Please check post dates and resist replying to old threads!

Post Reply New Topic

I will admit to sometimes being annoyed by the resurrection of old, irrelevant threads. That said, sometimes there are threads that make sense to resurrect b/c they are more general.

I don't think these things should be policed b/c people are going to have different opinions about what should be resuscitated, and people are going to make mistakes and not notice dates.

I think people do their best to make good decisions, and I just try to remember to look at dates, before investing tons of time on a thread that I wouldn't want to post on if it were not recent. I don't see how not looking at the date before posting is any less awful then not looking at the dates on related posts before posting. They are both errors people are likely to make especially on a board with people with executive function issues.

I could be wrong but I don't think the parent board has any different issues than the rest of the board in this regard b/c people can be super busy and tired and have executive function issues and not have kids. I don't think parent time is more valuable than the time of non-parents. I don't see where we need special policing.

I'll just add, DW, I appreciate the thoughtfulness of your posts and though I too feel frustration when realize someone's new response is the only new thing in the thread, I have never felt like it was a waste of time reading a response you wrote. And I appreciate the way you write, it's helpful!

I have to say, as a "new" user, the old threads are really helpful to me. I search for threads and I have read way way back in the archived stuff. That saves me from starting a bunch of new threads asking things that have already been hashed out over and over. If I comment on one and "drag it back up" then I am most likely hoping to get more input or newer input on the subject, without having to start the conversation from scratch so to speak.

And if old posts really annoy anyone...just don't comment on them further and tada - they die again.

I like to respond to situations in a timely fashion, so it helps me to know how old the original post is. I wonder if there is a way of generating that field, i.e. inserting the date a thread started next to the name of the op who started it.
For new subscribers, I find it pretty easy to search for information. It's more of an issue when I can remember someone's situation and can't remember his / her name when I want to check on how things are going. It's a good idea to become familiar with the stickies (even if you don't read through all of them, just know what's there). But starting a new thread with the particulars of your situation is the best way to get helpful responses.
J.

i dislike forums for this reason , lol

i am not a smart person with autism, apparently i got all the bad crap and not a single good thing autism sometimes gives people, so forums confuse me, i never know who to respond to, or when , i never can tell if anyone responded to my posts, or not, i basically just get lost in here, it's why i never use them, i just can't find the chat room anymore, so I'm in here, now. i also hate waiting, talking to someone on a forum is like sending letters in the mail, it's so slow, and annoying (it's useful for finding info though )

I would give you cyber hugs but since few on this forum actually like those, I'll hope I can say the right words.

I don't want anyone to feel frustrated. We know that posting is hard for many here. I was sharing my frustration, yes, I had a rough day and let something minor annoy me, but the goal was to raise awareness, not to increase anyone else's frustration. Take a risk and speak your mind. It is OK. Even if someone like me gets frustrated with it, we aren't likely to call you out or officially censor you; I made a general request but I didn't name any names or make it specific to anyone. I know different people on this forum have different struggles, and we will always allow for that. If we haven't ... well, remember we have our bad days, too, and realize it isn't about you, but about the person expressing annoyance.

It took me about a week or two to get the hang of this new style. I have posted as guest and made some other mistakes because of the new layout.

I have had to teach myself in the past to look at dates before replying so I wouldn't waste my time composing one and then finding out it's a zombie thread that got brought back from the dead and the person I responded to hadn't been back to the forum at all. It's a matter of remembering to look at the time stamps when you view the thread before hitting the reply button.

I totally get feeling very frustrated, I have those days too. What I found a little upsetting about the post was that I did feel people were called out when you mentioned that there were three posts that were resurrected that day that you felt had nothing important added to them, and it was really easy to see which posts you were referring to because, they were the only three old posts that were added to that day. And, I noticed that at least one of the posts was from a brand new member and I was worried that they would shy away. Correct me if I'm mistaken (I'm wrong a lot), but that's the way it appeared to me.

Point taken.

I just went to edit the post and I guess I can't*

The number was more off the top of my head than specific, so it is unfortunate that it turned out to be the exact number. Especially since one of the posts WAS meaningful, if I recall.

Sorry.

*unrelated, but I feel the need to verbalize: I've been so spoiled on editing, since I kept my manager tools after resigning. I told Alex years ago that I shouldn't have them, and he always said he would take care of that when we got the updated forum, so I guess he finally did. It is going to be weird not being able to edit anything I want. I guess I can change my signature disclaimer now, too.

Yes, I wondered if maybe it was a situation where you believed it was the number out of many, but just happened to be exactly right.

I'm annoyingly specific sometimes. I grew up with a lawyer father who would insist everything I said was specific down to every minor detail, like I was being cross examined (but not intended meanly). Like, I couldn't just say I was going to my friend Emily's (who lived down the street for years, was my best friend and the only Emily in our lives), without him asking "Emily who?" And I still tend to zero in on small details that many would assume was part of a looser idea. So, I apologize for nitpicking.

As I'm writing this, I'm starting to realize where my son may have inherited some of the ASD traits.....

Anyway, I'm glad you are feeling less frustrated now. And, you're right. It's ok to verbalize frustrations. No big deal.

DW, thanks for everything you're doing around here.

There may be a partial technical solution to this issue.
On another forum recently I saw a feature where the "Last seen" date was displayed next to the username on every post.

Like, on my posts you see:
maglevsky
Tufted Titmouse
Joined: Nov 23, 2014
Posts: 48

On that forum, there was an additional line saying "Last seen: Dec 21, 2014" or some such, i.e. the last time that user logged on.
Could be helpful in determining the likelihood of the OP coming back to read responses to older threads.
Of course it doesn't tell the whole story because:
- people may browse the forum, even specifically to check for replies, without logging on
- people may subscribe to a thread to receive updates by email (hmmm... come to think of it... I can't see a button for that... does WP even have this feature?)

So it's by no means perfect but still helpful, I think.
I for one would be in favor of adding his feature (with a bit of luck, whatever platform WP runs on already has it built-in just waiting to be enabled?)