I have seen quite a few threads recently where some new user apparently has used the search function to find an old thread, and then posted a new post in that thread. Other posters then start answering the original questions in the old thread (which can be months or years old).
Best one so far was a bunch of people discussing a question that was six years old, and where the original poster no doubt had resolved his issue in some way years ago, but where he still was berated for not including enough information, and asked to supply more information.
Before following up on a post or answering a question, please check the date on the post you want to follow up on - if it is months or years old, stop for a little second and consider whether it still makes sense for you to answer or follow up on it. The date can be found in the top left hand corner of each post.
Grin, Stein
And just when we got people using Search instead of posting the same question 20 times....
Threads with new posts DO show up at the top even if it was started a year ago.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Stein.. I'll get back to you in a few months on this one..
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Stein:
I've seen this occur many times before. Most of the time it's intentional by someone just trying to be cute or to stir things up. Best to ignore it, unless you think you have the answer that no one had years ago.
Sometimes it is not the person posting the reply but rather the buggy software that controls this forum.
Last week, I read a current thread, pressed the reply button, composed a reply and pressed "post". When the page updated to include my reply, it was suddenly a 6 year old post that I had never heard of, complete with my reply which made absolutely no sense in the context of the thread.
I immediately tried to delete my reply but the software informed me that there was a time limit for deletes that I had exceeded. It did, however, let me edit it, so I just removed the text.
Of course my post moved the thread to the front page causing others to reply to it.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
rrinker And just when we got people using Search instead of posting the same question 20 times.... Threads with new posts DO show up at the top even if it was started a year ago. --Randy
--You get them using search and we STILL get old threads
If this is a big concern then all we can do is lock any thread over 6 months old--and we'll have a vast research library!!
---then again, the current threads will STILL recycle the same ol' same ol'-----oh, poor poor pitiful----
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
MAbruceStein:I've seen this occur many times before. Most of the time it's intentional by someone just trying to be cute or to stir things up. Best to ignore it, unless you think you have the answer that no one had years ago.
You know that. I know that.
Both of us also know that sometimes old threads gets resurrected by malicious action, sometimes it is due to software or data errors in the forum software, and sometimes it is due to more or less clueless action by a user (like when 13 year old poster IVRR came back from his summer vacation and just had to post one-line comments in a couple of dozen threads that had been dormant for six weeks).
However - quite a few people apparently do not know this. Hence my attempt to inform people that it is indeed possible when replying to check the date on the post you want to comment on, and make a more or less informed decision on whether your answer is still relevant.
Not a big deal - just a little information.
Grin,Stein
You know, of course, that six months from now someone is going to dig up this thread and respond to it - just because!
-George
BTW we seem to have a plethora of Georges (not that there is anything wrong with that) running around here so in the future, to avoid confusion, I will be singing my posts with one of the less offensive nicknames I had in my youth - Kosmo (I was called that long before that Seinfeld guy!)
-Kosmo
"And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers ride their father's magic carpet made of steel..."
blownout cylinder rrinker And just when we got people using Search instead of posting the same question 20 times.... Threads with new posts DO show up at the top even if it was started a year ago. --Randy --You get them using search and we STILL get old threads If this is a big concern then all we can do is lock any thread over 6 months old--and we'll have a vast research library!! ---then again, the current threads will STILL recycle the same ol' same ol'-----oh, poor poor pitiful----
That's sort of what I'm hinting at - it's marginally better that someone searched and added to what might be the original thread on a given topic rather than start new thread #99 on said same topic. Is it so bad that a given thread has posts over a 2 year span? That would go to the lockign of any thread 6 months old - oh that's now old stale information, just start a new thread. If old model railroading information was stale and useless, I wouldn;t have a collection of MR magazines dating back to the 40's.
I wish people would look through the old threads, find applicable ones and post to them instead of bringing up the same thing over and over and over and over again. How many "whats the best airbrush" threads are there.
How many "how many locos or what's your roster" threads are there.
etc. etc. etc.
Now I am not saying that someone shouldn't pay attention to the dates and make certain what they are posting is still relevant.
On the other (third hand) I think there are tons of old threads out there that got ignored the first time around and could use another shot on screen 1.
Same old topics--but with new techniques, new products, new ideas and irritated viewers---sheeesh.
Sorry that threads tend to repeat themselves. Yes, I'd post to old threads---heck some people go bellyachin' 'bout some ol' thread being brought up and used----can't seem to win now can you?
These themes do repeat-- and that is just the way it is. So unless someone comes up with the One Truly Unique Original Post you'll just have to deal with them-----if it so irritates----don't respond or read them.
blownout cylinder Same old topics--but with new techniques, new products, new ideas and irritated viewers---sheeesh. Sorry that threads tend to repeat themselves. Yes, I'd post to old threads---heck some people go bellyachin' 'bout some ol' thread being brought up and used----can't seem to win now can you? These themes do repeat-- and that is just the way it is. So unless someone comes up with the One Truly Unique Original Post you'll just have to deal with them-----if it so irritates----don't respond or read them.
Barry,There lays the rub..How many months hand running have we had "How do I keep my track clean"? topics or some repeat topics like-best track,best engine,why doesn't my Walthers passenger cars run around my sharp 18" curves etc.
A forum should be a learning tool for many things from a informative and unbiased review of a new product,share ideas and suggestions and one of the uses is that of "search" for past topics like cleaning track.
However,being a moderator on 3 forums I know many asks questions or make replies in order to increase their post count or start a topic knowing it will become a heated debate.
What to do?
Nothing unless the forum is being ruled by jack booted moderators then they can delete topics that doesn't follow strict topic guide lines.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
blownout cylinderSame old topics--but with new techniques, new products, new ideas and irritated viewers---sheeesh. Sorry that threads tend to repeat themselves. Yes, I'd post to old threads---heck some people go bellyachin' 'bout some ol' thread being brought up and used----can't seem to win now can you? These themes do repeat-- and that is just the way it is. So unless someone comes up with the One Truly Unique Original Post you'll just have to deal with them-----if it so irritates----don't respond or read them.
Just to make it so simple that it ought to be fairly hard to misunderstand: I was not complaining about people adding relevant posts to an old thread, and I was not complaining about people starting new threads about stuff that has covered before, even though I probably should have expressed those opinions more clearly.
I was trying to point out (since quite a few people seems utterly oblivious to this concept) that threads that show up on the first page sometimes can contain old posts, and that that people who want to reply to these threads probably should take into account the date of the post they are reading when evaluating whether the reply they want to make is still relevant to the thread.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Enough of this storm in a tea cup, eh? It was a mistake of me to post a grumble post. When someone does something I find annoying, I usually have the sense to write a semi-sarcastic grumble, and then not post it
I wonder if including the date of the original post with its name in the "Topics" column would perhaps help with this problem as you would then be able to see whether it is an old post which has been resurrected and then decide whether to read or respond.
Dave.
steinjr I was trying to point out (since quite a few people seems utterly oblivious to this concept) that threads that show up on the first page sometimes can contain old posts, and that that people who want to reply to these threads probably should take into account the date of the post they are reading when evaluating whether the reply they want to make is still relevant to the thread.
That may be the rub---it may have been relevant to the poster---it may not even be relevant to the reader though. Which was the basis of some crabs I heard---the "why should we go over the same topics all the time" threads---
steinjr Enough of this storm in a tea cup, eh? It was a mistake of me to post a grumble post. When someone does something I find annoying, I usually have the sense to write a semi-sarcastic grumble, and then not post it
Hey---sometimes grumble posts offer a break too---especially yours!!
Have a good one!!
Maybe the thinking is that by reviving old posts Bergie will have to come back from the Taste of Home Forums to talk to us about them.
Dave Nelson