Auto-locking old threads?

TwoShedsJackson

I've seen a couple of other forums where threads that have had no replies in a set time e.g. a month or whatever, are automatically closed.

Seeing as mods in certain forums on here, AH and Motors to name but two in particular, take umbrage to old threads being resurrected and usually close the thread even if the new post is on-topic, any thoughts on having a similar thing on boards if it's in the software?

Save the mods some work and all that

Slow Motion

But then how would we leave happy new years messages in tuppenceworth?

Sherifu

I dragged up an old thread this morning from 3 months ago so no I don't agree with your proposal.

DeVore

It would need to be a decent length of time. At least 6 months and more likely a year. I'm not sure about this at all but it has occured to me before and I kinda flip-flop back and forth

DeV.

ozt9vdujny3srf

personally I dont see the problem in old threads being brought back up if the post dragging it up is relevant.

Nevyn

A year would be good.

Bard

18 months or two years might be better. I'd imagine there's one or two valid reasons why someone would re-post to a thread exactly one year later.

justsomebloke

Bard wrote: »

I'd imagine there's one or two valid reasons why someone would re-post to a thread exactly one year later.

Or even 9 months. Which will give us 8 months a 3 weeks untill someone digs up the boards beer thread from last week

Steve

Bad idea.

Sometimes the content is still relevant, sometimes it's not.
It takes a human (or close approximation in some cases) to decide.

Oryx

I dont mind when old threads get bumped, you can see the date on them. If the subject is relevant why not?

I often see people referred to old threads on a particular subject when they start a new thread, if old ones were locked it would prevent old, interesting info being added to.

leninbenjamin

hmmmm... not really sure how much work this would involve. but how about forcing a moderator approval when a thread has gone past a certain date? i.e. like posting unregged in personal issues it has to be approved by a mod first. that would be one way of filtering out some of the stupid revival spam that can occur, yet leave everything open for on topic submissions.

Terry

SteveC wrote: »

Bad idea.

Sometimes the content is still relevant, sometimes it's not.
It takes a human (or close approximation in some cases) to decide.

That's just it.

If someone bumps an old thread for a really pointless reason, it will be locked.

If they add something new to it, then it will most likely be left as is.

Rb

I agree with Truckle, 18 months to 2 years would be best.

the_syco

Good idea, but not for the Games section, as many Games forums go quite for a while, and suddenly a patch comes out, and everyone brings up old threads, replies to old threads, etc.

An example would be replying to this thread.

Another example would be the Work & Jobs fourms. Old thread are always vamped there, from people asking about did X job advertised 2 years ago work out, instead of starting a new thread about an old topic.

Politics isn't too bad, and only minor vamping occurs there.

Davina Dazzling Radiance

Davina Dazzling Radiance wrote: »

personally I dont see the problem in old threads being brought back up if the post dragging it up is relevant.

Agreed.

javaboy

I'd say about 3 and a half years minimum. There are plenty of cases where a thread that has been dormant for more than 3 years can be legitimately resurrected. One example off the top of my head is if someone in the Animals and Pets forum announces their pet Alpine Salamander is pregnant and the other posters say congratulations and let us know when it gives birth. They have a 38 month pregnancy. Didn't think of the Alpine Salamander of Southern Europe when you came up with your far right oppressive thread locking madnees did you OP?

AlmightyCushion

What happens if someone on the parenting forum tells us about their wonderful new child? Later on they may want to update the thread and tell us about the child's 18th or 21st birthday. What happens then???????? It should be at least 30 years.

Ron DMC

I'd stick with 65 or more to be honest. What if the kid involved wants to sign up to invite people who cared about their birth to their wedding/ 50th/ retirement party.

AlmightyCushion

Maybe 100+ would be the best way to go. Those kids could live to be over 100 and someone close to them decides to update the thread to let others who cared about the birth know about their death.

Ron DMC

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Maybe 100+ would be the best way to go. Those kids could live to be over 100 and someone close to them decides to update the thread to let others who cared about the birth know about their death.

+1

Simplicity

911 threads.

jor el

Maybe we should let this thread go, then come back to it in 12-18 months time and see if we think it's still relevant.

Overall, I don't think it's a big problem to just lock a thread that's being dragged up, if that's the right course. If the new post is only vaguely related, it can also be split out into a new thread, letting the old one disappear back into the abyss. I've done this a few times.

WhiteWashMan

i dont agree with old threads being locked if the post is useful or inciteful or whatever.
those who add +1 and drag up old threads should be locked.

javaboy

WhiteWashMan wrote: »

i dont agree with old threads being locked if the post is useful or inciteful or whatever.
those who add +1 and drag up old threads should be locked.

Let's drag up the Roma gypsies thread in AH and make some inciteful comments! :D

WhiteWashMan

now theres a slip of the tongue

insightful even

Overheal

SteveC wrote: »

Bad idea.

Sometimes the content is still relevant, sometimes it's not.
It takes a human (or close approximation in some cases) to decide.

Make it customizable per forum: let it be up to the fora mods to arbitrate. they can set it to 0 so they never lock, should they decide.

WhiteWashMan

these mods are getting too much power these days.

i say we have to take the power back!

Victor

leninbenjamin wrote: »

hmmmm... not really sure how much work this would involve. but how about forcing a moderator approval when a thread has gone past a certain date? i.e. like posting unregged in personal issues it has to be approved by a mod first. that would be one way of filtering out some of the stupid revival spam that can occur, yet leave everything open for on topic submissions.

There was an example of this recently where someone posted anonymously (vBulletin Moderation Panel doesn't tell mods how old a thread is) on a "I might be pregnant" thread from about 5 years ago and dragging it up does much more harm than good.

On the other side, on Commuting & Transport or Humanities, it might be perfectably acceptable to continue an old thread, rather than rehash a whole topic, because it discusses the same subject.

unkel

Davina Dazzling Radiance wrote: »

personally I dont see the problem in old threads being brought back up if the post dragging it up is relevant.

Agreed. Although from my experience I find that the vast majority of resurrections are bogus. They are wasting many peoples time reading the thread until they realise it was a resurrection. Then reporting the post, alerting all the moderators, who will then have to go out and delete the post / lock the thread or both

An automatic lock (say after a set period of 3 months) would save a lot of time wasting for users and moderators alike

And if someone feels they have a relevant post to make to a thread already locked, the only thing they need to do is PM a moderator to re-open the thread!

unkel

unkel wrote: »

And if someone feels they have a relevant post to make to a thread already locked, the only thing they need to do is PM a moderator to re-open the thread!

After they accuse of all moderators of being nazis for locking every topic after a certain timeframe of course.

unkel

Myth wrote: »

After they accuse of all moderators of being nazis for locking every topic after a certain timeframe of course.

Not sure what you're on about there about Nazis

A statement about locking threads automatically could easily be part of the T&C box a user has to tick when signing up to boards.ie