I know the mods would prefer that people just report zombie threads instead of making “cute” references to what is happening in-thread, but I think it is time to make an official rule about it. It’s far too easy to link up to an old thread nowadays, and I don’t think name-calling and mockery should be the first response newbies get when they post here.
I certainly agree with the quoted part, at least. It’s not clever, funny, or helpful to post something like “BRAAAINS!” when a thread gets revived. Anybody who’s still “zombie calling,” as you put it, is cordially invited to cut it out.
I’m on the fence as to whether we need an official rule. Maybe just a sticky that says Don’t do this as a matter of etiquette?
Keeping up with all the current threads seems to be challenging enough. People actually take/have the time to peruse countless old threads just to revive them? If so, and if it is deemed a problem, wouldn’t having threads automatically close after a given period of time eliminate that?
I guess I’m not quite certain what “Zombie Threading” is and why it is frowned upon.
Someone Googles a topic, an old thread on that subject pops up, and someone registers and posts to that thread-no perusing countless old threads necessary.
As I just posted in a thread in GQ, I would personally appreciate it if people would stop doing this. The “joke” is beyond old. And when you just post a zombie joke, or worse, “Braaaaiiiiins,” it serves no purpose. It doesn’t inform the newbie of the policy, or why it is frowned upon. It’s almost as annoying as spam. If you see an old thread bumped, just report it. There is absolutely no reason to post a zombie joke.
This said, I don’t think there is any reason to make a new rule on it. Lame jokes by themselves aren’t against the rules, and I don’t think there is a reason to prohibit them.
Ah, okay, thanks.
From the Guidelines and Etiquette sticky in ATMB.
The standard for General Questions is that it’s OK to bump an old thread for the purpose of adding new factual information. It’s not OK just to bump one just to add a joke or anecdote, or to dispute something with a long-gone poster. I will generally close such threads, unless other posters have added new factual information after it was bumped.
Thank you for the in depth explanation. The issue was certainly well thought out and makes good sense.
Zombie jokes made sense when we were not indexed by google and the only way to even find an old thread was for a dope user to search for it. I don’t think I’d even mind those jokes if the thread was reopened by a long time user. However, now that most zombies are raised by newcomers, the jokes are perplexing and unwelcoming. Not good for a message board that I am led to believe is in decline.
That said, I wouldn’t want to see a rule but I welcome social pressure as exemplified by Colibri this morning. In fact, I think I would approve of junior modding of zombie jokes but I’ll back off on that if the mods shake their heads.
I’d just prefer reporting the zombie without comment besides “reported.”
As someone who makes the jokes now and then:
a) If its a newbie I usually do it in the context of “welcome to the club and here is our club inside joke”.
b) If its an established poster I play it in terms of the inside joke. Which is pretty much how I take it when I was the one to accidentally wake the zombie or participate without catching the date. I actually find it quite a bit of fun.
In short no reason for a rule and like most things that pop up here a lot more is context than the words themselves.
I hereby consider your head shook.
Of course there’s a reason. Czarcasm doesn’t like it. Are you saying that’s not reason enough?
I agree completely: The zombie weren’t funny to begin with and now they’re beyond stale and add nothing. I hate being around a group of people with all their inside jokes and feeling lost and stupid.
If the thread was bumped by a spammer or a newbie posting something completely irrelevant, then just report it so it can be closed.
If the newbie adds something to an older thread, then just treat it like a current thread, no need for 8 “BRRRAAAAAIINNS” and other such nonsense posts in a row.
I don’t think it should warrant a warning, maybe a quick PM from the mod to suggest they knock it off. In a way, it’s a minor form of threadshitting.
I’ve pointed out repeatedly how simple it would be to fix zombie threads. I guess TPTB just aren’t interested.
Moderator Note
Let’s avoid jabs at other posters in ATMB. As noted, I don’t like it either, nor do a lot of others.
Colibri
Moderator
Or “Graaaaiiiiiins,” from the vegan ones. Equally bad.
https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=513091&page=5
Starting around post #224 or 222 depending on how you want to follow it.
Threadshitting; even in a minor sense? As they say on the sports shows ---- c’mon man. If we’ve moved beyond even that small level of fun I suggest we all pack it in.
I agree that if a zombie joke is all someone wants to contribute to a thread it is they and not the bumper who need mod guidance.
The anti-zombie policies here in general encourage such jokes though. Nobody should give a bumped thread a second thought including moderators. It shouldn’t be considered noteworthy in any sense if someone bumps and old thread. It most definitely shouldn’t have a section of its own in the board rules. That comes from a time when there were a lot more posters and a lot more interest in message boards. Today the bulk of our interesting threads have already been written. Adding to them, even years later, should be considered not only permissible but beneficial to the boards.
The policy of closing threads that have been bumped combined with the unwritten policy of new posters getting cryptic insults thrown at them when they do bump a thread are hastening the demise of this board. It is one of the few contributors to the decline of the boards that we have complete control over.
Just about the only way we’re getting new genuine posters anymore is from people bumping threads they find on Google. How they are treated by other posters and mods will determine how many of them stick around.
Knowing this opinion will not be shared by many, I can only say there will come a time when the only threads here are zombie threads. How soon that will be depends, at least in part, on how we treat old threads that are bumped by new posters.
Heresy.