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See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

MN pleeeeease consider CLOSING OLD THREADS...

181 replies

Userguaranteed · 28/05/2021 09:33

...and only reopen if the OP requests it.

Posters are exhuming threads from ages ago and asking for updates, posting advice, etc. The recent one was from 2012!

I often look at dates now because I've been sucked into zombie threads many times in the past but sometimes I forget, especially if the thread hasn't got too many replies.

Can MN close zombie threads from say a year? There's nothing more to be said - let it go [in Elsa's voice].

OP posts:
MustardRose · 29/05/2021 15:53

Half the problem, to be honest, is that when you do an advanced search for something, the results that come up are not in chronological order with the most recent at the top.

I just did a test search for something random, and the first half-dozen results were dated 2019, 2019, 2018, 2013, 2021, 2018 - in that order.

Old threads on topics such as gardening etc can be useful years down the line, but someone asking about which dance class for their 5-year-old from 2013? Not so much.

ErrolTheDragon · 29/05/2021 15:58

@DonkeysNotDisney

It's not going round in circles, it's just a different view. If you locked a thread and allowed only the op to update it then the threads would get lost in mn history. By allowing anyone to post some great threads get revived. I am, by most people's reasoning, on here an inordinate amount of time, and yet I still have missed some interesting threads and I like it when they are revived.
Old threads can often be found for new reading simply by someone posting a link to them. I've only recently read 'elderly Korean lady', and at some point I'm sure I'll follow a link to penguin bollards.

Old threads are sometimes resuscitated entirely maliciously , ones which would be better left to lie. And there's been quite a spate of revivals due to spam - that's just incredibly annoying.

I don't see why threads can't be locked except to the OP, maybe someone else could request MNHQ reopens if there's a good reason. But you can always just start a new thread with a link to the closed one in its OP. Much cleaner and more obvious.

TheQueef · 29/05/2021 16:02

Can't get behind this.
I love to see the Carpet Fitter thread every year.

DonkeysNotDisney · 29/05/2021 16:02

I get that view, which is why I've repeatedly suggested MNHQ should then put a permanent banner on threads for posters

Tbf I think this is a good idea.

ErrolTheDragon · 29/05/2021 16:04

@DonkeysNotDisney

I get that view, which is why I've repeatedly suggested MNHQ should then put a permanent banner on threads for posters

Tbf I think this is a good idea.

If they do something like that, then they need to make sure it shows up on the apps too, which might mean auto editing the title.
missmopple · 29/05/2021 16:13

Also, people jumping in to post on a very long thread that has been revived just highlights how many people don't have the courtesy/curiousity to read anything other than the opening post.

No interest whatsoever in whether the OP has been back to update at any point - this is nice and easy to do now by using "see all"

It also shows that the poster has no interest in what other people may have said as they clearly haven't read, as a very minimum, the 6 posts immediately above theirs saying ZOMBIE.

MN could possibly help by not allowing the "add your message" box to appear until the end of the thread.

RogueMNerKnowsNoShame · 29/05/2021 21:27

I absolutely love a zombie

Let the zombies stay!

People should rtft 🤷‍♀️

Viviennemary · 31/05/2021 12:35

I agree. They are becoming a great nuisance. Another one today about a cat.

missmopple · 31/05/2021 13:11

@Viviennemary

I agree. They are becoming a great nuisance. Another one today about a cat.
Yes, and the cat in question was put to sleep last year so all of the advice is totally redundant and may just be bringing back painful memories for the OP.

It also demonstrates that not only do people fail to read the thread, they can't even be bothered to look at the OPs updates either.

Roonerspismed · 31/05/2021 13:13

Oh no! I love old threads. Please don’t!

SoupDragon · 31/05/2021 13:15

@Roonerspismed

Oh no! I love old threads. Please don’t!
The problem is that, whilst some are funny like the Carpet Fitter, others might cause distress where the OP has got through the original issue or got over it and doesn't want it dragged up time and time again. The current cat one is a fairly mild example.
Viviennemary · 31/05/2021 13:20

I totally agree SoupDragon. Some are helpful but others could be distressing.

Roonerspismed · 31/05/2021 13:21

Couldn’t people ask for old and distressing threads to be taken down then?

JoveWhenHeSawMyFannysFace · 31/05/2021 13:22

@Roonerspismed

Couldn’t people ask for old and distressing threads to be taken down then?
Why would that be better than closing them Confused? At least if they’re closed people can still read them.
SoupDragon · 31/05/2021 13:29

@Roonerspismed

Couldn’t people ask for old and distressing threads to be taken down then?
Better to lock old threads automatically after a period of inactivity IMO.

None benefit from people posting on them after they've been inactive, if someone has the same issue it is better to start a new thread. It's probably also better for an OP to start a new thread with a link to the original one if they have an update because not everyone sees that there is an update, they just answer the original post.

CharityDingle · 31/05/2021 13:39

The problem is that, whilst some are funny like the Carpet Fitter, others might cause distress where the OP has got through the original issue or got over it and doesn't want it dragged up time and time again. The current cat one is a fairly mild example.

Exactly.
Sometimes a thread that is resurrected can be amusing.

But when someone doesn't bother to read even a few posts, and starts earnestly advising an OP to do such and such about e.g their baby/ small child when the thread is years old, and the situation long past, it is a little bit tiresome, in my opinion.

missmopple · 31/05/2021 13:39

@Roonerspismed

Oh no! I love old threads. Please don’t!
Please don't what?

If they are locked then you can still read them. What's the issue? Do you need to be able to comment on something that happened years ago?

I am not sure that the poster whose cat was put to sleep last year is "loving" having her thread resurrected Sad

diddl · 31/05/2021 14:21

Oh lord-just clicked on the cat one.Sad

People merrily commenting on the OP only.Angry

missmopple · 31/05/2021 14:51

...and the OP of that thread has come back to say that she is upset by having it all brought back (especially by the people who are saying unpleasant things without even reading the thread).

If ever there was a good example of why idiots shouldn't be allowed to resurrect zombie threads this is one and I really hope that @MNHQ reconsider their policy of not locking old threads.

This also applies to anyone who does the faux "how are things now OP?" to really old threads. If the OP wants to come back with an update then they will.

Original poster
Userguaranteed · 31/05/2021 15:14

This is one of the issues I have with people resurrecting old threads, some threads are best left alone unless the OP wants to update it. When years or even months have passed, you have no idea what has happened and it could be a source of distress to someone. They could have divorced, someone may have died, anything could have happened and your need to be updated on a stranger's life shouldn't be priority.

OP posts:
Soubriquet · 31/05/2021 15:45

A thread from 2019 has just resurfaced too

Please look at closing them unless the OP wants it reopened

RogueMNerHidesUnderBigHat · 31/05/2021 22:31

But literally anything could be a cause of distress to someone.

hatcoatscarfalcohol · 31/05/2021 22:38

@RogueMNerHidesUnderBigHat

But literally anything could be a cause of distress to someone.
What, so that makes it ok to continue causing avoidable and foreseeable distress?

There is no need to leave threads open indefinitely.

RogueMNerHidesUnderBigHat · 31/05/2021 22:49

You're extrapolating.

I love a zombie thread. Some people on here hate them. The people who are wanting them locked down are adding strength to their argument by suggesting they cause hurt and suffering.
If a thread is likely to upset you, don't click on it.

I suspect most people who don't like a zombie are annoyed at the time wasted or embarrassed that they've posted outdated advice.

PegPeople · 31/05/2021 22:56

The people who are wanting them locked down are adding strength to their argument by suggesting they cause hurt and suffering.
If a thread is likely to upset you, don't click on it

Isn't the point that the thread was upsetting the original poster who had obviously been made aware it had been revived as they had been tagged.

It's not that they are potentially upsetting to random posters who may happen to click on them out of curiosity but rather the issues in some threads could cause unnecessary upset to the poster who originally asked for advice which wouldn't happen if it was only the original poster who was able to resurrect them.

Swipe left for the next trending thread