# De "Googling' the board **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 30, 2012, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560 "2012-12-30T10:27:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/21 "2012-12-31T01:07:36Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > UMM, unless that’s a massive _whoosh_, indexing the board **created** the zombie problem. We had zombie threads before that, but not as many. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/22 "2012-12-31T01:08:42Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > UMM, unless that’s a massive _whoosh_, indexing the board **created** the zombie problem. He was answering your question about resolving the “flaw” in the software related to search, not the “zombie problem”, are you incapable of reading for comprehension? Also the “zombie problem” would be less of a problem if chuckleheaded thunderfucks would stop trying to play comedian and beat each other to the “hurr zombeez” posts, or get hostile towards new users who seem unaware that they’re posting to a zombie thread. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/23 "2012-12-31T02:19:14Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > UMM, unless that’s a massive _whoosh_, indexing the board **created** the zombie problem. That’s assuming it’s a “problem” in the first place. Not everyone feels that way. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/24 "2012-12-31T02:19:45Z")
> [@Sierra\_Indigo](#): > > Also the “zombie problem” would be less of a problem if chuckleheaded thunderfucks would stop trying to play comedian and beat each other to the “hurr zombeez” posts, or get hostile towards new users who seem unaware that they’re posting to a zombie thread. I was trying to formulate this very sentiment but got stuck on the wording. Now I can plainly see that I was fouled up on _chuckleheaded thunderfucks_, clearly the correct term. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/25 "2012-12-31T02:20:51Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > I specifically said that my thread wasn’t a “complaint.” > > And I don’t consider myself a “small minority” nor “loud.” OK, cool. But you missed an opportunity to blast me with both barrels for screwing up the wording in the link. You know, Gaudere’s Rule, and all that.😃 ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/26 "2012-12-31T02:25:53Z")
> [@Sierra\_Indigo](#): > > He was answering your question about resolving the “flaw” in the software related to search, not the “zombie problem”, are you incapable of reading for comprehension? > > Also the “zombie problem” would be less of a problem if chuckleheaded thunderfucks would stop trying to play comedian and beat each other to the “hurr zombeez” posts, or get hostile towards new users who seem unaware that they’re posting to a zombie thread. You’re correct exacerbate is the right word. However, ressurecting a zombie won’t exactly ingratiate you to a message board, or at least it shouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/27 "2012-12-31T02:27:09Z")
> [@Sierra\_Indigo](#): > > Also the “zombie problem” would be less of a problem if chuckleheaded thunderfucks would stop trying to play comedian and beat each other to the “hurr zombeez” posts, or get hostile towards new users who seem unaware that they’re posting to a zombie thread. Agreed. Sadly it won’t stop. Those posters think it’s oh so funny to make the ‘(thread subject) braaaaiiiiiins’ “joke” even though its been mentioned umpteen times. That’s kind of like hoping the Hi Opal meme will disappear. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/28 "2012-12-31T02:45:00Z")
Please remind me to bump this thread in five years. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/29 "2012-12-31T02:47:55Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I honestly don’t get why everyone is so uptight about zombie threads. > [@Yookeroo](#): > > Me neither. What’s the big deal? I third this. > [@njtt](#): > > It is not a flaw or a problem, it is a feature, and an excellent one too. It is a very good thing both for the Dope and the web as a whole that we are indexed by Google. Quite apart from the value of attracting new members and “guests” to view the advertising, old Dope threads are a unique, and very valuable informational resource. Please don’t fuck it up with your absurd hangup about harmless (and often amusing and informative) zombie threads! I quite heartily agree. > [@PlainJain](#): > > Agreed. Sadly it won’t stop. Those posters think it’s oh so funny to make the ‘(thread subject) braaaaiiiiiins’ “joke” even though its been mentioned umpteen times. That’s kind of like hoping the Hi Opal meme will disappear. Hi, Opal! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/30 "2012-12-31T03:12:25Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > OK, cool. But you missed an opportunity to blast me with both barrels for screwing up the wording in the link. You know, Gaudere’s Rule, and all that.😃 Okay, I’ll do it now. Uh, you screwed up the wording in the link. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/31 "2012-12-31T03:16:42Z")
Just out of curiosity - is the suggestion even possible? How would you go about de-googling a site? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/32 "2012-12-31T03:18:50Z")
I’ve found, like a few others, that it is sometimes easier to search the board using Google. Zombie threads don’t bother me. The spam that occasionally resurrects them bothers me, but the mods are usually quickly on it. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/33 "2012-12-31T03:25:28Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > You’re correct exacerbate is the right word. However, ressurecting a zombie won’t exactly ingratiate you to a message board, or at least it shouldn’t. Why shouldn’t it? Why? Why is it a problem for people to post to a thread that’s a few years old, especially if they’re new and quite obviously have found it doing a search for a specific topic that relates to that thread? ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/34 "2012-12-31T03:29:07Z")
There is no zombie problem. Many older threads are packed with thoughtful, relevant info to whatever is being discussed nowadays. There should be _more_ zombies as far as I’m concerned. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/35 "2012-12-31T03:49:23Z")
If you’re using Firefox or Chrome, there’s a way to mark threads so that you can see their zombies before being taken in by an old rant. > **[Zombies, again](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=598635)** > > I happened across this thread this morning, and didn’t realize it was a zombie until I noticed a banned user posting in it. Something about ‘BANNED’ appearing under the user’s name catches my attention a lot better than the date of post. I know I’m... ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/36 "2012-12-31T03:50:42Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > However, ressurecting a zombie won’t exactly ingratiate you to a message board, or at least it shouldn’t. Rehashing yet another discussion of zombie threads - one that we’ve had umpteen times before - won’t ingratiate you to a message board either, as evidenced by this thread. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/37 "2012-12-31T04:51:41Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > However, ressurecting a zombie won’t exactly ingratiate you to a message board, or at least it shouldn’t. There have been a number of responses to the issue of zombification that have specifically said they appreciate a number of resurrections simply because people will find threads long dead that they post a resolution to. Again, it seems like it is simply your paranoia of responding to a zombie thread that is the issue here, since you seem completely incapable of articulating any other possible reason for opposing the very idea of an older thread being accessed and responded to. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/38 "2012-12-31T05:24:06Z")
I rather like that the board is now Google-able (it didn’t used to be), if only because there’s no waiting period between searches. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/39 "2012-12-31T05:31:40Z")
I propose a change of board nomenclature. What have traditionally been referred to as “zombie threads” should henceforth be known as “vintage threads”. Perhaps that will help the likes **etv78** to understand that they are not scary things that are trying eat his brains, but (often, anyway) things of value that should be cherished, enjoyed, and respected. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560/40 "2012-12-31T15:05:23Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **PlainJane** : > > That’s kind of like hoping the Hi Opal meme will disappear. It pretty much has, by this point. Oh, you’ll still see it pop up occasionally, but only very rarely. By the way, **zoid** , if the Powers that Be were to decide that they wanted to de-Google, it’s quite easy. All you have to do is put a file called “robots.txt” on the server, that says that you don’t want automatic systems crawling the board. Compliance with this is purely voluntary by the operators of bots, but Google is good about respecting it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-googling-the-board/645560.md?page=3)