Picking Up Old Threads

[ice_maiden]

I have noticed a trend on this new forum for us to pick up really old threads and take off posting on them again.

Sometimes that may not be a bad thing in that it adds new information to an existing, useful old topic.

But sometimes it just adds more rhetoric to a topic that was already a bit rocky and should have stayed a dead topic. Thus causing the mods additional work to close them or moderate them. Then occasionally the topic is simply just not valid anymore.

I think the forum design is helping to promote this trend by offering "Possibly Related Threads..." below each post. But I think as members we can help the mod staff and help promote a better forum by checking the "original post" dates and making sure that adding a new post, will add beneficial content. This is just a suggestion but should save many of us from having to read through old content.

 

[jeanontheroad]

Did it, myself, without realizing that the thread was old. Felt a bit silly when it was pointed out. I came onto the board well after the thread was active and it was new to me. I'll be watching the dates a little closer, now.

 

[caseyc]

My thought on this is that it's no real biggie. I'm sure I've done this myself at times. Yes, there are threads that should be closed forever. But other threads, as old as they might be, may still be valid especially if new updates are useful contribution.

 

[Mac J]

Thank you ice_maiden for letting us know what works best for you but, how old is 'too old' when referring to a thread?

 

[ice_maiden]

jeanontheroad... Thanks for understanding the original intent of this post.

caseyc ... I see that we mostly agree, since some old threads CAN benefit from new information. But for some of us with very slow connects... old threads that were resurrected just so someone could agree with the original posters opinion... are a real pain for me... since it takes so long waiting for them to load. My connection is probably slower than dial-up used to be. That being the case I try to pick and choose what new threads I read...

MacJ...IMO no thread is to old to resurrect if useful information is being added to the original post.

 

[sl1966]

Hi Ice,

I'm a self-retired mod from this forum. Altho a lot of the old threads might seem buried in some old useless bits of drama, there are still helpful portions of info there. This is why they were brought here rather than starting all over again. Just because it might be old doesn't mean the idea cannot be re-adapted to something new. Further more the "drama" might hold some insight you would've otherwise glazed over. You never know is all I'm saying.

 

[Unchained]

Ice_maiden, thank you for posting this thread.

Due to the fact that many subjects here are 'timeless' (boondocking ideas, solar setups and things pertaining to older vehicles spring to mind), we do allow thread necromancy on this site. Some old threads have been brought back to life several times as new ideas come in and have proven very informative. On the other hand, it is a bit silly to reply to an OP on a specific situation that happened a year or more ago.

That said, it is also a fact that many members here have limited internet access or very slow connections, and resurrecting an old thread to merely agree or disagree with a post should really be avoided. Doing so is not very useful or constructive, and makes keeping up with the forums more difficult for some of our full timers.

Same goes for bringing back old drama. When we moved here, all of the old threads came with. As we could not move things thread by thread, it was a choice between losing all the useful threads or moving the drama. We chose the latter, as there was too much good, useful information to lose. We rely on the members' discretion on the drama.

Bottom line- when it comes to old threads, please be constructive if you choose to reply, and please be considerate of those members with slow connections when resurrecting pages long old threads.

 

[Mac J]

how are we to know what is useful? What may be useful to one may be pedantic to another.

MacJ...IMO no thread is to old to resurrect if useful information is being added to the original post.
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[bvanevery]

As a new member, I look at the 1st page of subforum posting topics. I consider anything on the 1st page to be "recent enough" in relative terms to consider adding my $0.02 to it. When I do, I believe I'm adding useful information, as I have 4 years of accumulated car dwelling experience to offload. Sometimes the topics on that "1st page" hasn't seen much activity in awhile, especially compared to other typical internet web forums. I see that as an indication of low traffic or low desire to talk, not a "hands off" for people posting "new" information.

As for people's reception bandwidth, this is a web forum, not a mailing list. When people are using the web interface they're totally in control of what they do and don't want to read, there is no bandwidth issue in that.

Email notifications about new forum posts can create a bandwidth issue. The default setup is nobody gets notified about new posts. I know this because I had to change the option myself, so that I'd get immediate email notification of posts. That's a choice I've made, because I value getting some kind of social interaction going. Everyone is free to make their choice on that, and the default of "no notification" is correct for people who don't want their bandwidth drowned. If I were going to be out of wifi range for a long time, I myself might change my own options. I've done that with other forums when I didn't want to be drowned with messages after a week away or some such, trying to catch up at a facility where I've only got 1 hour to get through everything.

If people have forgotten that they set their options to "instant email" or some kind of daily digest a long time ago, or they have subscribed to lots of threads they'd rather not hear about now, I suggest that they be reminded of their personal options to control what they receive.

 

[akrvbob]

bvanevery, actually bandwidth is a big issue for many members because their only device is a Smartphone and many others are on such a tight budget they don't have many gigs per month.. So wasted bandwidth scrolling through a year old thread they already read just so someone can say "I agree" is a big problem for them.

This is a big forum with many diverse needs and we want to meet all of them as well as we can.

One size DOES NOT fit all!!
Bob

 

[Unchained]

To add to what Bob said, we also have members with very limited power who aren't in places where it is easy to find someplace to plug in for free. Having to start the engine to charge a device takes up valuable gas when one is on a small budget.

[Edited to add]- the forums are still being moved from our old site. Very shortly, there will be many more threads in several of the forums.

 

[bvanevery]

Why can't / don't people hit the last PAGE of a thread? There is no reason for anyone to be starting from the beginning. Also if one is getting an email notficiation, it takes you to the most recent post you haven't read. Perhaps some people aren't experienced with web forums, but really the learning curve is not difficult. Like subscriptions and notifications, it's something people can be reminded of.

Anyway I've been posting like mad the past week and I have not ONCE seen an "I agree" post.

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Having to start the engine to charge a device takes up valuable gas when one is on a small budget.

Sure but... as someone who went off to the woods himself, to try to do real computer work, there comes a point at which we have to be responsible for our own choices. One can urban camp and surf electrical outlets in civilization. One can buy solar panels or generators. One can do work with the deep cycle battery, then drive 10 miles to another part of a National Forest to regenerate it. That's typically what I've done. One can forego electronics and wifi and do things like read books, paint paintings, and see nature. One can do more wifi or less wifi. One can buy / use a device that uses less electricity, like a smartphone instead of a full blown desktop replacement laptop.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

LOL. I only found this thread because it was listed at the bottom of the thread I started to ask basically the same question. I guess the search terms I used before posting just weren't the right ones. :s

I must admit I'm still confused as to which way to go even after reading this thread. I don't know the bandwidth stuff or other things relevant to internet access for van dwelling and how to keep spending down so if someone wants to help me learn here or on my new thread. I'm all for making access as easy as quick as possible even just from a time conscious point of view. I'll mostly be at the library or someplace with wifi to access this forum even now when I'm not on the road.

I won't be going back to really old threads to just post that I agree though. I'm still learning so it's hard for me to agree about anything.

 

[highdesertranger]

Anyway I've been posting like mad the past week and I have not ONCE seen an "I agree" post.

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that's because nobody agrees with you.  lol, sorry I couldn't pass that one up.  highdesertranger