Mods: Can the really old stuff be archived?

Ppl keep reopening ancient threads, one was 10 years old. 

The info in those threads must be well out of date.

Is there a way to let them be read but not added too? 

If I'm the only one bothered I'll go find somewhere less confusing to hang out. I'm quite aware it might just be me that's struggling with this

  • I kinda like that old posts and members resurface on here :) 

    It's informative but it's also lovely to see how they enjoyed it here like we do now. I get a real feeling like I wan to know a lot of the old members who aren't here anymore.

    But then I love interacting with people online here because we're all different but the same.

    This place is my online home and family ^^

    I really hope you haven't gone. This forum is a really good group and it would be a shame to miss you xx

  • more sophisticated forums break long threads up into pages. But then most forums list posts chronologically not hirachaly based on replyies.

  • I enjoy reading through some old posts when they are bumped up the forum, it is interesting to read the perspective of members who are no longer active on here. As already stated it does keep the memory alive of the members who have sadly passed on.

    However we cannot keep adding to threads forever as the size of them will become unmanageable. The old '3 good things' thread had become so large that I had to stop clicking on it because, with my slow internet connection, I could not get it to load. I could go away and make a cup of coffee and the page still would not have loaded. Eventually it had to be closed by the forum team and a new one was created, which I am now able to read again.

    The size issue also affects discussions with a large number of images, such as the creative and photography threads. I think it is inevitable that new versions of those will eventually need to be created, perhaps linking to the previous version in the opening post so that the older images aren't forgotten.

  • I feel that the old threads should be preserved indefinitely, as these conversations can be a valuable source of information which, of course, can be added to. New members bring new thoughts, experiences and questions... and long may that continue. 

    If a thread is 'locked' and a member has something to add,  maybe they could simply start a new thread with the same name and add a number to it. e.g. "Can the really old stuff be archived 2"

    Ben

  • I am glad you raised this matter Max.  It is good to think about, and review things = healthy.  Like most others, I think it would be a shame to loose the archive of old and very old threads.  It is helpful and reassuring (to me) to see whole new cohorts of people on here treading the same old ground.....it shows that OUR struggles, thoughts and behaviours are timeless and inherent to us and our type.  The world changes.....but our place within it does not.

    Long before I ever even made a post of my own in this place, I felt like Plastic was "my type of person"......although he has long since passed, his wisdom lives on in this place.  Luna's resilience and loveliness = same thing, although I did actually have the pleasure to 'know' here.

    This place is old, clunky and a bit dysfunctional...just like me.

  •  I hope you don't leave and are just hibernating. Though we never interacted I know you're a kind and supportive voice here and you will be missed if you leave.

  • Nothing to apologise for, you simply asked a question. Don’t ’beat yourself up’.Heart eyes

  • I think they should be left open. If someone comments it might be an intriguing discussion which others might find interesting and want to participate in, even if the original guy who did it isn't around it doesn't mean we can't use that thread.

    Just my thoughts on it, for what they are worth.

  • I think it would be a shame if older discussions disappeared completely.

    Some of the older ones can be fascinating to read, even if the information contained within them may not always be relevant and applicable now.

    We are all entitled to our opinions. There are far worse things members have said in these forums, and I don't think anyone is likely to be offended by the opinion you expressed. If they are, I doubt it will be for long. Relaxed

  • I think I've erred by asking this question.

    My apologies. I think the bottom line is I don't do online groups any better than I do in person groups and an easily confused and frustrated by things. 

  • Bots reactivate discussions here? So sometimes I'm responding to no-one ? Just a bot? This is not something I had even considered. 

  • Quite often, it's the spam bots that resurrect old discussions. It's sad when members then comment (perhaps offering advice), not realising that the discussion isn't recent, and was created by a member that is no longer active on the forums.

    I'm aware that when discussions get heated, the mods will sometimes lock them. They are still available to be read, just that nobody can post comments. Perhaps the mods could consider doing the same with discussions that were created more than 12 months ago.

  • It isn't only you who's bothered by this. A few times I've written a reply and only then realised that the OP wrote it many years before. I think 5+ years posts should be locked as the OP is highly unlikely to return to it.