Not an AIBU, but I've cracked the zombie threads

[Gymnopedie]

Not the ones from 2007 that we were being treated to a while ago, that was someone stirring. But the ones that are popping up now from much earlier this year.

There's a new feature on the boards. Below the posts on a thread and before the box where you can post a reply, there is now a list of 'similar threads'. I've just clicked on a couple at random because I was curious, and got a thread from April this year and one from August. So when threads from a few months ago pop back up (as I've seen a couple on the S&B board) it's not the poster's fault. They haven't deliberately gone looking for old threads to resurrect, they've been led there by MNHQ. So much for asking MN to do something about zombie threads, they're actively facilitating their revival.

I shall now toddle off to site stuff to recommend that the feature is removed as fast as it appeared.

There's a thread 500+ posts long in Site Stuff about this feature already...

I've just toddled and discovered that!!!

Thread for anyone else

It's a shame the suggested similar threads doesn't work for those in site stuff.

It would be helpful to have a link to the current thread with over 500 posts suggested on this thread, but for some reason threads in site stuff are excluded from being a similar thread suggestion.

Funny how that works... 😶

Isn't it just. But I've linked to it myself^^. That'll fool 'em!

By Jove you’ve got it!

The answer to preventing this in the future is to only post on 30 days/90 days only, then there will be no Zombie threads ever again.
Except for many years of really old ones...

Thing is - it comes back to people READING the OP including the DATE - if we did that I'm sure most people would realise

Unfortunately MN couldn’t give a shit what posters want. Conspicuous by their absence in that thread - not answering any questions or engaging, just saying they’re taking it on board

You might find you're very late to the party.

I've done the same with a sleep related one, although it was only a few months buryed

You might find you're very late to the party.

I am and I've acknowledged it. But equally I haven't seen anything on any other boards so maybe it will help people who don't go on Site Stuff.

On the I'm a Celebrity thread, 'similar threads' - Best hold-all/rucksack for scout camp?

The other thing that happens is trolls for whatever reason commenting inflammatory posts on old threads which causes people to start talking on it (bumps the threads)

But why does it matter?
A zombie thread gets a new lease of life with new posters who are interested in that topic.
I really don’t understand all these people who come on and post “Zombie Zombie”. Let the new people have their new discussion.

It depends on the subject matter. The Zombie cry is perfectly legitimate if the child having problems settling at nursery is now doing a Masters at Sheffield. More general conversation, eg 'AIBU to ask what trivial things infuriate you?' is perfectly fine to pick up again, whether the OP is from 3 this afternoon or 2014.

It hardly ever works that way.

This. I thought it was actually someone campaigning for a "shut the thread" option, in all honesty.

A lot of people either can’t be arsed to RTFT and simply reply to the first post, or start reading & then notice the dates maybe 20 posts in or more & realise they’ve wasted their time.

Yes that’s exactly the way it works. ((Or doesn’t really!)

I spotted this a while ago. Anything that gets more traffic that means more ads. I only go through the app if I'm posting a thread myself. The app for replying to threads and comments is useless.

This isn't helpful as you think it is
In the MN App quite often the date in OP and for pages and pages of comments may be missing. It's random whether any of them have dates. I've just seen a thread which I know is months old show up and 10 pages in there's NOT ONE DATE to any of the posts or the OP in the MN app.

It would've impossible to know what ia a zombie thread and what not, if MNHQ don't sort out this glitch.

I'm just wondering how OP missed all the threads about this (for there have been several)

This happened to me a couple of days ago. I posted a comment and then noticed the 'similar thread' had had no other comments from Nov. 2021. To be fair the thread was only 2 pages long so I didn't think to look at the date. I felt like an idiot though and apologised for resurrecting it.

This happened to me a couple of days ago. I posted a comment and then noticed the 'similar thread' had had no other comments from Nov. 2021. To be fair the thread was only 2 pages long so I didn't think to look at the date. I felt like an idiot though and apologised for resurrecting it.

Did it not have the warning at the bottom telling you the thread hadn't been posted on in a while? If not, then that needs looked at.

slashlover No, there was no warning but there had been no comments for over a month. Perhaps there needs to be a longer gap before a thread is designated zombie by MN? No interest for over a month seems to me that the thread is pretty much dead, though.