Is bringing back old topics (either by retaining them in an upgrade or by bumping with new info) a bad thing?

Personally, I think there is a whole misguided netiquette rule against "grave digging" that is almost sacred. I've seen it cause board wars on some sites when some one comments on a thread that hasn't had a response for several months. I'd like to challenge that netiquette rule.

True, if a topic is a debate in nature, it is inappropriate to bump it with more input after a long length of time. The reason is that the original debaters might not be around any more to defend their positions.

However, I think that bumping (or resurrecting) old topics is good in many instances. Like game, graphics, or favorites threads. It gives users something to respond to without having to come up with new topics, and is a way to get to know lots of other members a little better, and can make joining into the community easier for new members. Also if you have substantive information threads, it can be helpful to members to add new thoughts or data to that topic at any time.

yea, for bring this to attention. Most people I know don't allow it, cause it just gives more places for people to Spam and flame in.

Personaly I do allow it, but if its over 3 months old, and all they have is a little comment when the issue is over and done with, or settled. It just isn't right, nor should anyone be alowed to do it if the only thing they can actualy say is "wow", or giving alittle feed back.

Didn't actually mean to bring this out into the open.

As what you just stated also. If the 'bumper' is just bumping to bring back a topic that might help the fourm (like where I posted that message). Brining back old topics is fine, but like I also just stated, if they have nothing to Contribute (they did actualy) then why bring up "dead" topics.

[-Stary-]

I find the rules, both stated and unstated, about resurrecting old threads (aka "thread necromancy") to be really ANNOYING.

Sure, if the topic is one that has a finite shelf life -- ie. about something that happens on a certain date, there's no point in dredging it up several months later. But in that case, I would think the forum staff would have the sense to have locked the topic in the first place. And if someone bumps an old topic just for the sake of spam, that's not cool -- but it's something the staff can deal with.

At both forums I admin, we have NO restrictions whatsoever about the age of threads that can be resurrected. The reason is that new people join and explore old topics and discover they have opinions or information they'd like to share. It's just not fair to tell them they can't, because of some arbitrary date cutoff. And their posting will often spark a renewed discussion, with new insights. As an example, there is one forum I belong to that allows unrestricted thread resurrection -- and last week, somebody bumped one that was five years old! Naturally, it was brand-new to a lot of us, and we found it fun. :)

There's one forum I joined, not knowing their rules for bumping old topics: SEVEN DAYS! So if there was anything at all there I might have wanted to add to, no matter how serious the topic, or interesting, or fun... after 7 days, it was locked, period. And that was that. Small wonder I haven't actually gotten around to going back there to see what's been going on. Unless you live there, you might just as well not bother.

And I'm glad to see that some of the old threads here survived the upgrade. I haven't posted anywhere near as much as some folks here, but I hate it when my words are simply dumped out with the garbage, so to speak.

What you actualy just mentioned in your Post Klea, is what I was trying to get. Most of the forums I was, and still some what are a part of have cut off date (14 days to be exact) and if you bring back the topic (theres to many topics they say to close them all) you get a warning. Thats why I never bring back old topics. I was brought up without doing it for the past 4 or more years on some of these forums.

When I was admin (and owner) on about 4 boards/forums I noticed some new fresh faces bringing up old topics to discuss their opionions as they weren't able to when the topic first started. That made people think 'could this person be right about this subject'. As like you said, sparking a whole new idea upon the new posters message. I love people bringing up old topics cause we get to discuss our opinions AFTER everything is said and done, you can contridict what you did wrong, and what you did right.

I never have a cut off date on topics, nor did I ever want to. Cause when ever someone posts in a topic thats dead, you learn more info, you think about it more.

I hate when members dig out old topics and post just for the heck of it. I don't allow it. Unless the topic is less than 3 months then I don't mind.

But I am against it.

i'm for it.

instead of creating a new topic, just to cover the same thing, why couldn't you just bump the old one?

bleh, maybe i just think that way 'cuz i don't care about post count. ;p

you know, 'cuz the people that posted in the old one will most likely post the same things in the new one. -.- totally useless, imo. ;p