# How long will a thread stay open after the last post? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 12, 2007, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-a-thread-stay-open-after-the-last-post/415384 "2007-08-12T23:40:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-a-thread-stay-open-after-the-last-post/415384/1 "2007-08-12T23:40:06Z")
I didn’t see this in any of the FAQs. Is there a time frame for a thread to be closed if it isn’t being added to for awhile? ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-a-thread-stay-open-after-the-last-post/415384/2 "2007-08-12T23:43:20Z")
Threads will sink from the front page and die after the last post is made to them, if no further posts are made to the topic within the “three month” guideline depending on the forum the thread is in. Sometimes, a person will “ressurect” a dead topic, and those are called zombie threads and the moderators do close those if they spring to unlife. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-a-thread-stay-open-after-the-last-post/415384/3 "2007-08-12T23:45:36Z")
Threads are only closed by moderator action, they don’t close automatically. They get stale and the general rule here is don’t post to a very old thread, but they’re not closed unless someone revives them. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-a-thread-stay-open-after-the-last-post/415384/4 "2007-08-12T23:45:55Z")
Thanks for the quick response! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-a-thread-stay-open-after-the-last-post/415384/5 "2007-08-13T00:38:16Z")
[QUOTE=Zabali\_Clawbane] Sometimes, a person will “ressurect” a dead topic, and those are called zombie threads and the moderators do close those if they spring to unlife. [/QUOTE] This is not always the case. Whether a resurrected thread is closed depends in part on the forum and the rules therein, the content of the tread and the nature of the new post. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-a-thread-stay-open-after-the-last-post/415384/6 "2007-08-13T22:47:45Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] This is not always the case. Whether a resurrected thread is closed depends in part on the forum and the rules therein, the content of the tread and the nature of the new post. [/QUOTE] Yes, and that is why I said “depending on the forum the thread is in” earlier in my post in reference to the three month guideline. 🙂 Sorry, no nits to pick here. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-a-thread-stay-open-after-the-last-post/415384/7 "2007-08-13T22:52:19Z")
But that’s not the sentence I quoted, which had no such qualifier. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-a-thread-stay-open-after-the-last-post/415384/8 "2007-08-13T22:55:03Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] But that’s not the sentence I quoted, which had no such qualifier. [/QUOTE] That’s enough! You know better. If you want to have a friendly duel with me, find something better, not this petty pissant crap. I’m not smiling now. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-a-thread-stay-open-after-the-last-post/415384/9 "2007-08-13T23:36:39Z")
:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-a-thread-stay-open-after-the-last-post/415384/10 "2007-08-14T13:31:52Z")
Some threads get closed earlier than others.