Should threads have a limited lifetime?

[Mike]

I have noticed that old threads get revived months or even years after the last posting. Should threads be locked to posting after a set period of time? A good example was the thread on the Ridgid router when it was first released. No reviews were available at that time. 6 months later a new member noticed the post and replied there is feedback available. That is good information to know, but the origonal post is pretty much irrelevant now. Let's have some feedback on this.

[bobj3]

Hi Mike

Just my 2 cents

I would say yes to some of them like the Word Games, that should get many members going .....
I see many members enjoy the games and I don't see why they should be on a router base forum.
BUT then I say why not it's now part of the fourm so just let it be, if you don't like them don't read them or use them,that's why you have a mouse on your computer.

I think if the Moderator sees a post that needs to be moved he/she should have the power to do just that or close (lock) the post and ask the poster to start a new one in ??.

Limited Lifetime = I would say No to that one, many NEW members like to read and post to the old ones and that's great , all input is welcome I think and should be ,no one can know it all .

Keep the FORUM open to all and to all types of questions ,it can be about glue,buying wood,how to turn wood,where to find scroll pattens,how to use a router, just about anything that deals with wood working and a game or two to play now and then.

I think the forum is like a book, don't rip out the pages it will be real hard to get them back,,,and you and I may not like all the chapters or all the pages but some one may.
I sure miss the post by Ed, (reible) for just one of the members that's no longer on the forum, he was one sharp cookie


Bj

[Bob]

Originally Posted by aniceone2hold

I have noticed that old threads get revived months or even years after the last posting. Should threads be locked to posting after a set period of time? A good example was the thread on the Ridgid router when it was first released. No reviews were available at that time. 6 months later a new member noticed the post and replied there is feedback available. That is good information to know, but the origonal post is pretty much irrelevant now. Let's have some feedback on this.

Mike,

I'll give you my reply in 6 months

Seriously, I'm with BJ on this one. I think they should be left open as it makes it interesting when you get a delayed reply and many times opens new opportunities to old subjects.

[Mark]

I currently have it setup so that they are left open. vBulletin has an archiving option, where once a post reaches a certain "age" it gets stuffed into the archives and the only way to reference it is through the archives. Personally, I'm not a fan of that, I would like to promote discussion on the forums regardless the age of the topic.

Although if you fellas feel it is more suitable that we have a system which older threads are somehow "set aside". I'm sure we can implement something.

[Router is still my name]

Mark, You could create a new location and call it old threads folder and then move anything older than 3 ? months in there out of the way. you could also post a message header stating that if anyone needs to reply to a specific old thread, it would be preferable to start a new thread on the subject.
Just my 1 cent.

[Mark]

Definatly a good idea, we could start that very soon here, although it would be fairly difficult to implement this function to threads that have already passed 3 months. The only way to do it would be to manually do it.

I don't think that is necessary. But, we could start from this point forward, I'm sure that will fix the issue.

Thanks for the idea guys, I really like it!

[Router is still my name]

Mark,
I’m not sure what kind of database you are using but you could write a sql script ( which works with just about every type of DB ) to run automatically every day at prescheduled time. Script will look at the date the thread was started which I noticed is on the left hand corner and subtract that from a target date you set in the script. Equal to or larger than sort of script that moves the content to a pre-defined folder.
Just my 1/2 cent.

[Joe Lyddon]

Originally Posted by Mark

Definatly a good idea, we could start that very soon here, although it would be fairly difficult to implement this function to threads that have already passed 3 months. The only way to do it would be to manually do it.

I don't think that is necessary. But, we could start from this point forward, I'm sure that will fix the issue.

Thanks for the idea guys, I really like it!

Mark,

I too like the Old / New sections... To me, if a thread was once good, it's still good and someone can still learn from it.

But, on the other hand...

Also, I think drawing a line in the sand like 6 mo's. or 12 mo's. is like calling something Black or White and throwing away all the great shades of gray with it.

It's like deciding on whether something should be "sticky" or not... it should be done on a case by case basis.

If something is good, educational, & inspirational, it should be kept no matter how old it gets.

Now, if a thread is more like just shooting the gab after all of the main object has taken place, I feel the BS could be deleted from a thread leaving the main good stuff... That would require an Editor to do a lot of work.

Now, if disk space to hold all of this stuff is the problem, I think things should be editted, modified, or deleted as required to make more space for newer posts, etc.

Just my 2 bits...

[Mike]

Today somebody posted to a thread from 2004. Seeing a new post I responded to it. The person who asked the question is not likely to be searching that thread for an answer more than 2 years later. This thread was inactive and should of stayed that way. It is the nature of this site to have repeat questions, and over time the answers to some of them change. Bosch did not have through the table height adjustment on the 1617 a couple years ago, now they do. The old information is now incorrect. This can only lead to confusion. This is why I support the idea of a shelf life for a thread. Very popular threads are made into "Stickies" that stay at the top of the list. My thread on guide bushing identification is still valid as an example. These should be exempt from locking or archiving.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Router is still my name

Mark,
I’m not sure what kind of database you are using but you could write a sql script ( which works with just about every type of DB ) to run automatically every day at prescheduled time. Script will look at the date the thread was started which I noticed is on the left hand corner and subtract that from a target date you set in the script. Equal to or larger than sort of script that moves the content to a pre-defined folder.
Just my 1/2 cent.

Yes that is true, I considered that opinion. Although with my limited knowledge of SQL, PHP and vBulletin I dare not attempt this. I'll more than likely locate a certifited vBulletin modification for this (someone else has to have done it).