Zombie Threads

[2ndbase]

I don't see what the problem is with "zombie" threads, do all threads that people post on have to be current? The advice given on this forum could be useful to someone regardless of whether it was posted yesterday or 5 years ago.

[ThymeLord]

I think if the thread is one which is relevant to you as an individual then it is far better to start your own thread, and possibly link the zombie in your OP if it provides context. Otherwise, people tend not to notice the date and start responding to the original OP, or comments thereafter.

[Dulra]

Agree. If you do a search on google on a particular subject old threads on different boards often come up if it is linked to the subject you are searching for which is why these threads come back to life. Often the person commenting on them may not realise how old the original thread is

[elsmokoloco]

OP I'll tell you why.

[DialMforMordor]

What baffles me is that quite often people resuscitate the most random zombie threads, purely to post something absolutely furious on them. And it's never a thread like 'AIBU to leave my husband because he put the cat in the tumbledryer?' it's usually something totally innocuous like, 'Can you recommend a handcream?' from May 2008 and the poster is LIVID with MATRIXO because they've CHANGED THE PACKAGING and now IT'S YELLOW!!!!! And MATRIXO test all their creams on KITTENS!!!

You searched the whole of Mumsnet to rage about handcream?! And yet...

[YoloSwaggins]

TBH I think on some topics, it would be better to have 1 long thread with all the info.

When you google "should I get an epidural" or "is X or Y nicer to live in", you get 20 1-page long threads all about the same thing. Would be better if it was 1.

[StealthPolarBear]

Dial m they usually contain questionable links, i know the sort you mean.
I'm torn. People get told off on here for resucitating a zombie thread but they also get comments like "not another thread about this"
They can't win

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

And when the zombie thread is in relation to something like a wedding, it gets resurrected five years later, and people read about 600 posts and then post their own view on how the OP should handle it, only to realise that the wedding has well and truly gone.

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

PS
MN have made a change to zombie threads - at the top of the box where you type your message it now says:

Heads up - this thread has not been posted on for over a year.
Why not start a new thread instead?

[RoundaboutSnail]

Some advice might be current but it can be a bit annoying if you reply to "Twins due next week. Do the names Fred and Freda sound nice?" before realising they'd be 7 by now

[Willow2017]

Its much better to stat a new thread than have people trawling through pages and pages of out of date info when a new poster has asked aboout something relevant to them NOW/commentated on something that happened 5 years ago!

Especially when its stuff like "my childminder cant do the school run who can I get to do it?" amd someone pops up 7 years later with "Where do you live I can help?" !! Or "my child fell should I take them to the dr or a&E?" 5 years later you get someones story about what happened to their child and to take them to a & e NOW.
Totally wastes everyones time as they presume its a new thread starting up and get halfway/all the way through to find its years old.

[Laiste]

thedevil does that message still stand after one or two people have posted though? I know in the past the zombie alert has not been permanent, IYKWIM?

I bloody hate reading a thread and mentally coming up with an answer only to find out the dilemma was 8 bloody years ago and everyone's long buggered off.

Even more i hate suddenly meting myself from 8 years back!

[BlondeB83]

Completely agree and always think people who post ‘Zombie thread!’ are far too invested in a forum!

[Yogafailure]

Agree with @BlondeB83, there's always a load of self righteous posters who jump in proclaiming "ZOMBIE" in various patronising tones. Who cares?!

[2rebecca]

I think zombie threads should only be resurrected by the OP to post an update but she should make clear in her post it is a year or whenever later as presumably the zombie warning goes after a couple of folk have posted as it's no longer a zombie thread

[ThePants999]

"Who cares"? How can you NOT care that you're tapping out a thoughtful and in-depth response to someone's problem, only to find that problem was a decade ago and has long been forgotten? I'm very grateful to those who post "Zombie thread!" so I don't waste my time.

[RoundaboutSnail]

It isn't "patronising" to save people the trouble of replying to someone who asked a question years ago.