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Old posts

bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
in The potting shed
When you look at what is in front of you and see something that interests you then click and open the thread to find so often it is so many years out of date.
Is there something that can be done to cancel very old posts so that so many of us don't spend time looking and maybe responding?

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Even old posts may have helpful information. It’s the spammers who trawl them up to the surface that cause the nuisance. 
    I just check on some of the dates on posts of a thread I’ve not posted in before 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    I try to remember to check the date but I am occasionally caught out by the resurrection of a necro post, especially if the spammer’s post has been deleted. Then I learn to take the shame.
    Rutland, England
  • EmptyheadtimeEmptyheadtime Posts: 366
    Another forum I am on closes threads after 12 months of inactivity in order to help stop spammers. You can still search for/read the thread but cannot add to it. You also have to of made a reply to a topic before you canstart any of your own. Seems to work for them and could be worth considering here given all the spam.
  • clematisdorsetclematisdorset Posts: 1,348
    edited October 2023
    I have found so much helpful information on old threads, it is a lovely archive. I also think it is poignant that people who are no longer here (maybe they died or are not well enough to participate) have left a legacy for others. On a lighter note, it can be very funny or amusing to see old threads dredged up....
    Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus 
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    I agree @Emptyheadtime that kind of automatic locking up of threads would make so much sense. As people can still link to an old thread when asking for extra advice but stops all the spammers 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Having read your responses I am still feeling that very old threads should be removed. However I also understand what some of you are saying that you can get some very interesting  info from old threads and also some of these threads are from people who don't contribute anymore for what ever reason.
    As @BenCotto says I need to check the dates carefully and decide if I want to respond.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It wouldn't stop spammers if old threads were closed. They just post a few innocuous sounding comments, then they either go back and add a link within the editing period, or just add something to a newer thread.  Without members flagging spam on a very regular basis, the forum would constantly be full of it. 
    A closed thread can still be read though. A bigger problem IMO, is that the search facility is worse than useless. If that was properly adjusted, it would mean old threads could be much more useful. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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