Recently there has been a “rash” of ancient thread resurections, does the board software allow a global closing of threads where the last post is older than a certain date? If not it would be a good suggetions for the vbulletin folks for their next update of the software or perhaps a maintenance release.
There have also been a rash of misplaced threads lately. Doesn’t this one belong in ATMB?
I would think that the extra trouble that would go into creating this new feature would probably outweigh the trouble of dealing with the occasional bumped thread. There’s been a few lately, but in the big picture, old thread generally stay put.
I haven’t bumped any, but I’ve enjoyed seeing some of the older threads that have been bumped.
Can someone enlighten me as to what harm these “classic” threads cause?
They cause confusion for the SDMB staff and members. Recently, for example, a thread was resurrected that caused pandemonium when users, seeing the thread title and opener, thought that a long lost member had returned. For the staff, there are issues with respect to where the old ends and the new begins.
Another problem is that, as the software goes through updates, formatting tokens can change, making old threads difficult to read.
And finally, links and references in the old thread can be obsolete or dead ends. A newspaper might already have archived or deleted a story. A website might be out of business. Or, in cases like the Atkins diet, there might be whole new facts that render practically the entire thread moot.
In the oldest threads, links to other SDMB threads no longer work because the board software has changed.
So what is a newbie to do? If they want to comment on a particular subject that was discussed in the past, they can :
A) Start a new thread. Do that and sure as you can spit some old-timer will jump in and say “WE have already discussed that. YOU should have done a search first.”
B) Bring up an old thread. Do that and it pisses people off even more.
Does this mean that newcomers can never discuss certain things just because those that came before have already covered it?
No. It just means that you need to inform the old-timer’s of rules they should have known.
If you want to start a new discussion on a subject it’s best to start the thread and link to the old one. Not only does it keep the board clean but it’s liable to bring some people into the discussion who wouldn’t open a thread that’s already at 4 pages or so.
Can you explain the rules? Is it a bigger breach of board etiquette to resurrect an old thread than to replicate one?
You think wrong. A single SQL statement is all that is required to close any thread that hasn’t been replied to in a year. This can be done by the click of a button by the administrator, once a day, once a week, or once a month.
The issue of broken links exist even in a thread that’s current. Libertarian, the Atkins diet example is a good one for resurrecting an old thread because of the juxtapostion of what people thought the issues or facts were and what they are now.
We don’t like tinkering with the vB-software, so the suggested adaptation might be right out. Mr Winkelried will probably explain some more, as he’s the more technical among us staff. Him and Gaudere, really.
As a rule of thumb: feel free to start a new thread on a topic when you can’t find anything in the last, say, six months. Older than that might be confusing for both posters and staff.
And yes, this one’s off to ATMB.
Along with outdaded external links, a while ago there was an old thread bumped, and one of the links in the thread linked directly to the splash screen of a porn site. It didn’t when the poster introduced it into the thread, though.
Ringo, in that exceptional case, yeah, bumping it was OK. But you’ll agree it’s kind of hard to come up with topics that have been discussed exactly ONCE during three years of documented board history. 
Thank you Coldfire. I love this board but I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes here and I will use a 6 month search before starting a new thread. Is there a comprehensive document or post that outlines all the formal and informal rules of the board?
More or less. Read the FAQ threads at the top of this ATMB forum.
I wasn’t suggesting that the SDMB staff make the mods, I’m not assuming that they are qualified to do that. My suggestion was aimed at the people that developed the software, though a competent programmer could make the required changes and add them to the administrative control panel.
Also my post was meant to be sarcastic and should have been read as:
If you feel so strongly about threads not being resurrected, look into having the software easily modified to handle it.
I personally don’t have a problem with threads being resurrected.
Sucks when your sarcasm is missed by the rest of the world, doesn’t it? 
You could wander on over to the vBulletin home page, and suggest the modification there, if you like.