To ask for zombie threads to be locked

[kawliga]

Gah, just poured my heart out on a zombie thread. Not for the first time. Nothing worse than giving advice to a poster only to realize she had that problem in 2009 and she has definitely moved on by now.

Shit, isn't it? ! God knows why any thread is kept after a year tbh

Yadnbu I've reported a zombie thread from 2014, several times this week and it still not showing up as a zombie thread.

I like threads being kept as they often came up with usefull advice so stopped me asking stupid questions again.
BUT they could be locked, as they are usually re-opened by people with an axe to grind about something or an advert

YABU according to MNHQ.

The official line is that the OP might want to resurrect a thread, but really - how often has that happened? And how often has that happened to a thread 12 months old?

Also the OP could easily start a new thread if she wants to update on what happened in her story.

Yanbu what a great idea

It regularly gets asked and refused. Locking makes a lot of sense as does deleting threads from more topics.

I almost posted on an old thread about hoovers today.

I think there is a little zombie cartoon icon on some of them but it would be helpful to have a "last message posted on..." Date next to the thread title so you can look at current threads for example.

YANBU although I very nearly posted on an old one today locked would work with a new thread if OP wanted to update (after a year..)

Yes, good idea, except it might take a bit more work than the 3 and a half volunteers that MNHQ have on duty can handle (let's face it, they can't even keep on top of the trolls half the time).

I have seen one thread resurrected by an op in relationships.

What about locking them after a year but giving the option to the op to unlock it? Would that be workable?

Been caught out by this myself a few times too. I think the problem is that when a zombie is first resurrected, the zombie alert is present at the bottom of the screen. But after a few / one (?) posts, the alert disappears.

If you read threads as a whole page rather than individual pages Zombie threads are MUCH easier to spot - as are ZOMBIE alerts

I am baffled as to why people continue to click through endless pages!

surely with the wonders of technology they could lock a thread after 60 days of no action????

Posted too soon! I think there should be a permanent "old thread" warning at the top of the page so that it's clear that it's a zombie before you get suckered into reading it all. At least then you can decide whether to carry on or not.

I think lock and the op can ask for it unlocked. Or don't lock relationships, post natal clubs etc which may be returned to.

If they can't lock it, then maybe put something at the top of a zombie thread so you don't read half the bloody thing before realising. Or highlight the Op in a zombie colour so you know straight away.

YA definitely NBU. Why not at least put the warning at the top in huge letters?

Locking would make sense. Especially if it meant getting rid of that ridiculous zombie cartoon.

Of course locking any thread over a year old would make sense. I can't think of any reason not to do this. The OP can either start a new one to update or ask HQ to unlock. If the only reason not to ditch these stupid zombie threads is that either the OP might come back (pigs might bloody fly too!) or the 'information might be useful to someone' (who? Someone who's too stupid to Google?). Is there an official line on just why threads from some topics are kept in perpetuity?

Someone who's too stupid to Google?
Duchess, quite often the old zombie threads are found by people who have Googled.

If a thread that is pages long suddenly appears in Trending and you have never seen it before=zombie.

Funny how it's always the pages long threads that get bumped. usually by a spammer or troll.

I don't understand why the Zombie warning can't be at the start and end of the thread and permanent.