To wish MN could put 'ZOMBIE THREAD ALERT'........

[TheFecklessFairy]

.......at the BEGINNING of a thread?

I am fed-up just lately of reading a thread to find Zombie Thread Alert at the END

(And don't say "look at the date" - how many of us actually DO that?)

YANBU. I was nearly caught out by one yesterday. It was resurrected from 2010

Funny thing with zombie threads - the person who bumps it is always a name who's never posted before and you never see them again either. I think half the time it's a wind up merchant doing it.
But YANBU OP - something should be done to warn readers.

I just wish they'd stop being so stubborn and lock the threads after 6 months.

That way they're still there to read and if anyone wants to discuss the thread subject after that time, they can start a new one and link to it if they wish.

They do put a Zombie Alert by the new message box that stays there for a couple of new posts. So, it's not just the resurrector that causes the problem, its whoever posts after them too.

Christ there's no way I would like the job of locking threads at 6 months old

I don't understand why bump them up in the first place. There's big red words at the reply box and I don't think it goes for a few more posts does it?

FarFromAnyRoad
I think a lot of zombie thread bumpers are new to the site, not sure how it works and have made an honest mistake.

Xpost

Christ there's no way I would like the job of locking threads at 6 months old

Why? It's automatic on a lot of forums.

On some sites if you start a thread about something that has already been discussed at some point in the past then people get shitty.
One forum I post on is like this. Many of us have been posting there for the last 15 years. Some new person comes along and starts a thread and gets a bollocking because this has been discussed 10 years ago and why didn't they bother too look.

That said, on mn it is made very clear that you shouldn't resurrect zombie threads.

Not on any I've been on. They all had to be manually locked.

It would be handy if an automatic lock could be put in though.

quietly goes away to google zombie threads
I think I might have done this today - sorry - newbie! Didn't realise it wasn't allowed. Where is it made clear please Pipbin?

I've asked and asked this myself. MNHQ seem reluctant to do it although I don't understand why . I also think old threads should be locked.

This has been asked for a lot. Don't know why HQ won't put it at the beginning of the thread as well as the message box. It just makes so much sense.

This gets asked in a monthly basis.

I'd just lock old threads down. Fine to be archived and read but if you want to start a discussion about it just link to the original thread. Easy.

The zombie thread warning doesn't seem to show up when I'm on my phone rather than a pc. If that's universal then it might be that the resurrectors don't realise.

It's also done by people who come across a list posts somewhere like Mumsnet's FB page, and clicks through, and if there are enough of us them, then it becomes an active thread again so they dont get the warning.

Manic it is clear when you try to resurrect a thread.