Two month rule.

Originally Posted by Atlantis

There's nothing wrong in making a new thread if you're inspired by an old thread you've seen.

Indeed. Let's open another one on the same topic.

Since I consider locking topics when they are bumped after only two months does not help create new topics, but instead :
- deters people from participating to existing discussions
- is felt negatively by newcomers who see the topic of their messages immediately blocked ;
- make readers lost amongst dozens of topics about the same subject, with always the same answers coming again and again.

I suggest we change the rules and increase the time of non-activity after which a topic that is bumped need to be locked.

Feel free to participate to the poll or propose other solutions. It will be very appreciated. Thank you.

Originally Posted by Diable rouge

Indeed. Let's open another one on the same topic.

Since I consider locking topics when they are bumped after only two months does not help create new topics, but instead :
- deters people from participating to existing discussions
- is felt negatively by newcomers who see the topic of their messages immediately blocked ;
- make readers lost amongst dozens of topics about the same subject, with always the same answers coming again and again.

I suggest we change the rules and increase the time of non-activity after which a topic that is bumped need to be locked.

Feel free to participate to the poll or propose other solutions. It will be very appreciated. Thank you.

I agree. I see a lot of new members bring up old
threads cause they see something that interests
them and then answer only to have the thread
locked. Yes you have to read the rules but I think
newbies should have a little bit more leeway before
they get the feel of the forum.

4 months would be nice. After that, it's truly dead.

I think the two month rule works fine for some of the topics, most on the upper times aren’t really, it would be good if they could be auto locked after two months but other section just kept going

I think it should probably be on a case by case basis... sometimes I see something that someone posted ages ago and genuinely think I can add something useful

I voted for 3 months, after that then the topic is probably dead.

It would be a little more helpful if more people who responded to the poll would post their thoughts as well...

But anyway. There is some leeway... as I've said the countless times this has come up if the general activity on the site is low, if the OP is still active (or in fact has posted in the thread itself since it was bumped) etc etc. Most of the threads that are bumped however are threads, particularly in the puberty sections, where the user is long gone and/or the question in the thread was resolved a long time ago - there's no need for these to remain open.

and to answer someone's point about newbies having more leeway - they certainly don't get any warnings just for bumping one or two threads - unless they were clearly going through bumping threads for no reason/to get their post count up/whatever.

I’m only new but I can see why there is a two month rule it stops old topics been brought up for no reason and if some has the same problem they could always start their own topic about it

I believe if you change it from 2 to a higher number you probably would have more activity as users wouldn't be turned off by answering a slightly older forum or users answer something on the thread for it to just be immediately locked.

you could make it auto-lock after +2 months of inactivity (for example if the limit was 2 month you'd auto lock at 4 months)

Could also add a "lock forum" option for the owner of the thread so they can lock it once they're satisfied (such as them asking a question and receiving enough answers)

Also, should I create a post for this?

You could make it warn users that they're about to post on a forum that is X months old (2 months etc) to prevent necroposting either by accident or them not thinking.

Seems fine the way it is. Some threads, like in the music section for example, eh whatever that's fine. But in the advice and puberty sections, the 2 month rule is more than fair. It is crazy every now and then someone will dig up a thread in there from like 10 years ago and it is like..... really??? Umm dude, OP is like in their 20s now, pretty sure they got it figured out by now. smh

Bumping a thread that's older than 2 months only shows one thing...that you didn't bother to read the site rules.

The 2 month rule works just fine, usually the ones that bump old threads are new members who are trying to get to 100 posts and they don’t just bump post that are 3-4 moths old they bump 5 year plus ones.

Originally Posted by Lionsden04

The 2 month rule works just fine, usually the ones that bump old threads are new members who are trying to get to 100 posts and they don’t just bump post that are 3-4 moths old they bump 5 year plus ones.

lets just say I was tempted to do it as a joke but didn't want to get spanked

although I do agree, I guess we new members do bump old posts and I usually try go for the ones within 2 months

I agree that totally dead topics should not be brought back from the dead. Two months is too short in my opinion, especially in lesser visited sections of the forum.
As many participants are older, sometimes they also log in less frequently.

@Atlantis I appreciate the leeway you have shown on some topics, thank you.

Originally Posted by Atlantis

Most of the threads that are bumped however are threads, where the user is long gone and/or the question in the thread was resolved a long time ago - there's no need for these to remain open.

We do not have the same opinion about the forum.

For you, a topic is made to answer a specific question and to answer to the original poster. It means you consider at some point there is no need for more answers, because it is too late or because the original poster has been banned. Everything depends on the original poster.

For me, a topic is a place where someone starts a discussion about a topic, and everyone should be free to debate and add interesting comments about the subject, as long as people can talk about it. Even if they bring something new much later. The topic does not depend on the original poster, it is a community.