Necroposting!

[Positive07]

Hey guys, I'm here because in the last few months there have been many necroposts, bumping really old threads.

We have come to the conclusion that this is due to users searching in Google instead of using the Search feature of this forum, Google tends to give really old results for the question so answers are for older versions of LÖVE and totally deprecated. Answering this posts, asking the question again or reporting a wrong answer results in a post bump of the really old thread.

There is still one useful use case, some authors of libraries or games may want to bump the thread when a new version or update is released, so blocking the posts may not be the best answer.

So here comes the question, what would be the best way to handle this? Should we block the posts? Should we add a warning? Should we make it hard to answer the post?

Please state any other opinion, or proposal

Also if you are slime, bartbes or rude (or another person that has a good idea of how this forum works and who can change it), please do write what would be the best way to go about this!

If you can help implementing some of this solutions please do say it, I'm not good at PHP but could learn it if needed be.
There may be an existing phpBB plugin for this, I want to investigate this, having the exact phpBB version this forum is using would be helpful.

[Jasoco]

We've already been discussing this in the private secret forum that doesn't exist. We need a mod for the software to do it. I know enough PHP to know it could be hacked in fairly easily but then it'd be messy. So we need something official. Surely something exists.

We were talking about how we need something that discourages bumping old threads but doesn't outright prevent it. Like a message on the Post page that shows up in BIG RED LETTERS at the top when the "last posted to" date is older than an arbitrary threshold. Which would be easier to hack in or install than something that redirects to a confirmation "ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO BUMP THIS THREAD FROM 2009?" page that shows up after clicking submit. The mod would also remove the Quick Reply from the bottom of an old page to discourage reflex-based replying and cause the poster to go out of his way to try and post so they get the message.

In the end you'd still be able to bump that thread (For instance, you actually have relevant information for the thread, though in most cases it makes more sense just to create a new thread) but it'll make you think twice first.

Please note before posting that this thread is 4 years old and we would suggest you do not post in it. If you have helpful information for the poster, it is most likely they don't require it anymore. Or if you need to, you can make a new thread. However, if you still need to bump this thread, you may still do so. Please use discretion and common sense before hitting Submit. Thank you.

[Inny]

I'm a fan of snarky images, like this one:

[Positive07]

I totally support Jasoco's suggestion, does someone know the phpBB version? also is rude the only one with access to installing new mods?

I'm glad that the admins have already been discussing this, but this post is also helpful to have a community approved vote

[raidho36]

Simply showing a warning that it's an old thread will do the trick. Blocking threads is just a shitty idea because people will either be left dissatisfied or create new threads for many years old topics.

[skyHights]

I'm a fan of snarky images, like this one:

I didn't think we should put warnings, until I saw this.

[ken.athomos]

I think we should combine these two: "Put a big warning at the top and bottom of the thread" and "
Put an alert when commenting on old threads"(by Jasoco).

This way, not only is the viewer (and probably future poster) is notified not only once, but also twice as a confirmation page.

The only thing stopping these two would be the poster [him/her]self due too many reasons (stupidity as the worst case scenario - and I MEAN REALLY REALLY WORST, or plain carelessness and reflex for the best case scenario).

[Karai17]

Auto-locking threads that have been inactive for 6+ months seems reasonable. If that's too direct, then hiding the quick reply option and replacing it with a warning would be nice.

[Sheepolution]

Can you show some examples? I haven't really noticed this so to me this isn't an issue. At least not something that is worth locking threads.

[Jasoco]

Locking is too user hostile. And would look bad to onlookers browsing through a forum list and seeing a hundred locked threads one after another. It would discourage them to even look at the information in the thread.

Just make it more difficult to post but don't prevent it outright. Remove quick reply on older threads and put a bright red warning message on the reply page for old threads.