Should we implement a feature to discourage replying to old threads?

[phinds]

Not much more than an idle suggestion, but could you add something to the code such that clicking on the "reply" button would invoke a subroutine that checks the date and if one is replying to a thread older than, say, one year, one gets a message asking "are you sure you want to reply to this thread, since it is over a year old?"

 

[Evo]

Not much more than an idle suggestion, but could you add something to the code such that clicking on the "reply" button would invoke a subroutine that checks the date and if one is replying to a thread older than, say, one year, one gets a message asking "are you sure you want to reply to this thread, since it is over a year old?"

That would be nice. Google often leads me to great threads in forums where it seems the people might be able to help, only to find that the thread died 8 years ago and the members are no longer there. At least I check post dates before I reply.

Here we need to do another close down of old threads, I don't think it's been done in a while. I recently had some UFO chaser/conspiracy theorist get angry because he replied to one of Ivan's old UFO threads only to be told that "we don't do that anymore".

 

[phinds]

That would be nice. Google often leads me to great threads in forums where it seems the people might be able to help, only to find that the thread died 8 years ago and the members are no longer there. At least I check post dates before I reply.

Here we need to do another close down of old threads, I don't think it's been done in a while. I recently had some UFO chaser/conspiracy theorist get angry because he replied to one of Ivan's old UFO threads only to be told that "we don't do that anymore".

I remember some discussion some time back about locking threads more than a certain age, but that didn't seem to go over well and didn't happen.

 

[Evo]

I remember some discussion some time back about locking threads more than a certain age, but that didn't seem to go over well and didn't happen.

Actually we did mass locks of threads over two years old, it's just time to do it again. Our rules change and many of those old threads no longer meet our current standards, so if they get revived (necroposted), quite often they have to be closed down.

 

[phinds]

I would think Greg could add a subroutine to the app that just automatically closes any thread over 2 years old and have it scheduled to run maybe once a week. Seems like it would be an easy thing to do (says the guy who doesn't have to do it).

 

[Evo]

I would think Greg could add a subroutine to the app that just automatically closes any thread over 2 years old and have it scheduled to run maybe once a week. Seems like it would be an easy thing to do (says the guy who doesn't have to do it).

He did a mass closing which I assume was done in that fashion.

 

[mfb]

At least with the old forum software it was a simple SQL query. Give it to the database, done. Shouldn't be different with the current software.

 

[Czcibor]

Not much more than an idle suggestion, but could you add something to the code such that clicking on the "reply" button would invoke a subroutine that checks the date and if one is replying to a thread older than, say, one year, one gets a message asking "are you sure you want to reply to this thread, since it is over a year old?"

If you are making it more ambitious for programming "older than one year" OR "author was not active on forum for more than half year".

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Added to my list

 

[davenn]

Added to my list

I wonder how long that list is ?? LOL

I am also so tempted some times to respond to a necroposter ... " you realize how old this thread is ? "

Dave

 

[Orodruin]

Added to my list

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Necropost! Thread older than one week!