When is it okay to add to an older thread?

Annikaperi

If you see a great thread from year ago, is it okay to comment in it? If a thread is months old, but has the exact subject that you want to talk about, can you add to it or do you have to make your own? Do you need to make a new thread and maybe reference the old one, or can you continue the conversation? How old is old?

JamieleighFox

It's called forum necromancy, and I don't have a problem with it. Not aware of any rules though.

Celiria

If a thread has been dead for a year there is a reason for it. Its called people finished discussing it and weren't interested in continuing. As such it is not worth reviving. Just make a new topic.

ceejay402

hi Annikaperi and welcome

great question - for myself i think it depends

many times people will revive an old thread in response to a question or situation that no longer needs responding to. for example say the original poster asks how they can do something like clean out cache files. if the thread is old, say a few weeks or more and others have already posted answers - there's probably no need to add to the thread

or in tech i always think its better to start your own thread vs adding to an old one.

but there are also many great threads that adding your new post makes great sense. like there is a very funny thread about how you cant change your userid here- many people upon discovering this thread, most likely in hopes of a different answer add their take on what it means to be stuck with a bad name. good stuff.

oh and there is this thread that was recently revived - its the total best! and i think will never be considered dead
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/561024.page

but also know this a pretty friendly forum so dont worry to much about whats wrong or right - people will help point you in the right direction if needed or even when not

Simmerville

I don't know of any rules, and anyway - when in a thrwad, it's easy to post a reply without even noticing the thread was old. Maybe you got there through a search or a link.

That said, I think lifting any old thread is more valid if you jave anything to add to the subject. If you only "agree with last poster" I think it's better to leave the thread. Also, if you just want others to see the old thread, I think it's better to link to it from a new thread. There is also the chance that many of thos simmers posting to the old thread are no longer active on the board, and may not see whatever is added.

blunote00

I agree with ceejay402 and Simmerville.

Imo if you have something relevant to add to an old thread than by all means. But most of the time I see a "me too" post added which drives me nuts.

It's a bit different on the US version of the forums because the whole thing was was out of control back in 2009. Whereas on the other forums they would and still do lock duplicate threads and refer you to the one thread that's kept active.

Flashygrrl

I know I've seen a fair share of them dragged up from at least 4 years ago as of late, some of them having been necromanced more than once. I think the thing that drives me batty is most of them are NOT adding new information that can be helpful, they're either asking another question (so really, why not start a new topic?) or like others said is just a "me too". A month old? Meh, its not likely anyone will notice. But if the OP date is 2009...

ChelleJo

Flashygrrl wrote:

I think the thing that drives me batty is most of them are NOT adding new information that can be helpful.../quote]

This.

They either "me too" or answer the post question with answers already posted way back when the thread started. That's what drives me batty. Generally, if I suspect a thread has been resurrected, I skip it all together. And most times it's someone's first post... Shouldn't stop you from reading the posts above you though. :?

ARRensch

To be honest I've never really thought about that before. I actually ALWAYS read the replies to make sure I'm not repeating anyone and leave a comment. I've never come across anyone mean on this forum and everyone is really just helpful and friendly like ceejay402 said. Before you post just ask yourself, 'is it helpful?'. If it seems like info that could help or something interesting knock yourself out! If it's already been said or is nothing anyone would care about don't post it. If you have to say 'me too', then maybe add an interesting detail to that.

Another thing to ask yourself is 'what would I think of this if I were reading it?'. Pretend your comment is from another person and be honest about what your opinion is on it.

It's great that you want to be sure that you're being helpful on the forum and not an annoyance and I hope I helped answer your question. I'll also clarify that it doesn't always have to be helpful. Entertaining is alright as long as it's sensible. Don't worry you're going to be fine. You've already proven that by asking this question!

organgrinder20p

I love old threads! Wooo! Stylin! and comfortable.

Annikaperi

Sorry, my computer was in the shop for a week, so I’m just getting back to this. Thank you for all your replies. Yeah, organgrinder, stylin’ and comfortable!

I’ve seen some great threads, like weird things that have happened in the game and such. In some of them, half the posters are probably no longer on the forums, and some posts are now missing pictures, but some I just may resurrect. But this was helpful. I think I understand.

Great link, ceejay. I haven’t gotten through it all yet, but this one by AnglePlay300 made me laugh out loud:

(Things Simmers can’t say in public without sounding like complete psychos.)

"My gnome turned my teddy bear into a vampire!"

I can just imagine what my family would say if I blurted that one out. They think I’m weird enough with this Sims thing as it is.

kati77

One more annoying thing comes to mind with dragging up old threads. Let's say there's something you couldn't do with the base game or the older EP:s. Like... Late Night just came out, when someone made that thread, and asks, how you can get a vampire. Obviously everyone's saying things like, you have to make friends with them, and get them to turn you, which was the correct answer then.

Later, after Supernatural comes out, where you can make vampires in CAS, someone goes and answers to the old thread:"If you have Supernatural, you can make vampires in CAS! Hope that helps!"

I mean... I'd really think it's obvious to everyone by then. And if a person starts reading the thread, and doesn't pay attention to the dates, it kind of makes the other posters seem like idiots. I mean... why didn't they know you could do that with Supernatural? When in fact, Supernatural wasn't out, when they were originally posting.

dodow1234

I did bumping up old thread a couple days ago . Its about a glitch cause by nraas sp. I did say sory for bumping it though

Annikaperi

Thanks kati77 and dodow1234. I do assume that an expansion or patch can change things -- especially since I have installed a number of them recently. It’s tricky. Sometimes a problem that I am reading about has been solved before it even applies to me. I have spent some time reading about the patches trying to sort it all out. Sometimes I miss stuff, though. Like the fact that it’s normal for a Sim to get pregnant from making out in the theatre, and not another sign that my game is going down. Or that sometimes the game might glitch and a Sim might contort their body and interact with an object backwards, but that if it doesn’t persist it’s nothing to worry about -- sometimes these things just happen. (The “You’re Doing It Wrong!” thread is very entertaining.) I’ve noticed that the conversation on certain issues has really changed over time.

I’ve just read a lot about threads being old, off topic, etc., and noticed that different sites and different people seem to have differing ideas on this (some actually lock the threads, even the chatty ones) so I was just wondering what the conventions were on this site. I’ve read some non-technical threads that I was tempted to comment on, but they were really old. I’ll probably just start a new thread on some of these. Yeah 2009 is one thing, but I was wondering if a few months or a year was a long time on the Sims 3 Forums. But, as everybody says, I guess it just depends.

It is really annoying though, when you are throwing the best search words at Google that you can, and they keep giving you stuff about Sims 2!

kati77

Annikaperi wrote:

Thanks kati77 and dodow1234. I do assume that an expansion or patch can change things -- especially since I have installed a number of them recently. It’s tricky. Sometimes a problem that I am reading about has been solved before it even applies to me. I have spent some time reading about the patches trying to sort it all out. Sometimes I miss stuff, though. Like the fact that it’s normal for a Sim to get pregnant from making out in the theatre, and not another sign that my game is going down. Or that sometimes the game might glitch and a Sim might contort their body and interact with an object backwards, but that if it doesn’t persist it’s nothing to worry about -- sometimes these things just happen. (The “You’re Doing It Wrong!” thread is very entertaining.) I’ve noticed that the conversation on certain issues has really changed over time.

I’ve just read a lot about threads being old, off topic, etc., and noticed that different sites and different people seem to have differing ideas on this (some actually lock the threads, even the chatty ones) so I was just wondering what the conventions were on this site. I’ve read some non-technical threads that I was tempted to comment on, but they were really old. I’ll probably just start a new thread on some of these. Yeah 2009 is one thing, but I was wondering if a few months or a year was a long time on the Sims 3 Forums. But, as everybody says, I guess it just depends.

It is really annoying though, when you are throwing the best search words at Google that you can, and they keep giving you stuff about Sims 2!

Actually... Talking about really old stuff in threads... I'm almost embarrassed by a thread I made some time ago. I had been trying to google about mods for moving more that a family of 8 from one town to another. Then I found instructions that said it was dangerous for the game if you saved a copy of a family to the library and then moved it to a new town. And that was the way I'd been doing it the whole time. And it was the only way to do it then without mods. Well, I posted a link to the instructions and asked if it was true, and someone pointed out the instructions were about the Sims 2! I mean... I was both embarrassed that I hadn't noticed it myself and I guess relieved, because I wasn't doing anything that would corrupt my game.

So, obviously, no-one can really be aware of every patch or EP there is. But still, if a thread is from the year 2010, one might assume the problem described in it doesn't exist any more, at least in the same form

FryeGuy24

When it comes to necromancing threads, different people seem to have opinions on the proper etiquette, but I don't know of any real "rules." Some say don't bring up an old thread, and some say don't start a new thread if an old thread already exists. Since you really can't please everyone, just use your best judgment.

My personal opinion, what I see most often is people bringing up an old thread that they found via a site or Google search, which was left open-ended without a fix to the original question, and the new poster will say "I have this problem too, can anyone help?" Often, someone will come along this time who DOES have a fix, which means that now the next person who finds that thread via a search will actually have an answer.

So especially in the case of threads with unresolved issues, I don't think it's ever "wrong" to bring them back up if the intent is to get the issue resolved. It'll save any future site/Google searchers a lot of work.

zorba2357

I don't mind thread necro at all, as long as it isn't blatant trolling (for instance someone bumping a bunch of ancient threads with one word replies and nothing really to say.)

I dislike when at other forums the mods get all in a huff and lock anything over 2 weeks just because.

So I think if it is Relevant, why start a new thread , when there's already a thread with "history" and relevant info?

Also I haven't seen anyone mention the horrible search engine here. If you search a subject it WILL bring up threads from years ago, so who can blame a newbie for replying?

Annikaperi

Thanks FryeGuy and zorba. I have always found the internal search function to be lacking -- on here and on The Sims 1 forums -- and always use Google. I also find it tricky to find specific Sims on the Exchange. If the name of the Sim is not repeated in the description, it is sometimes hard to find them. I also wish there was an internal imaging function so that you wouldn't have to set one up outside the website, and you wouldn't have to look at all those missing images on older posts. Maybe that would be problematic in some way, but it would be really great if they used such a system for The Sims 4.