the catch 22 of forums...

[Oddball_E8]

ok, so over my 15 or so years of internet forum visitations i have noticed a lovely little catch 22 in the etiquette of forums.

every so often i search for a thread and find exactly what im looking for... but its 1 or 2 years old. Up comes the dilemma of "should i post or should i not post".
Mostly i only post if its still somewhat relevant (like a long discussion about something or a query about something)

however... if i do that i get accused of necro... ie. posting in what is considered a "dead thread". (who decides when its dead anyway?)

now... heres the catch 22.

sometimes i dont do that... and i post a new thread instead.

inevitably i get the "use the search function noob" response (or a variation of that, but usually with a degrading comment added)

now... if i HAD posted in one of the old threads about whatever i searched for, id get the necro accusation... but if i post a new thread i get the "use the search moron" remark...

i see this happening on all kinds of forums and to all kinds of people... sometimes the comments are valid (like when someone digs up a 4 year old thread and just posts "lol" or "i agree" or when someone asks the same question that 200 others have asked in 200 separate threads during the last week) but more often than not theyre not really justified...
if there is a thread about the subject i was looking for, but its old, theres no point in starting a new one and missing all the information thats available in the old thread.
and in the same way there is no point in starting a new thread if there already is a thread on the subject and its still relevant.

actually ive seen one instance where someone tried to circumvent this problem by actually quoting most of the relevant information from the old thread in a new one, but he got bashed all kinds of ways since he both started a new thread on the same subject AND dragged the old thread back from the grave (even tho he didnt post in the old thread).

so whats a man to do?

 

[Shatari]

so whats a man to do?

Make proper use of the shift key? ^.^

Personally, when I post something in a long dead thread I start off by apologizing for the necro. Something to the effect of:
"Sorry to necro this, but I was about to make a thread just like this. So did anyone ever work out a practical way..."

By pointing out that you know what you're doing, you remove the need for people to try and correct you. Some might still do so, but you can ignore them.

 

[Yoshiboy]

If you're posting a new thread asking a question which has been answered before then that's when people tell you to use search. Same for necro. If you're asking something new then posting in an old thread or posting a new thread should be perfectly reasonable.

 

[Merentha]

No admin or moderator will ever reprimand you for necroing an old thread, provided you were continuing the discussion in a way that is more substantial than "yes, I agree".  Those forumites who do are dumbass twats who haven't read the rules themselves and may or may not cop a warning for their trouble.  Necro. 

 

[Lost-Lamb]

Necro > Dupe thread.

As long as you actually have something useful to add, be it a valid question or a deferring point of view from the already stated.

 

[fisheye]

Asking a valid question is not a necro.

Examples of real necro include but are not limited to **** like: posting a rebuttal to a 1-year old post, or asking "omigod when will this be released" in a mod thread that has not updated for a year.

 

[Merentha]

It is true, though, that people will  ***** at you for properly adding to an old thread. You just have to ignore them, I find.

Report them. 

 

[Ingolifs]

I'm so going to necro this thread when it's two years old.

 

[captain lust]

Well the admins clearly say necro but if you want to make sure to maintain support from the regular user, I'd say follow these rules.

-Always search no matter what.

-Make sure the old thread is still relevant. If things have changed substantially from the time of the thread's creation that are relevant to the thread, then make a new one.

e.g. if you want to make a suggestion about sieges, don't necro a siege suggestion thread that was made before sieges were created.

-Always add something new that's your own idea. This applies whether you are making a new topic or necroing. If you're making a new topic, People will be much less pissed off if you have clearly spent a lot of time and effort thinking about the thread and what you want it to achieve. It's undeniable that a new trhead will attract alot more attention to your idea/thought that necroing an old one. That's just fact.

-Use your judgement. You'll always get critics either way (especially around these parts of the internet).

 

[Redcoat-Mic]

-Always search no matter what.

Whatever the cost may be...

 

[morgoth2005]

The ends will always justify the means!

 

[greatsword]

Ok.....

 

[Yeomann]

The ends will always justify the means!

Indeed.

 

[buzbybadman]

Would it be tidier to post a new thread with a link to the old one, then summarise how you're moving on in the topic?

 

[Yeomann]

Yes.

 

[Cleaning agent]

Umm, it really depends.

If you're asking something only vaguely linked, a new one's better. If it's basically a continuation of the old topic, just post in it with a short apology for necroing.