Can we have a zombie warning at the top of threads too please?

[FlaviaAlbia]

Please pretty please?

It's so annoying to read the whole way though a thread if you haven't checked the OP's date to find it's a spammer or something bumping it.

Hello there

Thanks for bringing this up. We do understand that zombie threads are really, really irritating. We try and strike a balance between warning people they are posting on an old thread but not scaring them off from a potentially useful thread due because it's plastered in big red warning letters.

However we'll put this on our list of things to think about. At one stage having a permanent zombie warning anywhere was just about unthinkable and look at us now..

Do keep reporting that spam though.

Thanks

Ok, thanks

Yes please. I really find the zombie threads annoying, especially when the fist new poster posts as if it is a current thread, and then others do. I don't understand how they can miss it being a zombie thread.

I don't see why you can't put something less scary at the top.

I dunno...

THIS THREAD WAS STARTED IN MAY 2004. YOU MAY FIND THE INFORMATION / ADVICE USEFUL, BUT IT MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE TO ADD FURTHER POSTS.

...in red.

Or could threads just be 'closed' after a certain length of time? That way people would be able to read them, but wouldn't be able to post on them, so if they still wanted to post after seeing all the information, then they would start a new thread, which seems to be what most people resurrecting zombie threads should probably do anyway to get updated or specific advice rather than loads of pointless posts or zombie reminders.

You don't absolutely need to have great big red letters though. How about starting off by putting the year date of the OP in red or bold after a certain time? That might be enough of a clue.

I agree with the others - the big WARNING ZOMBIE THREAD isn't needed at the top, but a more gentle reminder would be handy.

Also, when some spammer added to an old thread, the thread came to the top (this was recently in geeky_stuff ) so despite it being an old thread, it could have been an interesting snippet of information ...

In that case, however, all that was 'new' when I saw it was a Mumsnet notice about the Talk guidelines and the post from some (presumably) spammer was deleted. Can the post not be completely deleted and the thread drop back to being historic, (a) without needing to be shown in the 'recently updated' thread list for the topic area, and (b) having only the 'message deleted by Mumsnet' 'addition' which is clearly not 'adding' to the topic under discussion.

In my view, an old thread should remain 'old' if all that has happened is a spammer adding a junk comment and MNHQ deleting it.