I've noticed that a moderator had to close two threads within the last 24 hours in the homework section because someone breathed life into a mummified thread from years past.

Isn't there a way to close all threads greater than one year old? That way a moderator could do that once a month and prevent someone applying life support on those threads.

Just curious.

 

The reason we don't is the OP himself may want to open his own thread. I do it all the time.

Granted, even before I became a moderator I was an odd duck (and getting odder) here. Many projects and threads I take the long view.

 

Hello,

I have been closing the digged up threads, to avoid confusion between the OP and the hyjacker.
The OP can always ask to open the thread again.

Bertus

 

The reason we don't is the OP himself may want to open his own thread. I do it all the time.

Granted, even before I became a moderator I was an odd duck (and getting odder) here. Many projects and threads I take the long view.

I was just thinking about posting a similar comment yesterday about all of the old threads getting replies. Did something happen when we went to the new forum software? That is, does Google somehow think ALL threads are new/current?

Anyhow, I would have hoped a rule could be implemented in the fancy new forum software to allow the OP to respond to his/her dead threads but give a warning to any new poster that "the thread is more than 365 days old, please start a new thread to discuss this topic" and present them with a link to start a new thread. The motorcycle thread I use offered such a suggestion after 365 days of inactivity - but our mod elected not to prohibit posts a additional posts.

 

That is, does Google somehow think ALL threads are new/current?

Well, I think that Google does not even notes if they are old or new. After all, the basics of a search is the subject not its age. Methinks.

 

Well, I think that Google does not even notes if they are old or new. After all, the basics of a search is the subject not its age. Methinks.

Google definitely puts an emphesis on age, geography and takes into account previous search subjects from the IP address or specific google.com username (if the user is logged in). Google is the go-to search engine because it returns better results than most other engines.

 

Note the date when this thread was started.

http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/naveen91.55631/

Note the Bill Marsden effect in the date of the latest post.

 

Bill,

That's why I said a year. In the homework section, if the OP hasn't returned to that topic in one year ... something is amiss. Maybe I should have stated that explicitly.

I still feel the same about almost all the threads. Even the largest of projects are broken down in pieces that must be completed for the whole project to work. In that case, I would start a thread expressing the overall project and then other threads based on the sections of the block diagram or chart or however they divided the project.

I highly doubt many OPs return to a thread after a years absence to continue on with the theme. I'll take a sample of one year old threads and see IF an OP commented after a year from the opening of said thread and report back the results. This will not be a scientific survey, but a sample of 10 threads in each category, Probably the first page that has 10 consecutive threads older than 1 year.

 

Perhaps, but many is not all. It is probably easier to deal with it on a case by case basis, and close them as we see them. My opinion, but that is not a rule.

 

Bill,

I looked at 10 each threads in General Electronics Chat and The Projects Forum

There were four posts that were "one and done" where the OP started it and there were no replies.

The OP had a subsequent posting in 80 percent of the threads. The average time between start and last post was 5.3 days. The maximum time was 71 days. a few had just the initial day.

Then I looked at the Homework Help ... one page, page 65 at that time. It had 20 listings. On two did not have any replies. The average was a little over 2 days and the maximum was 12 days.

What these had in common was the last posting was over a year ago.

Right now, the moderators are dealing with it on a case by case basis by closing the thread. If there were already closed, there would not be a resurrection of the thread and the new "OP" would have to start a new thread.

I don't know how much time is dedicated to the closing of the resurrected threads, but, it's your time and I really shouldn't worry about how you spend your time.

 

At one point the old forum would require that you confirm that you wanted to actually reply to a thread that was older than a certain amount. If that isn't still the case, that may account for the increased incidence rate and, if that's the problem, how hard would it be to add that sanity check back in.

 

At one point the old forum would require that you confirm that you wanted to actually reply to a thread that was older than a certain amount. If that isn't still the case, that may account for the increased incidence rate and, if that's the problem, how hard would it be to add that sanity check back in.

Hopefully this does the trick. The date can be adjusted - I figure a year is a good time to start though?

 

View attachment 76800
Hopefully this does the trick. The date can be adjusted - I figure a year is a good time to start though?

It worked for me as a warning (and deterrent).

Homework related ones seem to loose relevance for most of the OPs well before a month if not a week.

 

I think that should help a lot. It might make sense to have it be a year in most of the forums but perhaps a month or so in the Homework Help forum. It might also make since to have the clock be based not on the start date of the thread but on the date of the most recent post.

 

The key here is to not have the moderators tied down doing too much closing, or more correctly ... archiving the threads.

The project forum is certainly one that could last a long time, but I haven't looked into too much of it, just a very small sample.

Hopefully Jrap's addition will suffice.

 

The projects forum has the occasional old thread revived by the O.P. but, 9 out of 10 it's a lost noob that hasn't quite figured out how internet forums work.

Just an observation, and possibly skewed. It's only based on what I think I have seen over the last 4 years.

 

The projects forum has the occasional old thread revived by the O.P. but, 9 out of 10 it's a lost noob that hasn't quite figured out how internet forums work.

Just an observation, and possibly skewed. It's only based on what I think I have seen over the last 4 years.

I agree. So the question is whether the noob factor can be kept to a tolerable minimum while not inconveniencing the occasional intentional posts by OP's (or others) beyond a tolerable maximum.

 

the way I found this forum was searching for a schematic on some obsolete equipment. the thread was a few years old, but gave me some valueable info. the equipment I work on here is normally either obsolete or they will give no info on it.

 

the way I found this forum was searching for a schematic on some obsolete equipment. the thread was a few years old, but gave me some valueable info. the equipment I work on here is normally either obsolete or they will give no info on it.

What is being discussed here would prevent you from searching the threads, only limit your ability to reply to them. I think that most of the old post necromancy is the result of the "similar thread" links that appear at the bottom of the page when you are viewing a thread. I've noticed that most of those are wildly obsolete (age wise) and I have found myself replying to a few of those in the early days before I was aware of this.

 

the equipment I work on here is normally either obsolete or they will give no info on it.

Is Kansas that far back in the woods or is that just your personal preference for work?
I mean, if the standard repair shop in your neighborhood is still using bailing wire and clothes pins, I'd consider moving to Kansas.