# How long does it take you to notice you're reading a zombie thread? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 5, 2015, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602 "2015-10-05T12:24:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/21 "2015-10-05T19:34:32Z")
Usually, even if nobody’s been banned and if there are no dead Dopers who posted to the thread in their pre-corpsitude days, I’ll eventually notice posters who used to be active but aren’t anymore. I’ll go, “ **Swimming Riddles** is posting again?.._waaaiiiiit_.” Then I’ll see the dates, do a headslap, and see if I posted to the thread during its earlier incarnation(s). ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/22 "2015-10-05T19:46:12Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I’ll tend to notice shortly after I add a post without being aware. > > ETA: Just checked, this one isn’t a zombie yet. Ditto. I’m not good at remembering to check dates on OPs. Sometimes I catch on because none of the usernames are at all familiar! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/23 "2015-10-05T19:49:07Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Sometimes I don’t until it’s too late. I was really hoping this thread was from 2003. It wasn’t my original intent, but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t love for this thread to get bumped after six or seven years. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/24 "2015-10-05T19:51:56Z")
This will one day may a great zombie thread. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Angry\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b38774/32.png) [@The\_Angry\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Angry_Badger)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/25 "2015-10-05T19:54:46Z")
How many here checked the date on this thread to make sure it wasn’t itself a zombie? 🙂 > [@WordMan](#): > > I wish we could figure out a bit more about the drive-by’s. I assume some % are 'bot-generated based on some algorithm set up to find threads like ours, but am not sure. Given how significant the % of internet traffic is supposed to now be computer-based, that is my working assumption. This board does quite well on google; I see it pop up in random searches from time to time. That’s how I found this board in the first place. I imagine a good percentage of resurrections come from people that find a random thread on a google search (google doesn’t much care how old a thread is), decide they’ve got something to add, then sign up and post without realising how old the thread is. At least, that’s my read on it, given the amount of brand new posters giving advice on a question asked a decade ago. 😃 Personally, if I see a thread I don’t recognise that’s onto multiple pages, then generally it’s a zombie. Of course, I haven’t been around here that long, so it could just be a thread from earlier in the year, I’m not sure if that counts. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/26 "2015-10-05T20:41:33Z")
Do you ever open a zombie thread, see all the BANNED notices and for a second think,“good lord, what happened?” I’m always disappointed that its not some epic flameout with the mods handing out bannings left and right withing 30 minutes of the first post. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/27 "2015-10-05T20:52:54Z")
In the old days, banned posters would sometimes be reinstated. So when I’d see a long-banned person in a zombie thread, my first thought would be “Oh shit oh shit oh shit why did (raving asshole) get reinstated?” Now they give warnings and suspensions so when you’re BANNED you stay BANNED, and this is less of an issue. > [@madmonk28](#): > > Do you ever open a zombie thread, see all the BANNED notices and for a second think,“good lord, what happened?” Yes. It’s amazing how the most innocuous threads can be filled with people who subsequently got banned. ---
**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:** [October 5, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/28 "2015-10-05T21:05:35Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > It’s much easier for me to know that somebody is banned than that somebody is dead. The mods don’t change the word underneath the person’s user name to “DEAD.” I hope I never see DEAD under my name. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/29 "2015-10-05T21:17:04Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Do you ever open a zombie thread, see all the BANNED notices and for a second think,“good lord, what happened?” All the time. > [@](#): > > I’m always disappointed that its not some epic flameout with the mods handing out bannings left and right withing 30 minutes of the first post. Me too, kinda. I spent several years moderating in a politics forum, and there were a couple of threads where mods handed out timeouts like candy on Halloween. Not bannings, though (often they were well-deserved but not given). > [@The\_Angry\_Badger](#): > > How many here checked the date on this thread to make sure it wasn’t itself a zombie? 🙂 _raises hand_ ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/30 "2015-10-05T21:27:28Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Do you ever open a zombie thread, see all the BANNED notices and for a second think,“good lord, what happened?” I’m always disappointed that its not some epic flameout with the mods handing out bannings left and right withing 30 minutes of the first post. Anybody have an example of one of those "epic flameout"s? (Not the less than epic one from 2 days ago.) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/31 "2015-10-06T01:12:49Z")
The references to Plymouths and Circuit City are a tipoff. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/32 "2015-10-06T03:47:08Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Which, all things considered, is probably a good thing. I don’t know. “DEAD” is a bit in your face, but a discrete “RIP” under a fallen poster’s handle would be useful at times. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/33 "2015-10-06T04:27:38Z")
Usually I realize as soon as I see a long gone poster, then search for the person who revived it. And since I opened it, I wonder if I should contribute, or let it die again. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/34 "2015-10-06T04:44:23Z")
Usually not until I see somebody crack a stale zombie joke. Or the information seems very dated. I opened an old tv show thread in Cafe. They were discussing the show like it was still on. I checked the post dates and saw the thread was 10 years old. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/35 "2015-10-06T05:15:40Z")
Somebody here on the SDMB ( **Polerius** , not sure if they’re still around) made a really cool Greasemonkey script that tells me if the thread is old or not, based on reading the thread’s ID number or something. It’s not perfect, but it informs me reasonably reliably and clearly, so I’m rarely fooled by a zombie these days. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/36 "2015-10-06T14:07:36Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > Anybody have an example of one of those "epic flameout"s? > (Not the less than epic one from 2 days ago.) I can think of one from years ago that was ugly. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/37 "2015-10-06T14:13:53Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > It’s much easier for me to know that somebody is banned than that somebody is dead. The mods don’t change the word underneath the person’s user name to “DEAD.” > [@WhyNot](#): > > Which, all things considered, is probably a good thing. > [@cochrane](#): > > I hope I never see DEAD under my name. 🙂 > [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > I don’t know. “DEAD” is a bit in your face, but a discrete “RIP” under a fallen poster’s handle would be useful at times. I made exactly this suggestion in ATMB a few years ago. It was not well-received. [Suggestion: Additional Member Status of 'Deceased' - About This Message Board - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=635378) ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/38 "2015-10-06T14:38:20Z")
It usually takes me until I start seeing the zombie jokes. Then I go back up and start trying to figure out what got some of those previous posters banned. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/39 "2015-10-07T06:57:19Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > I have a Greasemonkey script that checks the date that the thread was started, and displays OLD next to the thread title on the Forum ‘home’ page, and another that inserts a big > > This thread is X years and Y days old! > > before the first and last post of every page in the thread…so if I don’t notice immediately it means I’m \*\*\*really \*\*\*not paying attention. Me, too. Though I found the first to be sufficient and so turned off the second one. I think it’s really more for if you’ve been linked to an old thread, to remind you not to post. Because, IIRC, once someone does post, the warning goes away. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602/40 "2015-10-09T06:09:50Z")
This just happened, I read the thread on men’s piercing and was a good deal into it before I realized it was not only old but that I had commented in it already. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-it-take-you-to-notice-youre-reading-a-zombie-thread/733602.md?page=3)