Aged Threads

[Oxfordian]

I have seen a few old threads getting re started even though they are well over a decade old, in one case nearly two decades.

Why doesn't the forum have an auto-lock feature on threads that have gone over say 3 months without any activity?

If a forum member needs an old thread re-opened for a valid reason then a request to a moderator could get the thread reset.

I would guess that a lot of threads are active for a few months only before interest ceases, so why not auto close them?

Just a thought.

[rmlovett1]

Sometimes the content becomes relative again, or pricing comparisons, model reference differences, etc…

[Old Expat Beast]

Three months seems short. The mods will lock years-old threads and delete the post when we see them reactivated for no good reason, but sometimes the new posts are relevant. Also, bots sometimes answer old threads so it's a good way to catch them. Auto-locking after a specific time wouldn't be that helpful and we'd have to decide if threads were worth reopening when we got requests, etc.

[1William]

I see some of the older threads get a bump from time to time and depending on the content, I sometimes enjoy going back and reading where we were a while back.

[brandrea]

I sort of like them to be honest. Yes, some bumps are a bit weird if for example it’s congratulating someone on a watch purchase from 2009

Others are sort of neat if they are still relevant.

[Oxfordian]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

Three months seems short. The mods will lock years-old threads and delete the post when we see them reactivated for no good reason, but sometimes the new posts are relevant. Also, bots sometimes answer old threads so it's a good way to catch them. Auto-locking after a specific time wouldn't be that helpful and we'd have to decide if threads were worth reopening when we got requests, etc.

Fair enough, I just thought that having self closing threads would make life easier, it certainly works on other forums I belong to and some close after 2 months of inactivity.

None of the forums refuse a request to reopen a thread if it is a valid request, although some do suggest that a new thread is created.

But if it isn't warranted then fine, close this thread and I'll move on.

[Old Expat Beast]

I’ll close it if someone answers it in five or ten years