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Author Topic: Policy on thread resurrection?  (Read 3512 times)

CoyoteFeathers

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Policy on thread resurrection?
« on: February 27, 2016, 04:27:20 pm »
Since I'm new here I've been looking for some conversation to jump into, but a few threads I've wanted to post in are a little old. I've been on some forums that prefer that older threads not be resurrected after a certain point and would rather posters make a new thread, while others want posters to find a thread on their topic and post in those instead of make a new one (even if those threads are a year or more old).

Are there any policies about this on The Cauldron? I don't recall finding any in the rules.

RandallS

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Re: Policy on thread resurrection?
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2016, 04:42:10 pm »
Quote from: CoyoteFeathers;187284
Are there any policies about this on The Cauldron? I don't recall finding any in the rules.

That's because we don't care. That's the same reason you will not find any rules on double posting. We don't care.

If restarting a years-old thread makes more sense than starting a new one, do it. If starting a new thread makes more sense than restarting one, do that. So long as two (or more) threads on the same thing aren't trying to go at the same time, we don't care.
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CoyoteFeathers

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Re: Policy on thread resurrection?
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2016, 08:55:03 pm »
Quote from: RandallS;187285
That's because we don't care. That's the same reason you will not find any rules on double posting. We don't care.


Okay! Thanks!

SunflowerP

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Re: Policy on thread resurrection?
« Reply #3 on: February 28, 2016, 01:00:50 am »
Quote from: CoyoteFeathers;187289
Okay! Thanks!

 
I'll add some pointers on how to do it well (for the benefit of anyone checking out this thread, not just you; so far you seem to be doing fine):

- The older the thread, the more likely that any given person who participated in the conversation is no longer around. It's very likely that some of the participants will still be here and active, since TC is a place that people who mesh well tend to stay for years, but other folks come and go. So it's good to get in the habit of noticing when a thread was started, and the datestamps on individual posts in it (even one you're not resurrecting, because it might be showing new posts because someone else revived it), and if you're not using Tapatalk, you can also see when someone's last login was by looking at the postbit (the mini-profile that appears to the left of the post itself). There's nothing wrong with responding to a post made by someone three years ago who hasn't been back since, but there's not a lot of point in expressly and directly addressing that person, especially with questions they're unlikely to ever see.

- Resurrecting a thread with a substantial post is better than doing so just to say, 'I agree' (that's true of current threads, too). Reviving an interesting conversation, in a way that stimulates further conversation, is better than resurrecting a thread just to get your two cents' worth in. Because we're a discussion and debate forum, we're interested in the conversations, not just in responses to the OP.

- That in turn means that it's far better to read the whole thread, rather than just replying to an interesting OP. You might still, after you've done that, reply to the interesting OP - but you'll know if someone else has already discussed the thing you wanted to mention, and a lot of other useful info.

- As Randall implied, sometimes it's more effective to start a new thread inspired by an older one, than to revive the older one (you can link back to the older one, if you like). Other times, threadomancy is better. That's largely a personal judgement call; as Randall said, we don't have rules about it either way.

- If a thread seems like it got quite heated, there's a good chance that people don't remember it fondly. That doesn't mean the topic is out-of-bounds, but that's often a time when a fresh start is a good idea. (Conversely, I've - rarely, but it does happen - seen painfully fractious threads revived in a way that turns the thread-as-a-whole into something much more valuable and less uncomfortable. That sort of thing is why all my remarks are tips on best practices, not rules; there are no absolutes.)

I think that probably covers it. And, thank you for asking about it, CoyoteFeathers; that was just the incentive I needed to pull this together, something I've been thinking about doing for quite some time now.

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