Closed threads are a problem

Thread replies time sensitive?

[rogoff]

There seem to be a lot of closed threads in this forum and I think this causes a problem in terms of people having the most up to date information.

For example, if you do a search on log analysis, you will find that there are many recommendations for the Mach5 (FastStats) product. On the strength of this, I went and bought it. I am now regretting it because it does not provide a stat for Unique IP Adresses (the developers, in their wisdom, deliberately left it out).

I want to warn people not to buy it if they are at all interested in Unique IP Addresses but every time I try to post to the threads that recommend it, I can't.

Surely this needs fixing? Maybe, if you're going to close a thread, then you should also take it down. Otherwise old information just sits around and no-one can comment on it.

[Mardi_Gras]

You already posted that information in the appropriate forum.

[webmasterworld.com...]

I suspect the mods find one thread on the subject to be enough (although I cannot speak for them).

[Hawkgirl]

Typically a thread will get closed when either (1) it begins to degrade, or (2) the subject has been beaten to death multiple times, resuscitated, and then beaten to death yet again.

If you truly have new information on something that follows up on a closed thread, why not start a new thread and put a link to the old one in your post? That way, people can see what you're referring to and you can provide whatever new information you have.

[rogoff]

Mardi_Gras - the mods haven't been involved in my posts at all, except indirectly by me trying to post to a thread that was closed. For your info, the point of my posting here is not about Mach5. I'm simply using that as an example to try and illustrate a point which I think you might have missed.

Hawkgirl - I think you might also be missing my point. A lot of people find information on this board by doing a search and in the results there are a lot of closed threads. It's therefore easy to read out of date info without seeing the newer threads that you're referring to. Anyone reading a closed thread via the search will not necessarily know about the newer thread because the closed thread can no longer be added to. Make sense? Maybe they need to improve the search so that new threads come up first and closed threads are clearly marked as such.

[Brett_Tabke]

There is a difference between a "closed" thread and a "expired" thread.

Thread reply ability expires after about 120 days. We do that to prevent someone from bumping their pet topic to the top.

[rogoff]

If you close threads to prevent people from bumping them to the top then can I suggest that you change the functionality slightly so that threads over 120 days old do not go to the top when people post to them. Maybe that will solve the problem.

At least then, we won't end up with stale, unreliable info on the boards too.

[Brett_Tabke]

That is the point - that older threads have generally been superceeded by current info.

We've also found that there is a high ratio to "post bumping" and "cause" marketing. Most often those old posts that were getting bumped, were by product manufactuers or people on causes. Sofware threads such as Mach 5 are always getting bumped by programmers or competitors.