Forum Announcement, Click Here to Read More From EA_Cade.

What is considered a necropost?

«13
EA_LannaEA_Lanna Posts: 3,867 EA Community Manager
edited August 2018 in Forum Ideas & Feedback
Editing Opening post.

Please refer to the Forum Rule thread "Necroposting" for a guide on all things Necroposting. If you have questions after reading that guide you can join this discussion thread and add your question.

Thanks again to everyone who took part here and gave their feedback :)

(This discussion was created from comments split from: How do I remove stuck items from my sims' inventory from the latest update or generations?and merged with the thread "What is considered a necropost" and "Question: Necro Rules Regarding Stories (EA_Lanna)")[/center]
  • New Simmers, take a moment to read through this thread.
  • The Help Center is hosted on Answers HQ. Check out EA_Mage's thread on why.
  • Please post all Sims 4 Bug Reports, Technical and Gameplay issues in the AHQ Sims 4 Section.
  • Here is a quick link to The Sims forum rules
oa2aib6yaucg.jpg

Post edited by EA_Lanna on

Comments

  • Simtown15Simtown15 Posts: 3,952 Member
    @Jude525 How did you even find this?! It's from 2011!
  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    Simtown15 wrote: »
    @Jude525 How did you even find this?! It's from 2011!
    Google. You have a problem, you type in a search term and quite often it’s solutions on the EA forums that pop up first. Which is great, because quite often those threads are very informative.
    5JZ57S6.png
  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    I was merely answering the question ‘how did you find this’ ;) I agree it’s rather pointless to leave a comment in topics like this.
    5JZ57S6.png
  • Jude525Jude525 Posts: 1,696 Member
    I tend to post answers that I find if I've found an unresolved thread in the search process simply because other people may stumble upon them also. And then they'll have an answer. I found this solution somewhere else, and came back here to share it with some possible other Simmer.

    Fact is, most Sims 3 answers were found years ago, if at all. But it doesn't mean they are always easy to find. It's common to find multiple threads chasing the solution to the same problem. And many with no solution posted. This may mean someone has one less page to check before finding an answer.
    aka Jude
    I own the store as of 1+7/17/17

    My Studio

    My build thread in the Creative Corner
  • igazorigazor Posts: 19,330 Member
    edited December 2017
    @Jude525 - Yes, some players may find your responses helpful when they find them in later searches. Others will find it irritating to see what looks like a "conversation" with the original posters really is not. And if the OPs are still around and active, like the one who started this thread in 2011 happens to be, they may not really want such a conversation to be restarted years later as they may get post notifications that are no longer relevant to them.

    This is kind of a grey area on many Internet forums with anti-necro rules -- adding what is clearly meaningful information to an unanswered question from that many years ago (as opposed to repeating the same answer already given sixteen times, "Me too!" or other unhelpful additions like TS4 solutions for a TS3 issue that I think we can all agree should be disallowed). But even though it does sound like a helpful thing to do, it's up to the moderators to tell us whether this should be encouraged or if it's really also against the rules.

    @EA_Lanna
    @EA_Mage
    o550pjoa47rpxo63g.jpg
    NRaas has moved!
    Our new site is at http://nraas.net
  • EA_LannaEA_Lanna Posts: 3,867 EA Community Manager
    This is something that I've been asked before in a wallpost on my activity wall. I'll quote some sections so as not to repeat bits and expand on it if needed :)
    Necroing really is reviving or bumping old, outdated and irrelevant threads which have died off naturally. It's not helpful for our community to reopen such threads as a result. If the conversation has naturally concluded or if there's nothing new to add to the thread, it's best to not post in there and bring up old stuff. So old is relative in that sense but 2 months or older is a good bench mark. It's best to check the last page to see when it was last a thing before you hit post to avoid necroing threads.

    A scenario when it's ok to create a new topic on an old thread is when you've new information otherwise it's effectively necroing a topic in lieu of a thread. Another scenario is if it's an ongoing issue like the technical threads, where you'd post your technical issues, etc.

    In essence if the bump is helpful to the discussion or has new information it's an ok necro i.e Bumping an old thread because there's an issue that still affects users and you have a work around.

    I hope that clarifies this for you but if there are any questions do pop them below and we'll aim to discuss it further ^^
    • New Simmers, take a moment to read through this thread.
    • The Help Center is hosted on Answers HQ. Check out EA_Mage's thread on why.
    • Please post all Sims 4 Bug Reports, Technical and Gameplay issues in the AHQ Sims 4 Section.
    • Here is a quick link to The Sims forum rules
    oa2aib6yaucg.jpg

  • king_of_simcity7king_of_simcity7 Posts: 25,102 Member
    How long can a thread stay inactive for until it is deemed inappropriate to be necroed?

    I do wonder if there is an auto delete to removed threads that predate 2014? There is no need to bump a thread asking when Seasons are coming to TS3! lol
    Simbourne
    screenshot_original.jpg
  • igazorigazor Posts: 19,330 Member
    edited December 2017
    @king_of_simcity7 - Auto-delete or archive? There a billion (slight exaggeration) helpful threads on this forum that pre-date 2014 that players should still be able to find and benefit from. Some of them even go back as far as 2009. I don't think most of us want them removed from view, it's when they get replied to with no helpful information added or newer members think they are reading about TS4 subjects that brings about the potential for confusion.
    o550pjoa47rpxo63g.jpg
    NRaas has moved!
    Our new site is at http://nraas.net
  • king_of_simcity7king_of_simcity7 Posts: 25,102 Member
    @igazor Just auto close. The can still be found if you search for them
    Simbourne
    screenshot_original.jpg
  • EA_LannaEA_Lanna Posts: 3,867 EA Community Manager
    edited December 2017
    In terms of how old is old, I've mentioned this above but will share it again:
    If the conversation has naturally concluded or if there's nothing new to add to the thread, it's best to not post in there and bring up old stuff. So old is relative in that sense but 2 months or older is a good bench mark.
    I feel that focusing on a fixed time is not the right approach to this as 'old' is relative. Old is entirely dependant on the type of thread/discussion/issue. It's good to look at the time to see if it's an active discussion but if it's not there's a few things to consider before you post in there to avoid needlessly necroing threads.

    Sample scenario:
    • Is the discussion you're commenting on an ongoing issue?
      = Yes - pop down to the next question
      = No - you should not necro the thread.
    • Has there been a resolution or a successful workaround issued?
      = Yes - you should not necro the thread.
      = No - one more question to ask then:
    • Can I share a workaround or resolution?
      = No - You should not necro the thread.
      = Yes - It's more than ok to pop your workaround in.

    So the focus shouldn't really be solely on how old the thread is, rather a blend of that in addition to whether you have new information to contribute there that would validate resurrecting old discussions. Sometimes it's ok to necro threads if it warrants it.

    In regards to auto locking threads, I personally wouldn't be in favor of that as there are exceptions to necro'd threads, such as the ones' I've highlighted above with the example of technical threads or ongoing issues. These would get caught in the automatic locking.

    In general, there is little reason to lock old threads as they run their course over time and tend to drop off naturally. The moderation team would only really step in to close threads when the situation requires it and we are happy to do so. It's best to flag necro'd threads to us if you feel they need locking.
    Post edited by EA_Lanna on
    • New Simmers, take a moment to read through this thread.
    • The Help Center is hosted on Answers HQ. Check out EA_Mage's thread on why.
    • Please post all Sims 4 Bug Reports, Technical and Gameplay issues in the AHQ Sims 4 Section.
    • Here is a quick link to The Sims forum rules
    oa2aib6yaucg.jpg

  • king_of_simcity7king_of_simcity7 Posts: 25,102 Member
    @EA_Lanna Thanks for clearing that up :smile:
    Simbourne
    screenshot_original.jpg
  • igazorigazor Posts: 19,330 Member
    edited December 2017
    @EA_Lanna - I think the important thing here is that issues like this have been/are given some serious consideration and we feel like our needs as frequent forum users are being at least listened to rather than what might at the time have seemed like arbitrary things just kind of silently happening all around us. That's quite a change from years prior, so thanks much for the hard work we sometimes difficult users end up giving you to do and especially for the communication channels! :)
    o550pjoa47rpxo63g.jpg
    NRaas has moved!
    Our new site is at http://nraas.net
  • lisasc360lisasc360 Posts: 19,255 Member
    edited December 2017
    Edit to say that some of the old ideas threads from the old TS3 site got locked. Not sure that if whomever was doing the locking of the older ideas threads was attempting to try to lock all of them or if they just wanted to lock some but I just wanted to point out that some threads are locked. The locked threads that's in this section start on page 702.

    I also had seen in the past when older TS3 ideas threads that got revived due to The Sims 4 players looking for existing threads for whatever ideas that they have in mind for TS4 being moved over to The Sims 4 Ideas Corner.
    Post edited by lisasc360 on
  • NetzspannungNetzspannung Posts: 2,456 Member
    I wondered the same thing when I saw that thread yesterday. I think as a new member, I would be confused.
    If I just posted an outfit you like, I have good news - there is more where that came from!
    https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/956513/netz-a-porter-outfits-ready-to-wear-for-your-sims-no-cc-required
    Twitter: NetzspannungTS

    we all try ...
  • king_of_simcity7king_of_simcity7 Posts: 25,102 Member
    It depends on the thread. I have had some of my own threads be necroed a year after they ended with the same arguments reviving themselves. I won't even post in that thread anymore.
    Simbourne
    screenshot_original.jpg
  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    It depends on the thread. I have had some of my own threads be necroed a year after they ended with the same arguments reviving themselves. I won't even post in that thread anymore.
    But you’re not a new member, you don’t have to use an old topic to ask a question.

    I pm’ed this simmer to link them to the proper topic (@rosemow’s) and it took me quite a bit of searching. I think my point rather is that new members with a serious question/problem would benefit from being guided friendly to that topic, than that I’m bothered by old topics being closed ;)
    5JZ57S6.png
  • ManakoHimeManakoHime Posts: 285 Member
    I agree with you @JoAnne65. For new members, it can be quite daunting to search through all the topics in hopes you will find one that your looking for, so yeah it is easier to make your own post so you don't have to search and be overwhelmed (I did this on another site when I first started using forums some years ago).
    It doesn't help when older members go "There's already a post for that!" and leaves it like that, like is it really that hard for you to copy and paste a link so I know where to go? lol
    It would be nice if older members who know where these threads are could kindly post a link so us newbies know where to go so we don't over create the same thread.
  • simgirl1010simgirl1010 Posts: 35,707 Member
    It can be a bit confusing. There are so many older threads with helpful information that is still relevant. Such as that yard sale post. I was glad to see it pop up because I've not done much with yard sales and it inspired me to move it to the top of my to do list.
  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    edited January 2018
    JoAnne65 wrote: »
    I notice there is much activity at the moment to avoid topics from being necro’ed. While I welcome the fact the forums are kept clean that way, I wonder what exactly is considered necropost? According to the rule, we have to make sure it’s not 2 years old. I bumped into this topic however, that got closed less than a year after the last comment had been posted. That doesn’t necessarily matter, when it’s a nonsense bump. In this case however it’s not a nonsense bump, it concerns a simmer having a problem related to the topic in question. And the only help they get is the presentation of a rule they didn’t break.

    My suggestion (“Share your non game related feedback & suggestions about The Sims forum“) would be to guide new members to the proper topic to post their question in order to help them by guiding them. And be more specific about what the rules are.

    [EA_Lanna: Adding this OP here as it was lost during the merging of threads and I feel has some good points]

    I understand active, ‘old’ members are aware of all this (or you can expect them to be). Reality however teaches, that most old topics are necro’ed by new members, people who sometimes even only registered to ask that one question. I’d say for those new members it’s more useful to be directed to the proper topic to post their question than to be told they are breaking a rule they never saw (because they entered the forum by opening the post adressing the specific problem they had, not through the menu) and couldn’t help preventing (not being able to start their own topic).
    Post edited by EA_Lanna on
    5JZ57S6.png
  • EA_LannaEA_Lanna Posts: 3,867 EA Community Manager
    edited January 2018
    JoAnne65 wrote: »
    According to the rule, we have to make sure it’s not 2 years old. I bumped into this topic however, that got closed less than a year after the last comment had been posted. That doesn’t necessarily matter, when it’s a nonsense bump. In this case however it’s not a nonsense bump, it concerns a simmer having a problem related to the topic in question. And the only help they get is the presentation of a rule they didn’t break.
    In regards to the forum rule, I've expanded on how old 'old' is above and how there isn't a strict time frame to box necroposting within due to the contributing factors but I'll pop that quote below here:
    EA_lanna wrote: »
    In terms of how old is old, I've mentioned this above but will share it again:
    If the conversation has naturally concluded or if there's nothing new to add to the thread, it's best to not post in there and bring up old stuff. So old is relative in that sense but 2 months or older is a good bench mark.
    I feel that focusing on a fixed time is not the right approach to this as 'old' is relative. Old is entirely dependant on the type of thread/discussion/issue. It's good to look at the time to see if it's an active discussion but if it's not there's a few things to consider before you post in there to avoid needlessly necroing threads.

    With this context, I'll expand on the thread linked in your comment as another example of a necro'd thread. That thread is in relation to an issue that is now outdated and it is not the same as the issue the user is currently experiencing. So the post made was not only necroing the thread, it was also moving the discussion away from the initial issue onto a new one (thread derailment). It's understandable for users new to the forum to make these mistakes but that doesn't warrant allowing the necro'd outdated discussion to remain open, hence the closure of that thread.

    In general, if you are experiencing issues, you should not post in a outdated thread as each patch changes the situation and thus the issue occurring and the potential solution or workarounds for that issue. If there is a new issue, it's best if a new discussion is opened on it. On this, as new users can't open new threads until they become full members, while they do have the option to wallpost, they can always reach out to the moderation team to help create a thread on it. We happy to help where we can with these things.
    Post edited by EA_Lanna on
    • New Simmers, take a moment to read through this thread.
    • The Help Center is hosted on Answers HQ. Check out EA_Mage's thread on why.
    • Please post all Sims 4 Bug Reports, Technical and Gameplay issues in the AHQ Sims 4 Section.
    • Here is a quick link to The Sims forum rules
    oa2aib6yaucg.jpg

  • EA_LannaEA_Lanna Posts: 3,867 EA Community Manager
    Making a separate post for this one as it'd be a wee bit TL:DR if they were put in the one response ^^
    JoAnne65 wrote: »
    I understand active, ‘old’ members are aware of all this (or you can expect them to be). Reality however teaches, that most old topics are necro’d by new members, people who sometimes even only registered to ask that one question. I’d say for those new members it’s more useful to be directed to the proper topic to post their question than to be told they are breaking a rule they never saw (because they entered the forum by opening the post addressing the specific problem they had, not through the menu) and couldn’t help preventing (not being able to start their own topic).
    You provide some good feedback here. We can look to take this into consideration when closing threads and aim to pop links to any existing threads alongside the forumrule to help new users find the correct thread. On this, while the forum rules are best communicated by the moderation team, if you do spot new users necroposting before the team and you are aware of existing threads that would be helpful for the user to post in, I would encourage you to do so. As you've outlined new users would appreciate this help from the community :)
    • New Simmers, take a moment to read through this thread.
    • The Help Center is hosted on Answers HQ. Check out EA_Mage's thread on why.
    • Please post all Sims 4 Bug Reports, Technical and Gameplay issues in the AHQ Sims 4 Section.
    • Here is a quick link to The Sims forum rules
    oa2aib6yaucg.jpg

  • Nikkei_SimmerNikkei_Simmer Posts: 9,403 Member
    edited January 2018
    @EA_Lanna, Are Stories & Legacies threads subject to the "necro-post" rules (if one is the author)? Sometimes my muse leaves me for months at a time and I have nothing new to post until such time as my muse comes back which could take from 6 months to an year or more on some stories. I have a Supernatural Story-line that is kind of "stagnant" at the moment. Just thought that I'd get clarification from a Sim_Guru before I start resurrecting a story thread of mine with a fresh-post, especially if it's over an year old (luckily not yet at the moment - but it all depends on whether I get a fresh post thanks to my dormant muse - for that story).
    Post edited by Nikkei_Simmer on
    GYZ6Ak9.png
    Always "River McIrish" ...and maybe some Bebe Hart. ~innocent expression~
  • pandabear1836pandabear1836 Posts: 2,269 Member
    I would like to know this as well! I have a 100 day cas challenge that I haven't posted on for almost a year :grimace: And with threads being necroed and closed left and right these days, I'm a bit nervous about updating it just to have it closed. Surely, authors should be an exception to posting on old threads?
  • lisalittlesimmerlisalittlesimmer Posts: 404 Member
    I would also like to know this for a similar thing. I have a build showcase thread that I don't post on regulary but I assumed it's fine because it's your own thread anyway? I'd love to get an answer
    My lot showcase
    Origin ID: lisalittlesimmer
    K5IURhP.jpg
This discussion has been closed.
Return to top