Bumping Threads

[ForeverTwelve]

On just about every other forum I visit, the staff and members get upset if you post something similar to what has already been posted. They tell you to use the search function, and add your post to a relevant thread. Why is that different here?

I understand if a thread is bumped just to say "me too" or to answer a personal question that has already been resolved. But what's wrong with bumping a thread to add a relevant post, such as a survey thread, or an opinion thread?

[DerBear]

We have a bump limit of 2 months (3 for Questions for Both) simply to keep threads fresh and to stop things that were discussed six months ago from coming back up.

It also helps with neatness and order.

[Harry Smith]

On just about every other forum I visit, the staff and members get upset if you post something similar to what has already been posted. They tell you to use the search function, and add your post to a relevant thread. Why is that different here?

I understand if a thread is bumped just to say "me too" or to answer a personal question that has already been resolved. But what's wrong with bumping a thread to add a relevant post, such as a survey thread, or an opinion thread?

It just clog's up the whole forum and cause more traffic. Most of the time their is a new thread similar to it and the other half it's a new member who replies with a single word or phrase like 'I agree'

Often threads resolve themselves within an amount of time.

Also personally I think that often people want a new spin on a thread hence why they create a new similar one

[Rayquaza]

Because;

a) a problem may have been solved
b) the thread may not be needed (user is banned)
c) it is a common question that is risen many times

The bump limit is pretty reasonable. Also, because OPs are able to bump their own posts, it's fair that it's set this way.

[TheMatrix]

As with any debate, there are two or more sides to it:

On one hand, having many of the same topics does get a bit messy -- looking for information is now a big search effort. In that perspective, yes, it is beneficial to have one thread per topic. You could see this being helpful in the Movies or Music forums, for example.
But on the other hand, nobody likes to see that their answer was already said. They want confirmation, to be personally assured that they are okay. A prime example of this is P101, where on any given day there can be at least 3 threads about the same issue, from different people. Telling them to refer to what has already been posted doesn't help them -- if they wanted to see an encyclopedia article, they would have looked at one. The same applies to every Help & Advice section. This is the policy we have opted for.


In the end, though, a decision has to be made. Ambiguity and uncertainty in the rules is difficult to handle, and this is why you see changes announced as new situations arise. I can tell you, however, that this is unlikely to change.