Locking old threads

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

Dear MNHQ - I know this discussion has been had before but is it worth considering locking threads after a certain period of time, say a year or so, so that they don't suddenly appear in Active and prompt a bunch of new posters to reply to an OP that is several years old?

There's one on defibrillators that is 3.5 years old, that has just been reanimated by someone who works with defibrillators - I suspect a bot has trawled websites looking for "active" threads, which this one would appear to be as it's not locked out, and the poster has therefore posted on it.

What do you think about locking out zombie threads?

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

it's now on "Trending"...

[LilacSpunkMonkey]

Yes please.

I know it's come up before but once a thread reaches a certain 'age' it's either no longer relevant or the OP is most likely long gone.

The other problem is, as has happened with the thread in question, people are still only reading the OP and posting at the end to have a go at them, when in actual fact the OP agreed and changed their mind - three and a half years ago!

Please can we have a cut off point for re-animating the dead?

[magimedi]

Thumb I was just about to start a thread on this myself & you've beaten me to it.

I know I should look at the date of the first post before starting to read but I don't always. Anyhow, the date is not shown until you have opened the thread & hey, it's a Zombie thread.

There rarely seems to be anything further that needs saying so why bother. Could they not be automatically locked after a year?

If someone is just looking for information, it's still there.

If someone needs more information and/or opinions they can start their own post.

Please (& gin) MNHQ, could you do this?

What are your reasons for keeping threads open for so long?

[OhPillocks]

Yes please from me too.

At the very least the ZOMBIE warning shouldn't ever disappear.

[SauvignonBlanche]

Oh yes please, or at very least keep the Zombie warning.

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

Yes, that would help a bit, although clearly not enough for some!

Maybe it should flash all over the OP's post, since some people only feel the need to read that first post and nothing else?

[Sparklingbrook]

Keep the zombie warning and add 'think about starting your own thread'or lock them.

There has been a spate of it this week. Subjects such as pubic hair and electric fences.

[HoneyDragon]

Oh god yes PLEASE!

[SauvignonBlanche]

It was quite enlightening on one of the zombie threads when someone said,
I never read the thread. I reply to the OP.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

It explains a lot, Sauvignon, doesn't it?

'Oooh, look at this OP! AIBU never to wash up? I reckon the leftovers from the last meal just add to the flavour of the next meal. There's too much fuss about germs these days. Well, really! Of course she's BU. I must tell her so at once. I'll just scroll down past hese dozens of other replies, none of which will be saying YABVVVVVU, of course....'

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

Yup. Both enlightening and depressing, eh Sauv...

[Sparklingbrook]

This resurrection is quite a good example of none thread reading.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1487815--to-be-really-pissed-that-my-neighbour-had-put-up-electric-fence?msgid=57698077

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

Yes, another one Sparkling. And then there was the fairly recent one where a poster had asked if women should get pg over 35; I think that one was locked out though because she actually came back to say that she'd had several miscarriages since her initial post :(

[hobnobsaremyfavourite]

Yes please

[BeccaMumsnet]

Hi all - thanks for suggestion ThumbWitches and thanks to everyone for posting. We'll have a read and see what we think.

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

Thanks Becca :)

[PinkSquash]

Please please please MNHQ! Also, could the zombie be added to the mobile site too, as sometimes it takes me a few posts to click. But I would happily see all older threads locked.

[MilkTwoSugarsThanks]

I definitely think zombie threads should be locked. I don't see any reason for not locking them tbh. I'm sure if an OP wanted a thread re-opened they could contact MNHQ.

[Sparklingbrook]

This thread from in the week touched on it

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2511445-To-ask-you-to-check-the-date-of-the-OP-before-posting-on-a-thread

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

Oo, and while we're here and Becca is getting MNHQ to think about things, can I please put in another bid for automatic highlighting of the OP's posts, rather than it being an "opt-in" thing in customisation? PLEASE?

Highlighting OP's posts automatically would make things an awful lot easier for newbies and infrequent users and get us around a lot of the people who refuse to RTFT because they're "oh so busy and important and don't have the time in their oh-so-busy-and-important lives to read all the posts on a long thread".

[TempusEedjit]

It gets my effing goat though, PLEASE could you lock old threads MNHQ?

[TempusEedjit]

^^ and what Thumb said above

[bruffin]

I have asked before, but it wasnt done. If the op wants to update an old thread then all they have to do is start a new thread, lable it update and link to their old thread.