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Original poster

Colour code zombie threads?

135 replies

quoteunquote · 29/04/2013 19:10

I unwittingly contributed to a thread that had for some reason (best known to the person that did it),been resuscitated,

Could you add, a colour bar where the title is, or on the side, that indicates how old a thread is, blue for current, green a week old, yellow a month, orange six, and red year and beyond,

Then people would be instantly aware when joining in with a thread as to when it was started, as clearly a lot of us don't spot the year when on these threads, and some times people carefully choose threads that the day and month match to resuscitate.

Anyway it would be a simple way of stopping the annoying problem, and for people like the person who started the thread in the above link, they wouldn't have to have something they probably rather forget jump out at them, I hope the OP of that thread is happy now.

OP posts:

FruOla · 12/05/2013 18:17

fortunately I don't actually need to get into Tech's queue at the moment!

SuffolkNWhat · 12/05/2013 16:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FruOla · 12/05/2013 15:51

Apparently Tech has a 'Tech Queue'.

Who wants to get first in the queue for Tech?

Startail · 12/05/2013 13:10

Please colour code, my dyslexic brain transposes numbers, the time date stamp thingy does my head, especially in tiny print on my phone.

ItsAllTLAsToMe · 12/05/2013 13:02

I think this is a great idea . And sorting the threads by date when you search for something would be great too.

Original poster

quoteunquote · 12/05/2013 12:56

thanks for replying, it would be nice to have an instant visual clue.

OP posts:

MNHQ

RowanMumsnet · 11/05/2013 20:48

Hello

Sorry, not sure where we got to with this; we'll try to find out but it probably won't be until after the weekend. Sorry!

Original poster

quoteunquote · 11/05/2013 20:43

just have a key next to reply box

blue for current, (same as now,cold)
green a week old, (starting to mould)
yellow a month, (pus forming)
orange six months, (septic)
red year and beyond (burned up)

as in reverse rainbow.

OP posts:

SilveryMoon · 11/05/2013 20:20

I like the idea of the advanced search being in most recent date order.
The colour coding is ok, but would there be a key code on the screen? I wouldn't remember what colour was for what time period so there'd have to be a reference on the page somewhere

Original poster

quoteunquote · 11/05/2013 20:17

how is the colour coding going MNHQ

OP posts:

Original poster

quoteunquote · 01/05/2013 18:55

Well when someone starts one, just add a link to the previous one.

I like the idea of the colour codes, as it doesn't have to stop people using a thread, it just helps people make a choice about replying,

across the internet the etiquette is quite different on many forums, as to using old threads, on some forums you must, some you must not, I like that MN is flexible, or tries to be,

when someone does resuscitate an old thread it always annoys some, that won't change unless they are locked, MN could only lock them if they locked all old ones, which would be even more annoying for those who do have long on going threads of use,

at least if they were colour coded, then people could decide if they want to join in with an old thread, they may well want to join in with the new post, and not answer, reply to the original OP.

OP posts:

secretscwirrels · 01/05/2013 17:39

There must be a way of at least flagging up that it's an old thread so that even if the poster chooses to resurrect it you can see at a glance it's a zombie. I know the date is there and I'm alert to that most of the time.

On the other hand I sometimes wish there was the opposite of a zombie, stickies I think they call them.
I'm a regular haunter on the teenage page and about once a month someone starts a new thread about 17 year old drivers and car insurance. If only all the wisdom of past replies was in one place.

Original poster

quoteunquote · 30/04/2013 21:26

Was the advice put a pop up vest over a pop up baby grow?

OP posts:

Flisspaps · 30/04/2013 17:59

There was one not so long back asking advice about stopping a child taking off their nappy or babygro or something in their cot.

The child would have been getting ready to start secondary school by the time the thread was resurrected by someone kindly offering advice

ItsYoniYappy · 30/04/2013 17:59

I'm so thick I actually thought Zombie was having colour coded threads.

Good idea, I didn't see the train one first time round but it looked a bit nasty, I'm assuming it pffted!

Tee2072 · 30/04/2013 17:53

I remember the one with the poster answering herself!

Goblin I love the ones where it's a question about a specific age and I can post 'Um, this is 3 years old. The toddler in question is now in school...' or similar.

IamtheZombie · 30/04/2013 17:48

Zombie thinks she would quite like to be colour coded.

FruOla · 30/04/2013 16:42

I agree with Hec (who doesn't?!). If the thread relates to something that isn't really 'time sensitive' which can be carried on for years a while, then it doesn't matter.

LadyBeagleEyes · 30/04/2013 12:22

There was one from a couple of weeks ago that had been started in 2010, resurrected a year later then again recently.
A number of people said it was a zombie thread, but so many people just read the first post and don't RTFT anyway, (my pet hate on MN) it carried on with a life of it's own.
It was about taking the best stuff from charity shops.
I expect to see it back in early 2015.

ImTooHecsyForYourParty · 30/04/2013 11:34

I saw that. Bloody funny.

FruOla · 30/04/2013 11:33

There's another one in AIBU at the moment, about recycling, that was started two years ago. Someone on the resurrected part of it has said :

"Recycling old threads - how very environmentally conscious"

ImTooHecsyForYourParty · 30/04/2013 11:32

Good idea.

Of course, depending on the thread, it being old isn't necessarily a problem. Some conversations can be picked up months or years later and people enjoy diving back into it and it doesn't hurt at all (say, an old thread about, I dunno, religion, brought back after a year). Others - eg if someone is asking for advice - it's pointless to.

but either way, colour change would be good, because at least it's clear.

I mean, you'd think that we'd all be able to read the bloody date on the OP, but no.

Original poster

quoteunquote · 30/04/2013 11:28

mostly with irate northerners being insulted and insulting

Hopefully one of them is the original OP, now totally happy and bonded with the city, name changed and with some sort of amnesia causing her not to realise she started the thread.

OP posts:

GoblinGranny · 30/04/2013 11:18

I get ignored on zombie threads.
I sit there saying 'It's dead'
'Zombie thread'
'The OP left two years ago'
'Tumti tumti tum, when will anyone notice?'
And no one pays any attention, because no one reads the thread, they just leap straight in with their tuppence-worth. That thread is still growing, mostly with irate northerners being insulted and insulting. Oh well.

LadyBeagleEyes · 30/04/2013 11:13

I often read the zombie threads and notice posters that have either namechanged or even been banned. Or i think I've seen that before.
That is when I check the date, but I've been caught out a couple of times.
A lot of people say what's the harm, but I don't like responding to people that may not exist any more.
I think the colour coding would be a great idea.

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