages. Since I don't have a save button I hit the space bar and wait a few seconds for it to happen automatically before I can change pages.
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To quote over multiple pages one can save the reply between pages. Since I don't have a save button I hit the space bar and wait a few seconds for it to happen automatically before I can change pages.
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