To wonder why people reply 'zombie thread!' on zombie threads

[henhelppls]

Threads on here often come up as a result of Google searches. So resurrections are bound to happen often. Why do HELPFUL people here like to then pile on and state 'zombie thread!' - what's so bad about reopening discussions?

Because when someone is replying to the Op specifically who posted in some cases years ago it is a waste of their time?

Because often people won’t notice the date. Will read the op and consequent posts and post a reply without realising that the party/ house purchase/ question happened over 5 years ago.

How do you know that they haven't noticed the date though? And why not reopen the chat?

Because often the comments are now irrelevant. The OP probably doesn't need advice on her birth choices when the child is now 7 for example. If you want to discuss a topic start a thread.

I've replied to a few zombie threads without realising. It's a waste of time. Start a new thread about yourself if you want to discuss it!

I've done this to alert posters who are replying to someone else's long-dead dilemma.

I do because it irks me when I plough through a thread and am about to respond then realise it's years old and now irrelevant. So i think it might stop others wasting time posting and keeping it going.

New OP s should start their own thread as they will get better/more responses as many people will stop reading as soon as they notice it's a zombie. I do love it though when an original poster puts and update on an old thread though.

How do you know that they haven't noticed the date though? And why not reopen the chat?

Because they reply to the OP who is long gone/solved issue. It's really not hard to work out why. A lot of people don't notice the date.

I reply to a zombie thread with a genuine answer and advice/experience sharing.

When I see something in AIBU or another topic, I generally never check the date as you assume it's current chat if it's there on the first page of the topic.

I agree with the others

Some of these threads are years old

So the baby unable to sleep is now at school

I dont generally 'pile on' (hate that phrase) and yell zombie thread though

But I absolutely see why others do and it saves me reading the whole thing unnecessarily

Though it always gives me a jolt when i read one of my posts from 5 years ago

Because if people see it’s a zombie thread they might stop wasting time replying and the thread might fall off the bottom of the page?

A better question might be ‘why does someone resurrect a thread years later to a problem which has undoubtedly been resolved or forgotten about by now?’

However interesting & relevant the new post might be, most posters will just either reply to the opening post or (me usually) get halfway down the first page, recognise names of posters who left years ago, check the date & realise I've been wasting my time.

Or you get through it and see someone suggesting you might try Woolworths or BHS for the item they require.

"And why not reopen the chat?"

On some sites you would. I'm a member of other sites where that would be the norm (and indeed you're be told off for not using the existing thread).

MN has different norms, and here the norm is to start a new thread. Or if you are trying to take over someone else's, at least acknowledge what you are doing and explain why you are doing it. If there's a good reason and you've made that clear, you're unlikely to get a hard time.

I can't remember which poster it was, but someone on here actually replied to their own op. It was so long ago they had forgotten about it.

And why not reopen the chat? Because that's not how MN works. 90% of posters will read the OP and respond. They won't notice it's a reopening of the thread so won't respond to the reopened.

It's pointless resurrecting zombies and flagging it up serves to alert other people to it and helps newbies quickly learn it's a Very Bad Thing

I opened a thread from mid 2017 which for some reason was trending this morning and saw a message from MN in the message box saying this was an old thread and perhaps I didn't want to comment on it. Not sure if it actually said it was a Zombie thread. There had been no new responses since 2017, anyway. The Trending messages are very peculiar on MN today - at the moment, they are all the same as the ones which were trending this time yesterday, which is odd!

I have never seen the point of reanimating a 5 or 6 year old thread.

Just start a new one.

Because zombie threads are a pain in the ass (except the one where the op answered herself, that was absolutely hilarious!!). If you want to chat start a new thread

Also trolls and spammers are renowned for doing it.

I can't remember which poster it was, but someone on here actually replied to their own op.

I haven't done that but I have opened a zombie thread, read my 5 year old reply without noticing the username and thought "ooh who's that, she really makes a good point there."

The trouble with posting ZOMBIE!!! is that the first warning is helpful, but subsequent ones just keep the thread on the front page.

It’s a case of damned you do or damned if you don’t though.

So often you’ll get the ‘this topic has been done to death’ comment on a thread that a poster has started, which puts some people off of starting their own.

I really hate this. As others have said, forums have different norms and on all forums I’ve been members of (for the last 15 years) it’s considered bad form to keep starting posts asking the same questions, you’re expected to read and Bounce old ones. The nothing contribution of posting “zombie thread”
Is really, really, irritating

If the OP is after specific advice on something, then it's irrelevant years down the line. Laws change, situations change, people have grown, moved away etc. Quite frankly I don't think the OP cares if years down the line you can solve her years old problem

I can't remember which poster it was, but someone on here actually replied to their own op.

Didn’t she post asking opinions about a MacLaren buggy, then reply years later saying not to bother, she had one and it was rubbish?😂