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Original poster

For the 9th time - zombie threads

115 replies

BIWI · 24/10/2021 17:39

There's obviously a reason why people don't realise threads are zombie threads - partly it's because the warning posted by MNHQ only applies to the first person who posts on a thread. Thereafter, it's down to posters replying to that first person.

But even if people then go on to post 'this is a zombie' thread, it gets ignored - highlighting just how many people don't bother to read anything other than the OP.

I know it's been asked about before on here, but nothing ever seems to get done - you say you'll pass it on to the tech team, or will raise it at your next meeting (or whatever), but still it carries on.

Is there a reason why nothing has changed?

(I know some posters don't care, but there are a lot of us for whom this is really irritating, so I'm asking for me and all of those Grin)

OP posts:
Hopeisallineed · 25/10/2021 10:49

@WithMyEncyclopedia just don’t read it then!

Hopeisallineed · 25/10/2021 10:49

‘It makes posters look ridiculous?’ Really? I mean I really don’t think it does. Who really cares. I imagine most posters here who do, have a lot of time on their hands or not very much to worry about.

Oftenithinkaboutit · 25/10/2021 10:46

But if you don’t like them
Can’t you just…. Move to another thread?

WithMyEncyclopedia · 25/10/2021 10:45

@Oftenithinkaboutit

I genuinely can’t understand why people get worked up about zombie threads.

It’s a discussion site. So the issue of the zombie thread may be something that resonates with a poster and so the discussion takes off again.

I'm not worked up, I'm irritated. For example there was a recent thread where the op talked about her 1yo. Years later she resurrected it to talk about her now-3yo. Tons of ppl responded to the op with baby advice etc which was wasting space and time for anyone trying to read it as it was completely irrelevant. And hard to distinguish which posts were about the current situation and which were about the baby situation from years ago.

So it hugely derailed from, and confused, any actual discussion.

Of course the discussion can pick up after a length of time but you'd want it to acknowledge the current point. Things have usually changed massively from the op. Hundreds of new "ltb" posts don't help.

Original poster
BIWI · 25/10/2021 10:39

@Oftenithinkaboutit

I genuinely can’t understand why people get worked up about zombie threads.

It’s a discussion site. So the issue of the zombie thread may be something that resonates with a poster and so the discussion takes off again.

But lots of us do

Particularly when it's resurrecting a thread where the OP has very likely already resolved their issue!

OP posts:
vajingleberry · 25/10/2021 10:39

I genuinely can’t understand why people get worked up about zombie threads

I genuinely don't want any advice from people who just read the OP, don't take note of the date and have such little interest in what anyone else thinks that they can't even be bothered to look for any updates from the OP or even glance at the most recent posts.

Pascha · 25/10/2021 10:31

I wish they would put back the little zombie figure. That's was when MNHQ had a sense of humour.

Oftenithinkaboutit · 25/10/2021 10:29

I genuinely can’t understand why people get worked up about zombie threads.

It’s a discussion site. So the issue of the zombie thread may be something that resonates with a poster and so the discussion takes off again.

vajingleberry · 25/10/2021 10:24

I think the problem is compounded by the fact that you can open a thread, completely ignore the date and the fact that there are hundreds of posts and scroll down page 1 to the "add your message here" box.

If you had to get to the end of the thread before a message box was available then it might mean that people notice that the most recent posts all refer to it being a zombie thread or not, as many posters barely read the OP let alone any subsequent posts

AnotherMansCause · 25/10/2021 10:14

@ErrolTheDragon

What about the threads that are genuinely running for over those period of times?

Time should be since last post rather than first, obviously.

I agree with this. And I am definitely fed up of Zombie posts. It's one of the worst things about MN TBH, very offputting. It seems like it would be a relatively simple fix but MNHQ don't want to do it for some reason. Outdated site architecture maybe?
SpindelWhorl · 25/10/2021 10:13

I'll try out any solution tbh, I find it so bloody irritating.

iklboo · 25/10/2021 10:11

It's especially irritating when the 'new' poster just spouts something that's already been said loads of times in the thread cancel the cheque.

ErrolTheDragon · 25/10/2021 10:09

What about the threads that are genuinely running for over those period of times?

Time should be since last post rather than first, obviously.

SunshineCake1 · 25/10/2021 10:07

@MagentaRocks

There have been suggestions before that MNHQ will look at but don't. One suggestion I and others made was a traffic light system. The posts change to a green background up to 6 months old, orange 6 to 12 months and red for over 12 months.
What about the threads that are genuinely running for over those period of times?
WithMyEncyclopedia · 25/10/2021 09:58

I agree op and think that some sort of colour coding would be good, or a complete change in colour/ style for the "new" posts, plus the "heads up" message being kept (modified) for the first 25 or so new posts.

I think a lot of zombies are resurrected by people finding them from google, those people wouldn’t necessarily know that a different colour meant zombie, or even notice it was a different colour

True, but the irritation is mostly about people that post after the resurrecting post, who won't see the "heads up" message on the text box.

MagentaRocks · 25/10/2021 09:52

There have been suggestions before that MNHQ will look at but don't. One suggestion I and others made was a traffic light system. The posts change to a green background up to 6 months old, orange 6 to 12 months and red for over 12 months.

HeartsAndClubs · 25/10/2021 09:25

Maybe the thread could be automatically locked if it hasn’t been posted on for say, 3 months, and only the OP could then post on it if they wanted to update.

Original poster
BIWI · 25/10/2021 09:23

@ItWaAgathaAllAlong

If you start in Active then the date shown is the start date. But people seem not to take any notice of that.

Even worse, IMVHO is on the app, where no dates are shown - either of the first or latest post.

OP posts:
Original poster
BIWI · 25/10/2021 09:20

@MrsFezziwig

I care. Though not as much as I care about posters who can’t be arsed to read the thread and post at page 20 with “someone may have already mentioned this facile suggestion “ Of course they have, it’s page 20! (a fact which is obvious as the number of pages appears above the OP). But they think they’re so special that only they can have thought of a blindingly obvious solution.

Sorry for the derail

@MrsFezziwig

I've noticed a new trend now though - posters who start their post with 'sorry, I haven't read the thread but ... ' as if, somehow, that absolves them of their heinous crime!

OP posts:
ItsNotNormalLove · 25/10/2021 01:04

I think it would be really useful if the OP could lock the thread themselves by clicking a "this thread has been resolved" button or similar. Obviously wouldn't work on those threads where the OP posts once then disappears, but might help a bit.

MrsFezziwig · 25/10/2021 00:52

I care. Though not as much as I care about posters who can’t be arsed to read the thread and post at page 20 with “someone may have already mentioned this facile suggestion “
Of course they have, it’s page 20! (a fact which is obvious as the number of pages appears above the OP). But they think they’re so special that only they can have thought of a blindingly obvious solution.

Sorry for the derail

FelicityBeedle · 25/10/2021 00:27

I think a lot of zombies are resurrected by people finding them from google, those people wouldn’t necessarily know that a different colour meant zombie, or even notice it was a different colour

ErrolTheDragon · 25/10/2021 00:23

There is no zombie thread warning on the iOS app, is there? And sometimes they're resurrected by spammers or people looking for opportunities to shitstir.
I don't know why after a certain point they can't be locked - with a final autogenerated message from MNHQ telling people they can report the thread and ask for it to be unlocked if there's a good reason (eg the OP with an update).

Original poster
BIWI · 25/10/2021 00:12

That has been suggested before, @ChicCroissant, and I think it's a really good idea. But it's one of the myriad suggestions that @MNHQ seem to simply ignore.

OP posts:
ChicCroissant · 25/10/2021 00:09

Maybe Zombie threads could be a different colour, but all the responses instead of just the OP's?