I don't know about the rest of you but I'm so sick of people bitching about "do you know you're responding to a X year old thread."
Yes, I realize what the ramifications are responding to a 10 year old thread. But we are doing nothing proactively to prevent it. So bitching does nothing.

Its very easy to overlook the date especially on a long thread, or with new users, or with the geriatric crowd that still uses a slide ruler.

How bout' we do something proactive. Why don't we lock out threads at a certain time, like other sites do, and move them into a searchable archive.

Problem solved. You can see them, read them, but you cant respond. ya no am I off base here?

 

When I bought my old truck I went on to the 48-56 section of Ford Truck Enthusiasts site and went back 500 threads and started looking at threads that I figured I could learn something from. I did ask some questions and that brought them back. I did get a bunch of bitching. My arguement was, the thread is new to me... Like reading a "old" book you have never read. All these sites seem a little bit different- HAMB is different than CO. I think a lot of confusion comes from the related thread feature.

 

You do realize you’re not referencing the general population, but you’re singling out the scientific and mathematical folks.

Shame on you for denigrating the nerds.
Shame on you.

Because I think you are one of us.

 

It's like facebook, or like facebook should be. See something you don't like? Scroll on past like the thousands of others do without comment. Adding the "Did you know..." comment to an old thread only serves to bring it back to the forefront once again for those of us who have already moved it out of our "New Posts" feed. So by bitching about it, you become part of the problem!

Having said that, some comments can add value to old threads with new information or follow on questions that are still on topic. If someone finds a ten year old three page thread discussing the correct method of installing a Left Handed Widget in a 1968 Wigwump and has a follow on question like "What torque does the Flippen Bolt require", doesn't it make sense to have that information collated in the one thread instead of forcing the creation of multiple new related threads?

Now ten year old For Sale or Wanted ads, people should just PM the OP instead of in the thread. But it's still gonna happen. It's been happening for 20 years, people have been whinging about it for 19 years and 11 months...see my first paragraph!

 

LOL Kenneth, yup, I sure am getting there fast...an old mechanical/electrical engineer. We were taught how to use a slide rule, non digital mic & vernier and analog VOMs to troubleshoot relay logic....doesn't seem that long ago but it was. I better get after that next car and pole barn I want and fast.

 

I learned how to use a slide rule in H.S. They asked me if I wanted to enter some competition. I asked why would l do that?

 

TTL, I presume.

 

[QUOTE=Having said that, some comments can add value to old threads with new information or follow on questions that are still on topic. If someone finds a ten year old three page thread discussing the correct method of installing a Left Handed Widget in a 1968 Wigwump and has a follow on question like "What torque does the Flippen Bolt require", doesn't it make sense to have that information collated in the one thread instead of forcing the creation of multiple new related threads?
[/QUOTE]

Agreed, the follow through info is valuable. But old threads lead to other problems, expired photos, bad links and other problems. That is why its always nice if the thread starter closes out the thread with a solved problem, if its solved.

If the thread is open-ended and 365 days have passed it should be locked out and archived. If the subject (or a similar subject) resurfaces a new thread should be started referencing the archived thread via a link to the archived thread.

Its cleaner this way. Its actually easier to search. NCRS does this. There is an entire archived library going back to the inception of NCRS.

 

The problem is that when someone resurrects a long-dead thread, people don't bother to scroll down to the new post but start commenting on the original, long dead post instead. Frequently that person hasn't been back to the site in years.

 

Oh ya, and to think how sacred I was of trans logic the first time I saw a complex schematic of a control system! Can I say trans logic??? LMFAO!
Everyone should learn this way first. It induces independent thinking without a crutch (internet) like today's society. Evolution or devolution? Never mind don't go there.

 

Exactly...messy

 

No, you’re cancelled!!!

 

The general populace on this site can't change anything, nor caused anything to be changed; can't elect new moderators, replace retired ones, or ask ones to retire, so you're right nothing is being done because we can't. IB does not care, either.

Unless it deals with the original topic, ie, the original poster, and his car, the thread should remain inactive. If you have found an old thread helpful, you should link to it in the first post of your new thread.

"Hey, I am having an issue with the power brakes on my 442, it simply doesn't give me enough assist. I've read these threads here [LINK] and [LINK] and I have tried this and this, and this here is not applicable, but I am stuck now, if anyone has any advice." This shows you did research, but you are leaving old threads alone.

The real problem is with brand new members. I don't know if it's an age thing, or if it's the fact that most of the internet is no longer forum based, or that people are on their cell phones and can't see too well, but people will find an old thread via a google search, make a membership, and then blast us from the past.

Several solutions could be done, if the powers that be were the same folks as the people who care.
1. The new member application could include an intelligent fill in the blank to make sure people understand to not bump old threads.
2. The software could be patched to give an advisory that this thread is over 60 days old and you should not usually respond, when someone tries to do so.
3. The moderators do take people's posts and give them their own thread, but the new user does not know how to find it because they are new, and sometimes slow. A lock and a link to the new thread on the old thread would help.

 

Well for problem/repair posts, sometimes one finds a old post, then adds additional info sometimes to help solve an issure with more current info. I've done this..
Fred

 

It is amazing how some things get some people really twisted. If you don't like something, don't open the thread. Could things on here be better? Sure they could. Do we pay anything to belong here? No we don't. I have had posts deleted before and it pisses me off for a moment. Then I move on. This is still the best site I use. Just my two pennies.

 

There is nothing wrong with reviving and reviewing an old post.

in life, like if you were talking face to face with someone, nobody would ever say ,,,hey, you can’t talk about that anymore. this is especially true when talking anything technical….when times change, so do ideas .

it’s funny when someone revives an old post that has some really awful dead wrong technical info in it….so reviving one like that actually helps clear things up. If someone’s only hope was to use the archives as a way to get tech they wanted because they found something in an old post that they needed clarity on, that’s not good.

it’s best to revive it, look at was was said , and either confirm the info is correct, or clear it up with the better and correct info.

Maybe if an old post is brought up to clarify things , instead of by mistake, that should be added to the new first post by the person reviving it?

 

Amen.

 

To be clear..the op is bitching about the bitching not working. Yes, that’s his gripe

so the bitching needs to be more targeted because as he says, he knows the “ramifications” of bringing up old posts? He’s so SICK of it 😂😂😂

what are these “ramifications”? It sounds serious 🤔

how about not looking?

 

No sense in locking anything. Lots of knowledge in all threads, there is no harm in asking a question or responding with some new info. It'll be helpful for a future search.

 

Exactly, Like a chinese buffet... If you like it go get more, if not pass it by.......

 

You all are really missing the point. No one complains about resurrecting a thread when the question is relevant - and the people who do that typically acknowledge the fact. The problem is when a newbie's first post resurrects a long-dead thread with a completely unrelated question. Now the original thread and unrelated title pops to the top and people start responding to THAT question, not the one the newbie asked. Unfortunately the newbie often doesn't know that the answers he's seeing don't apply to his question, and hilarity ensues. Someone asking about a 1973 Cutlass will post that question in a resurrected thread with the title "1966 Delta 88 brakes" or something like that. Sorry, but I'm still trying to fight truth decay.

 

How old is a thread that proper etiquette suggests you should not respond to it? Does the clock start with the original post or the last post? I just responded to one from last Summer, is that too long ago?
Also, I was looking at my slide rule just the other day. Apparently there's now a fairly large group of enthusiasts that are immersing themselves in re-learning its advanced features.

 

Add to this the horrible related threads feature where someone will reply to a completely different thread because he kept scrolling and entered another thread. This is right up there with predatory "content" web sites that keep an article rolling ad infinitum by mentioning another subject that is related to the original subject and enter into another article entirely in the next paragraph, as well as a never ending web page that loads more content as you scroll.

 

First world problems ...

 

Move content back to LISTSERV. They'll think twice about responding.

 

No doubt

 

I don't care, really. If any thread never gets locked, it's open for business whether it was posted yesterday or 10 years ago. Not my issue. If the admin doesn't have the will or means to lock the ancient threads, it's going to happen. I try not to necromance, but if you scroll and end up in a "related" thread that's 40 years old and post in that by mistake, it's not anyone's fault but the website. I think most people have done it by mistake. It is hilarious though when someone asks "is this still available" in the for sale section from an ad that the last post was back in 2011 or something. Then you might chime in and say something about the age of the post. Otherwise, unless it's spam, I don't worry too much about it as the thread likely will go back into obscurity by itself.

 

I can't wait to respond to this in 3 years.

 

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/...05/640/673.gif

 

I like that GIF. FWIW, another method is to d/l the .gif and post it into a thread. CO accepts a .gif file...

 

Whiners.
Let a thread be resurrected. Adds knowledge to plenty. For sale ad's years old I get. The rest? What's the harm?

 

I am a victim of responding to old threads, but please don't purge them like some would recommend. I find this site to be invaluable for information and learning. So be it if I look foolish, at least I might learn something new and maybe pass something along the way I have learned.