Greetings Everyone,
For awhile there has been a discussion of how to handle old threads when they were brought back. The old rule was after 3 months the thread would be locked if it were revived. The rule was also no where on the site for the public but it was there for the leaders. Change needed to happen.
I know I have become associated with the locking of threads that were brought back. I saw the strife it caused and pushed for a formalization of at first rules but then came to a guideline approach. The guideline is a good balance and approach for how old threads that revived will be handled from now on.
I worked on this guideline personal with the feedback of others and it has been approved by the admin, moderators, and leaders.
The guideline can be found in the The FAQ now. For your convenience it is also here in this first post, I’ll talk a little more after it to discuss it:
Reviving Old Threads
Each thread can be revived or brought back within 6 months. Look at the thread carefully and consider if it is still relevant. Would it be better to make a new thread instead? Remember that you can link back to old topics. When a thread is brought back after 6 months, the post reviving the thread is reviewed.
Why only 6 months?
It is plenty of time to discuss a thread. Keep in mind this is 6 months from the last post in the thread.
Will a Revived Thread be Locked?
No. The revived post will be reviewed to determine the best course of action for it.
How is a revived thread reviewed by Admin, Mods, and Leaders?
The post that revived the thread is examined.
- What does it say?
- If it is asking a question, the post is moved to a new thread and linked back to the old one.
- If it is a bot/spam account, the post is deleted and the bot/spam account is deleted.
- If the post is low effort, it is deleted. The user who posted the low effort post is messaged.
- If the post that revives the thread is from the original poster of the thread and the post is adding new content or updates, then the post is not deleted.
- If the post that revives the thread would be better suited as a new thread, then it is moved into a new thread.
Are there exceptions?
Yes. Topics which continue for extended period of time like : TV Shows, Megathreads, the wallpaper thread, etc.
What if someone deliberately revives old threads?
If it is determined a forum member is deliberately reviving old threads that exceed the 6 month period, then the admins and moderators will treat the action like a forum rule has been broken.
Threads Will Also be reviewed after 6 months
Threads will be checked on after it is six months old from the 1st post. Leaders and Moderators will look at the replies to see:
- Are the replies still relevant to the topic.
- Do the replies contribute to the topic.
- Would the replies be better as a new topic.
- Is the topic still relevant
- Could the most recent post be moved to a new separate topic
Like I said this is a Guideline.
The big points:
- Revived Threads will not be locked
- The period in which people can post after the last post is now 6 months instead of 3.
- Additional Threads that are 6 months old from the 1st post will be reviewed, they won’t be locked.
If you want to ask questions or discuss this please do so in the META THREAD for this announcement.