Is it weird? Is it rude? Should threads be archived?
I don’t understand why people would find it rude/incorrect
God knows there aren’t many new threads on lemmy so I’ve been searching random keywords looking for interesting old threads to read and sometimes comment on.
Quite a few of us sort by “New Comments”. Posting to an old thread can help breathe new life into it, especially if you have something new to add to the conversation.
I’d never seen that feature. I’m gonna try it out now
It is a holdover from the old forum days when adding a comment would pop a thread to the top of the front page, so someone going through and commenting on multiple old posts would flood the front page with outdated discussions. Generally those people would also post worthless comments, like ‘Thanks’, that didn’t add anything.
Now that we have more ways to sort the underlying problem is no longer relevant, but some people still hold on to that mindset. Some people who weren’t around for the older forums may have caught the disdain from others, or could even just have it in their minds that discussions always have limited time frames for whatever reason.
I don’t care unless someone relies to my comment to continue some stupid argument they started four months ago.
Oh I didn’t know that! I didn’t grow up on forums but I used them a few times here and there. You’re right new replies do push a thread to the top. Kind of a bad design lol.
It was a great design when the intent was to make new discussion visible. It was great for reviving threads when new and prodictive discussion was added!
Like any design, there will be cases where it doesn’t work as intended. It is hard to design around people adding non-productive comments.
Fair point
There’s only one forum I visit nowadays and it gets older threads revived every now and then. Usually to say “Whatever happened to that? Is it done yet?”
I get comments on months old posts, I’m fine with it since it will help future users
If the person is looking for a discussion (ex. They need help with the software I posted about), then it’s usually better they make a new post
Depends on the type of community, forums it’s potentially disruptive since it bumps it to the top. Redsit/Lemmy style it matters less.
I certainly would advocate against archiving Lemmy posts in a way that “locks” them, I can’t tell you how many times an old reddit post shows up in a search result and helpful newer replies with the most recent information is still getting added sporadically.
If it’s relevant for future people who found the thread the same way I did, sure. It’s like of you were looking for a treasure in a network of caves, and you see writing in the wall from previous treasure seekers saying “beware of bats.” If I add “left cave has dragon” it might help someone else.
Also, if the OP or other accounts are still active, they might get still a notification.
Oh like dark souls lol.
I was thinking more like the end of Month Python and the Holy Grail, but sure.
If it’s a question that has no answer (or no useful answer) it’s totally fine to comment with an answer.
I figure that someone will eventually stumble across the same thread that I did if they have a similar question. Might as well contribute and share some knowledge.
My favorite was a specific problem I had modding Morrowind on Linux years ago and posting to reddit.
Only for years to pass and I search for the same problem, only to find my own damn post with no replies.
If it provides me information I need… I’ll thank the poster.
I’ve commented a thank you a literal decade after the helpful comment was made.
When I was on reddit… If the thread was archived, I’d copy the link and send the person a message saying thanks. If it was very helpful.
I don’t have a problem with it obviously. Back in the day being a thread necromancer was frowned upon. Now, it doesn’t bump the thread to the top of the forum, so who cares
Back in the day being a thread necromancer was frowned upon. Now, it doesn’t bump the thread to the top of the forum, so who cares
I never even saw the problem back then. If new info made the thread relevant again (even if it was just that someone new had something to say), it was fine with me to see a thread pop back up to the top.
Agreed. But you know how some power tripping folk can be. :/
Reminds me of the flame wars in newsgroups about whether top-posting or bottom-posting (quote after or before reply) was holier.
Even on reddit I’d get replies to years old comments. I remember one user watching Breaking Bad and reading the old response threads and engaging with me from there.
I don’t mind at all, especially as I’m trying to be uplifting with my comments.
I mean… Sometimes it’s weird, but sometimes it’s not. Depends on what the thread is about and how long it’s been, I guess.
Generally speaking, if the thread isn’t “time-sensitive,” if you want to reply, just reply. That’s my take.
We had the opportunity to do something really funny, here
You still can if you come back in 5 years
Not if we keep this thread alive.
In memory of the lost ones: *Bump
The wording had initially confused me.
I thought this was about posts that got no comments, not about necro’ing posts.
Honestly, I think necro’ing posts is really only a problem when your forum software doesn’t have many options for sorting the feed. Lemmy is more advanced; if you don’t like necro’d posts, then just don’t sort by recent activity.
That which is dead can never die.
If I come across a post and I have something significant enough to comment, I leave it regardless of age. But I don’t think I’m ever going to see anything more than a few days old with how I browse.
Perfectly fine. Bumps don’t do what they used to do in messageboard/BBS contexts, so if you have something useful/clever/funny to say in a dead thread I say go for it.
Heck, sometimes it can prompt a follow-up when someone says “You know, I should do [x related to topic]” after some time has passed, which is fun.
I acknowledge it. I preface my post with something, usually /rezz or I’ll comment “I know this is old but…”
The older the thread the funnier necroing is. If the forums I was on in middle school were still around you can bet I’d be bumping some of those threads just for teh lulz.
