I think zombie threads are just fine. They don’t bother me at all.
I don’t mind zombie posts most of the time. Sometimes, I enjoy the zombie jokes.
Sometimes, I enjoy the thread. As someone who has only been on SDMB for half a year, I find the old threads almost as interesting as the new ones. I imagine that, eventually, I’ll tired of them…once I’ve been around long enough that I recognize some zombie threads from their original life.
Just as important, I’m making a two layer chocolate cake tomorrow. The recipe I base it on makes more batter than I need. I’ll make cupcakes out of the extras. Sorry…I don’t think any of you qualify for the cupcakes.
-D/a
Zombie jokes just require a level of finesse. Most are unfunny but it’s worth it for the ones that are IMO. And if I cared enough I’m certain I could find some zombie-joke-utterances by those who claim to hate them so much.
As to the original problem, what Hakuna Matata said. Make a script asking for confirmation, pronto.
I’m with the OP. Zombie threads are a pain in the ass.
I agree with this and with the OP, except unlike the OP, I didn’t think it was a good idea to change the policy. I liked the zombie policy that was in place before. It kept the newer threads on the front page. There’s enough content on a fast-moving message board like this one to let old threads stay dead and have enough to discuss.
I don’t think I ever said changing the policy was a good idea.
Oops, sorry. That’s what I thought you meant what you posted this:
They don’t bother me. I’ve seen a few that were successfully restarted and resulted in interesting epilogues. I don’t see why they’re so distressing to some folks.
I’m still in favor of the rule change, although I am finding them more annoying as time goes on. I really, really like the suggestion that some kind of warning and affirmation be required to post in an old thread, though.
Meh. I can’t believe that newbies unearthing old threads is that big of a problem here. I frequent another board where resurrecting an old thread isn’t viewed with any particular hostility. It works with that crowd because nobody minds if a long-dead thread rises from the grave. If it’s worthy of resurrection, then it will remain alive until it’s served its purpose.
Do Zombie threads cause an increased workload to the server or do they annoy people because only “dumb new guys do it and it JUST DRIVES ME CRAZY!!!” Really, have compassion for the new guys. You were one once and look how far you’ve come in the meantime. Do we want our newbies to be treading on eggshells until they learn how to do things “our” way or are you going to mentor (or at least not get P.O.ed at) our new members so they will learn the ropes?
I was pro-Zombie before the change was made, but now I am entirely anti. I try to be vigilant, but I get suckered into a Z discussion at least once a week, and it always leaves me feeling deflated.
And the zombie jokes are neither funny nor clever. Please try to resist.
mmm
I’m with Baloo. I don’t see a problem. A discussion is a discussion. If someone has something to add to the discussion, to me it’s better to link it to a prior discussion on the exact same topic rather than create a new one.
Then when someone does start a new thread, some wisacre is always in there with the “we already did this” links and the “Google is your friend” cracks.
Just go with the flow, folks.
I just revived my own zombie. It was a GD thread I started based on a news story at the time. There was an update on that story. It had been almost two years since the last post. As soon as I saw the new story, I thought of my old thread. I don’t think I should’ve had to start a whole new thread for the update. Zombies can serve a purpose.
It’s not. Not here and now, anyway. 
The only zombie threads that bother me are the ones opened by new users with nothing of any intelligence to add that probably will not be back anyway. Is there any way a new user can have their first post held back until a mod can approve it?
I like zombie threads for the simple reason that every once in a while they will have links to older threads that crack me up.
I don’t like Zombie threads because to me it’s the messageboard equivalent of one’s wife/girlfriend bringing up ancient and minor alleged “misdeeds”- (“You never listen to me! Like that time we went to Sarah’s for dinner and you missed the motorway exit because you thought it was the next one even though I said it wasn’t and we were late and everyone noticed!”).
In Ye Olde Days it was considered polite to lurk for a bit on a forum before joining and posting, precisely so you’d have some idea how things worked. Whilst I’m not in favour of actively discouraging new members, I would like to see something put in place so that posters are either advised that the thread they’re opening is really old.
What…you mean that rumour I heard about Obama being a immigration agent and letting the bombers slip into the country illegally from Kenya was true?
Who’dd thunk it!
In Ye Olde Days, forums were true communities. But, with Google indexing, quite a few people don’t see them that way. Pretty much all zombie raisers are in this way. People have looked up the subject, and now that they’ve read what we have to say, they want to comment on what they’ve read. The Internet has become a place where people comment on stuff. It honestly seems weird to stumble upon a site where you can’t comment on what people say.
As for warning people that the thread is old: all we can do is use those scripts I mentioned (there’s another one upthread). We can’t make noobs use it, but we can use it and thus know for sure we’re dealing with a zombie–as long as you have Firefox or Chrome.
I wish the JavaScript could be put on the site as a whole, but I think that would require a dedicated tech person, and would have to be reevaluated on every upgrade.
I don’t wish they were disallowed, but they have changed my reading habits. I tend to start reading threads by reading the date in the OP now. I know, I know, it takes like a whole 'nother 0.2 seconds out of my day, but somehow, I manage to find the time…