Zombie threads

[KinkyAfro]

Why do people keep posting on these? There's one that hasn't been posted on since 2011 and someone has added a message today.

Not important in the grand scheme of things but it is annoying.

There was one the other day from 2009!

The most irritating thing about it is that it's not clear when a thread is a ZOMBIE thread.
If someone chooses to resurrect a dead thread then that's one thing but when it's done by mistake then that's quite another.

The Zombie warnings disappear after a few new post. I'm not sure how many though. I don't understand why.

I had a post resurrected not long ago which was pretty bad timing (I was questioning whether I was too old to have another baby at the time and then was miscarrying when the thread was posted on again calling me a dick!).

I've been on other forums where the thread just gets closed so it's there for future reference but can't be posted on. That makes more sense to me.

I've seen a couple today.

And it is weird (to me at least) when it is the first post under that user name.

I don't mind zombies - other sites Ia use have it as very Bad Form to start a new thread when there's a perfectly good one already.

But it would help if re-animators would state why they are resurrecting a particular thread.

As AuntieStella says - very often it is the first post under a new user name. First, and last. Always makes me suspicious. There's a PBP whose MO it is to do this and then integrate via other threads although it is so witless it always gives itself away before the day is out -so aside from it being that particular fuckwit I can't think of a single reason to revive a years old thread.

I don't understand why people let this irritate them. It always comes off as oddly controlling. It really doesn't matter how old a thread is, it can nearly always spark a good discussion.

How can a zombie thread be resurrected by mistake (for example when it's been found after a Google search), when the zombie thread warning would be there at that point?

I saw one a couple of days ago that was resurrected because someone posted something spammy/advertising. The post was deleted by MNHQ but it had already been bumped so people were adding to it.

helenahandbag had the zombie thread warning disappeared then? It really needs to stay longer.

Yes, it disappeared. I only noticed that it was a zombie because people were saying 'ffs, zombie thread!'

Zombie threads are typically reactivitared by spammers or trolls. Sometimes zombie threads are fun. It would be pity if threads could not be reactivitared. It's up to mumsnetters to complain if a thread has been inappropriately activated.

I have no real issue with it, though I do try to make some sort of mental note about the date of the OP.

Some of the old threads can still contain good advice which may be as relevant today as it was 5 years ago.

I have been on forums which asked users to check whether the topic they were asking about was already covered on other perhaps older threads before starting new ones. So I don't get what the issue is with "zombie" threads nor really why people seem to get so het up over them. They can still be helpful to other people.

Perhaps a warning at the top of the thread about the age of it would be a good idea, but other than that no problem.

The issue with the zombie thread is most noticeable late night when the almost the entire active convo list gets filled by spammy posters/trolls. It is frustrating because it can make the site unusable - although easier to spot the spammy posters/ trolls but there is not generally that many people about to deal with it.

1 example I can recall is a spammy poster who was basically dredging up behavioural issue threads more or less saying that everything was detrimental and they needed to use their services. On some of the threads it was incredibly detrimental and totally inappropriate. And because it occurred late at night some of the threads were still around the next morning. Another case iirc there was another troll who was basically posting horrible things on all the miscarriage threads and also dredged up zombie threads to do so.

Locking threads more than a set period old (say 1 yr /18mths/ 2yrs or whatever) would potentially limit the number of threads available to the spammy poster/trolls etc to target.

I will happily admit that because most of my mnning is done between 10pm and 6am that I will notice this more simply because there is not as many people about to dilute the effect.

Locking a thread would preserve the information and advice which seems a far better option than to archive. Although with the way the site is going it would not surprise me if HQ has to consider archiving and deleting some of the oldest threads, if they don't already.

Often old threads poo up when I Google. I'd kinda like to animate them as the conversation is still valis, but know its frounded apon

I bumped one yesterday (or the day before) looking for flapjack recipes. It was from earlier in 2015 so not THAT old and surely a foolproof flapjack recipe will always be just that?

There is always the risk too that if I had started my own flapjack thread I would have been told to look at one of the numerous other flapjack recipes that are all over MN.

KakiFruit I don't find it irritating because I'm 'oddly controling' I find it irritating because I put time and effort into writing a reply then I realize it's completely pointless. It's caught me out a couple of times.

It's a good way to spot fuckwits though. The ones who CBA to RTFT and castigate the OP for something they've acknowledged was wrong 5 pages and 5 years ago!

The best one I've ever seen has to be the one where a MNer started a thread in the pushchairs topic, asking about a pushchair that would be easily transportable on a plane. No one replied to her thread. Almost exactly a year later, she got a reply. Off herself, telling herself all about the pushchair and how lightweight it was and easy to transport :o she hadn't noticed that she was replying to her own thread from a year ago :o

I was having a read through an old thread from a year ago that I'd posted on and a mumsnetter named Japanesemargaret pretty much predicted exactly how the issue would unfold in the following 12 months.

I was going to post about that thread Cunny. :o