To wonder why posters, eg asdfghjkl123 resurrect zombie threads and ASK mumsnet HQ to make it easier to spot

[foreverondiet]

PLEASE mumsnet, please have some way of being easily able to tell that a zombie thread has been resurrected.

Eg warning before you post or a different colour or something (am sure someone else can suggest?!)

Don't know what MNHQ can do about it, but in fairness to those people who do resurrect threads, I have found recently that I seem to get an old page loading when I log on. I have no idea why, but often all the threads are months, if not years old.

Sometimes people call zombie when what they mean is, the issue has been discussed before. As a newbie, I wasn't here last time so for me it is still interesting.

I haven't come across that beast, I don't have an issue with resurrected threads necessarily either really, although updates from the OP can be useful at times. Sometimes the discussion has deviated to a point where the OPs input becomes almost irrelevant.

Yes, what's the etiquette on that? There are some threads which are really interesting except the OP has completely vanished. Is it polite to stop, or does nobody ind if it takes on a life of its own?

I don't care about the etiquette, if the conversation is interesting then go for it. Just be prepared for the idiot who shouts
zombie thread
zombie thread
zombie thread
every few posts!

I've often seen that when someone starts a thread on a oft discussed subject, people pile in with
"yawn, this has been done hundreds of times. Why didn't you search before posting it again"

But if you search, find something relevant and post, then that's wrong too as its a zombie thread.

Damned if you do, and Damned if you don't.

Well, if the thread is from 2001 about a preschooler? The situation has most certainly resolved itself!!!

This has been suggested before. I think it's on Tech's list.

For some reason MNHQ refuse to lock old threads after a certain time.

Apparently it's so that posters can come back and update/other people might need to use the thread at a later date.

But I don't see what's wrong with locking old threads and then anyone updating, can start another thread linking to it.

@Tee- So this has been discussed before?

zombie thread

Ooh I enjoyed that....

I was just about to say the same thing Worra, surely starting a new thread and linking the old one if preferable to continuing a really old thread. This would give clarity to people who didn't see the original thread and cba to RTFT.

Perhaps MNHQ could just change the background colour of the thread if it is more than a month since the last post.

Worra but wouldn't that then be a thread about a thread?

The idea to change the thread colour after a certain amount of time has been bandied around before.

And creating a thread about a topic that has been covered is not a zombie thread. Next time someone says it is? Tell them Tee says they are wrong.

::gavel::

I tend to post ZOMBIE THREAD all over it - that helps

I've never seen anybody call a thread about an oft-discussed topic a zombie thread. I've only seen it on a, well, zombie thread.

And I don't think people explaining it's a zombie thread are being idiotic, they're saving people the time of responding to the op because what happens is this...

OP: detailed issue, specific problems
MN members: discussion, debate, accusations, flouncing, in-jokes, asides, dodgy links, issue resolved

Thread is resurrected with a banal comment
Well meaning posters: respond sensitively and thoughtfully to the op's question about their non-sleeping baby. Who is now four.

showofhands This thread was started because another thread was resurrected and I posted zombiethread all over it . It wasn't a go at anyone else

Worra but wouldn't that then be a thread about a thread?

Yes, so all MNHQ would have to do is make a minor change to the rules regarding locked threads.