MNHQ here: removing the 90 day limit on _Chat threads

[KateMumsnet]

Hello all

Just a quick heads up that we're going to be removing the 90-day limit on the lifespan of threads started in the _Chat topic on Monday.

There are two reasons for this - firstly, people often don't clock that _Chat threads go pouf at a certain point; once they realise, they ask us to move their thread, and that can take a fair bit of time at our end.

The other is that, Mumsnet being the amazing resource that it is, MN _Chat threads show up in people's search results for anything and everything. When they click through, though, the thread's gone pouf - that's a pretty frustrating user experience and we'd really like to fix it.

Don't worry, though, if you don't want your thread to hang around - just post it in the 30 day's only topic, which does exactly what it says on the tin: posts go pouf after 30 days, and aren't crawled by Google at any point.

While everyone's getting used to it we're very happy to move threads out of _Chat and into 30 days' if you forget - so do give us a shout via contactus@ if that happens.

Cheers all,

MNHQ

Oops. The general principle is correct though - it’s to make it easy to find.

So the underscore moves it to the bottom!

Yes, when it was introduced there were many complaints about how frivolous and common it will be to have a chat topic so they put th underscore in to sort it to the bottom where it was less noticeable.

Ridiculous really.

At the risk of being the thread police imo it would be a much better idea to encourage a culture of posting in the correct topics so that chat can be used only for stuff that no one needs to preserve for ever, your storage devices must be groaning under the weight of drivel and perennial threads to which no one can ever add anything new (P & C parking/how often you wash your sheets/why don't people reply to part invites to name a few).

As a user I'd log on more often if I know that topics I have choosen to hide won't then end up cluttering up my active convos because nobody cares about posting in the right place.

Well, as long as all threads started before the deadline still expire (because people will have posted on them in expectation that they will)

And they need to make it bloody clear during the transition (different colour, perhaps?) whether the thread is going to be ephemeral or permanent.

I think they've got this wrong though.

Ephermeral chat is a good thing. And I'd make AIBU ephemeral too. There are plenty of topics for those who are looking for worthwhile advice.

At the risk of being the thread police imo it would be a much better idea to encourage a culture of posting in the correct topics so that chat can be used only for stuff that no one needs to preserve for ever

Completely agree

Sorry, I think this is a stupid idea.

Another who’s not keen on this idea.

Bizarre idea. Why not just subsume 30 days into Chat, make Chat threads auto delete after 30 days, and encourage people to use topics.

AIBU threads should auto delete too.

Ah bollocks. We're on the sweary thread. it's just chat, foul language and personal stuff. 30 days is no way long enough, but neither do we want it around forever.

I realise you haven't actually asked our opinion. But it's a no from me.

What about threads that have already been started with the OP believing they’d expire after 90 days?

It’s very unfair if you don’t delete those as they were started in good faith.

Where is the 30 day only? I've never managed to find it.

Here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/thirty_days_only

The problem is that there isn’t really a place for harmless fun or random discussion/information that isn’t ephemeral. Loads of useful or entertaining stuff has been lost over the years because it was started in chat and nobody bothered to request a move to a specific topic or AIBU.

So although I think the notification and warning needs to be carefully handled I’m broadly in favour of having Chat made permanent and promoting 30 Days Only more widely for self-destructing threads. Presumably if MN are proposing it then they’re happy to have the extra data cluttering up their servers, so I don’t see why anybody else would care.

Hello all and apols, we should have been clearer- all threads started before Monday will still disappear after 90 days. Threads started after Monday will stick around, so we'll also be adding a note on the _Chat topic to remind people to post in 30 Days' if they want their thread to disappear.

Thanks for your feedback everyone - as usual we'll review this once it''s had time to bed in to make sure there haven't' been any significant unintended consequences. In the meantime, get in touch if you forget after Monday.

Bon weekend
MNHQ

I post threads there delibrately because of the 90 day rule. 30 days isn't always enough and I do not want them hanging around long term so three months is perfect.

I need to know if those in chat currently will be removed or not, please, as I have one in there I do not want left there for good reason.

X-post thanks kate I do think 30 days isn't long enough, it's not often used and _chat has pages and pages just with 90 days. Personally I always found that 90 day limit helpful when asking for help.

I assume that the pre-weekend release of this info, just on Site Stuff - but not in Chat - was to promote a debate before MNHQ returns on Monday morning?

I'm disappointed with this decision. I like posting in Chat because I know the rubbish I spout will disappear eventually. It's going to make me think twice about posting to be honest.

drama me too. Though I post on other areas as well I'm more select about what I out there than in _chat.

I may be in the absolute minority here, but I'd rather the site worked completely the opposite way around.

Every thread should have a cut off, after 10 days without a new post, it vanishes for ever. The only exception would be threads votes into classics, because they're funny, or a new topic called something like 'Wise words' for threads with good advice.

But that's just me.

This is really shitty. It means we can’t have long-running threads which move quickly but disappear once they’re full and the 90 days has passed.

kate if you want to improve user experience then I suggest you get tech to fix the glitch on getting started where the threads in the trending box/discussion of the day are years out of date. I've been reporting it for over a year and nothing's being done about it. I've sent many emails and started a thread about it but nothing has been done.

That'll be more frustrating for new users than a minor issue with chat.

(Apologies for boring those who have heard me on this subject,
repeatedly before).

Deleted threads can easily be removed from searches as well.

I don't like this idea either I'm afraid MNHQ. I quite often post on a thread because it's in Chat and I know it will disappear. I've always considered 30 Days Only to be for more serious/sensitive/potentially identifiable threads so I don't think I'd use it in the same way. That might just be me though...

What do you mean, Tooth? Those threads will stay here forever - that's the point of MNHQ's decision to let the Chat threads last forever, rather than just the 90 days. I'm a bit by your comment.

Threads in Chat do disappear after 90 days at the moment, but they won't in the future- they'll be here for perpetuity.

I agree with PPs, we can all talk rubbish on Chat knowing it will go in the end