# Is there consensus regarding how the newbies find the zombie threads so efficiently? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 27, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-consensus-regarding-how-the-newbies-find-the-zombie-threads-so-efficiently/551697 "2010-08-27T17:36:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-consensus-regarding-how-the-newbies-find-the-zombie-threads-so-efficiently/551697/1 "2010-08-27T17:36:48Z")
Do they just google their question and get a hit on [boards.straightdope.com](http://boards.straightdope.com) or do they happen to just come here and search “Brass Knuckles”? I have seen some really bizarre zombies brought back by first time posters and I’ve been curious how exactly they decide what their first post should be. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-consensus-regarding-how-the-newbies-find-the-zombie-threads-so-efficiently/551697/2 "2010-08-27T18:23:11Z")
My money’s on Google. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-consensus-regarding-how-the-newbies-find-the-zombie-threads-so-efficiently/551697/3 "2010-08-27T18:37:55Z")
Yeah, the phenomenon really increased at least an order of magnitude after the message board became searchable by google. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-consensus-regarding-how-the-newbies-find-the-zombie-threads-so-efficiently/551697/4 "2010-08-27T19:15:45Z")
Google I’ve run across extremely old threads using Google when I’m not on the Straight Dope which I can’t find with the board search engine if I tried. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-consensus-regarding-how-the-newbies-find-the-zombie-threads-so-efficiently/551697/5 "2010-08-27T20:25:51Z")
[This is my guess](http://www.google.com/search?q=sdmb+consensus+newbies+zombie&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=HUl&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbs=dsc:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=sR54TOHrHoSClAeJksTsCw&ved=0CBUQmAcwAA). Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-consensus-regarding-how-the-newbies-find-the-zombie-threads-so-efficiently/551697/6 "2010-08-27T20:34:16Z")
When I’ve felt mischievous in the past I just went to the last(first?) page of a particular forum and looked for a zombie-worthy corpse. For instance, among the first GQs is [this one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=722). The realy old ones are dead(heh) give aways because most of the poster names are blank. But there’s lots of tricks you can pick from in 2000 or 2001. One time I found a pit thread that had no replies and resurrected it with a “Cite?” Another time I found the oldest GQ without a response, got my google on, and gave it a good answer. (something about the NFL’s contoversial treatment of an Australian national who was a punter for the 49ers I think) ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2010, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-consensus-regarding-how-the-newbies-find-the-zombie-threads-so-efficiently/551697/7 "2010-08-27T22:10:05Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > [This is my guess](http://www.google.com/search?q=sdmb+consensus+newbies+zombie&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=HUl&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbs=dsc:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=sR54TOHrHoSClAeJksTsCw&ved=0CBUQmAcwAA). > > Enjoy, > Steven I feel so trendsetting! Not technically a googlewhack, but this |–| close.