# General Opinion about threads that have been done before...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-opinion-about-threads-that-have-been-done-before/142981>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 16, 2002, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-opinion-about-threads-that-have-been-done-before/142981 "2002-12-16T00:51:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-opinion-about-threads-that-have-been-done-before/142981/1 "2002-12-16T00:51:44Z")

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Every time I start a thread somewhere I worry if it has already been covered (and assume it has) so I apologise. And start the thread (because I want it to be fresh and not tacked on to the end of a huge thread, and stuff…)

In my latest thread I am fed up of apologising so I type

> [@](#):
>
> blah said before yada apologies blah blah and stuff…

Which, afterwards, I thought might piss at least some people off. So I decided to start _this_ thread to A: apologise for that and B: ask if it actually bothers people if someone starts a ‘done’ thread again.

The thread I started was [Weird things you believed as a kid.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=150602). I am sure that topic has been done before. And I will have a look for one, but It was something I had just thought about and went a head and posted before I thought about looking to see if it had been done before.

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**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-opinion-about-threads-that-have-been-done-before/142981/2 "2002-12-16T01:23:35Z")

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Unless it’s something uniquely personal to me, I usually do a search to see if it’s been done at least in the last few months. A thread like the one you mention, my general rule of thumb is if there’s been a similar one within the last two or three months, bump that one, and if it’s older or really really long, start a new one.

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**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-opinion-about-threads-that-have-been-done-before/142981/3 "2002-12-16T01:29:41Z")

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Unless it’s something uniquely personal to me, I usually do a search to see if it’s been done at least in the last few months. A thread like the one you mention, my general rule of thumb is if there’s been a similar one within the last two or three months, bump that one, and if it’s older or really really long, start a new one.

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**Author:** ![BioHazard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3bc359/32.png) [@BioHazard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BioHazard)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-opinion-about-threads-that-have-been-done-before/142981/4 "2002-12-16T01:55:09Z")

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Almost all of the threads i’ve started since I became a member have been done before. I usually research the previous threads, post any comments/questions to my thread.

I wonder if there are any threads that HAVE NOT been done before on the SD Forums.