Dhamma Wheel Buddhist Forum

I don't remember if I suggested this already. It's a common rule on forums because people that go back and post in old threads tend to be disruptive. Because the conversations are old, people generally aren't involved in replying anymore. However, people often miss the time-stamps on posts and, after one person bumps an old thread, a few people can start replying before they even notice it's an old thread that's been re-hashed.

Should a rule be established prohibiting bumping old threads?

A suggestion from my experience running a couple of forum boards: The forum software
can be set to purge out threads which have not been replied to after a certain amount of time
has passed.

It's automatic and therefore would not require any rules which may or may not be adhered to.

Individual wrote:It's a common rule on forums because people that go back and post in old threads tend to be disruptive.

I haven't noticed such a pattern. It's true that sometimes there are replies to old comments mistaken for new, but that hardly seems disruptive. Most things being discussed here are not current events, so a gap of a year or two in discussion is hardly a problem...

Should a rule be established prohibiting bumping old threads?

Certainly not, in my opinion. In fact, I'm off to add information to an old thread right now...

Bonsai Doug wrote: The forum software can be set to purge out threads which have not been replied to after a certain amount of time
has passed.

That might be appropriate on some boards, where the information might be only of fleeting interest, but in my opinion it would be disastrous on a board like this, where part of the point is to assemble information that can be searched or browsed later. There are many, many, posts on the meanings of Pali terms, or tricky passages in Suttas that may not get much discussion, but are an incredibly valuable resource.


Mike

I agree with Mike.

Modus.Ponens wrote:I agree with Mike.

Me too. I have used older threads as a resource myself.

mikenz66 wrote:

Bonsai Doug wrote: The forum software can be set to purge out threads which have not been replied to after a certain amount of time
has passed.

That might be appropriate on some boards, where the information might be only of fleeting interest, but in my opinion it would be disastrous on a board like this, where part of the point is to assemble information that can be searched or browsed later. There are many, many, posts on the meanings of Pali terms, or tricky passages in Suttas that may not get much discussion, but are an incredibly valuable resource.

Humbly, I suggested it could be done, not that it should be done.

The fewer rules a forum has, the better. Keep things simple. If the board owners/admins feel bumping old threads
presents a problem, all they have to do it lock the thread = no further posting and info preserved.

ॐ

Hi Doug,

Bonsai Doug wrote: Humbly, I suggested it could be done, not that it should be done.

The fewer rules a forum has, the better. Keep things simple. If the board owners/admins feel bumping old threads
presents a problem, all they have to do it lock the thread = no further posting and info preserved.

ॐ

Sure, locking threads is another useful option. Sorry for mixing up your technical input with other issues....


Mike

Individual wrote: Should a rule be established prohibiting bumping old threads?

It only happens occasionally, not enough to be a real problem, and sometimes old threads are full of interesting stuff and worth a bump up.

No rule is universally applicable.

Individual wrote:No rule is universally applicable.

Except the rule that no rule is universally applicable.

Why prohibit people from bumping old threads? People might have something good to say. Does that really grind your gears when you see a thread from a year or two ago pop up on your new posts panel? Why purge old threads? They contain a wealth of information.

tiltbillings wrote:

Individual wrote:No rule is universally applicable.

Except the rule that no rule is universally applicable.

Not a rule. Just a fact. Feel free to try to apply rules universally and eventually, it will fail. Only wisdom is transcendent, not its particular expressions.

BlackBird wrote:Why prohibit people from bumping old threads? People might have something good to say. Does that really grind your gears when you see a thread from a year or two ago pop up on your new posts panel? Why purge old threads? They contain a wealth of information.

It just has a habit of being disruptive. Maybe it's a bad idea, but if it starts happening more often because certain new posters seem to dig up old threads just to say, "I agree", to posters that are no longer here... maybe you'd see what I mean.

Perhaps it is just a bad idea.

Individual wrote: It just has a habit of being disruptive. Maybe it's a bad idea, but if it starts happening more often because certain new posters seem to dig up old threads just to say, "I agree", to posters that are no longer here... maybe you'd see what I mean.

Maybe you can take it as training, work on that khanti-parami eh

Individual wrote: It just has a habit of being disruptive.

That is a habit you should work on breaking.

As for old thread being bumped up, it really is not an issue here. It happens, and they can be easily enough ignored, or maybe they still have some life left in them. Either way, it is not a problem.

I almost didn't reply to this post (and I am despite my better judgement) but if a topic is of interest enough to one of our fellow forum members to incline them to replying (id est, bumping) a thread what's so wrong with that? Isn't this a discussion forum? Sorry but I don't understand the motivation for the thread and it just seems kind of mean spirited. My apologies in advance for any toes I may have stepped on. Mettaya.