(I guess I’m looking more for informed opinions here, than a definitive answer). What is the limit of politeness when it comes to bumping up old threads? Things move so fast round here, sometimes it’s a couple of days before I catch up on something. I think of something devastatingly brilliant to add to a discussion, but usually decide that the moment has passed. I don’t want to be a constant irritation, but I really would like to contribute more than I do. Check my time registered compared to post count and you wouldn’t know that I am actually here most days. Does anyone else have a general rule of thumb they apply when looking at older threads?
Personal rules of thumb:
One week is about the limit for stuff in MPSIMS, two weeks maximum (especially if it’s a “personal problem” thread. Don’t post to old “hold my hand” threads unless you have something really stupendously relevant to add). After that, nobody cares anymore (except for the “club” threads. Do I need to explain what those are?)
One week is about the limit for Pit threads. Same as MPSIMS, after about a week, nobody really cares anymore.
Since most stuff in IMHO is polling (“vote here”) there’s practically no time limit. Feel free to weigh in with your opinion no matter how long ago the thread was started. Sometimes it’s interesting to see what we were all talking about two months ago. “Oh, yeah, I remember that…”
Comments on Columns and Mailbag Comments also have practically no time limit, as long as what you want to add is to the point, commenting on the Mailbag article or the column in question. Don’t bump a discussion on homeopathy from last year just to say, “Yeah, my grandma’s really into homeopathy, too.” We’re, like, “So?”
But there’s one thing you should always do before starting a Comments or Mailbag thread–use Search to check the thread archives to make sure we didn’t just get done talking the issue to death last week. At one point it seemed like we had dozens of threads going on the subject of “the whole nine yards”. We don’t really need another one started. In a situation like that, unless what you want to talk about is radically different from what’s already been said, pick the most sensible thread and bump it. Note–unless it’s really ancient history, like from 1999. Sometimes those Pleistocene Era threads have posters in them who are no longer with us, and sometimes it’s sad to see their names. In that case, you should start a new one, and the polite thing to do is include links to ALL the old threads. “I know this has been discussed before, but…”
And you don’t have to do the fancy-schmancy embedded URL thing with the thread titles in blue–just Copy and Paste the URL from the window. The vB will make it into a link. We’re grownups, we can handle a big stack of http: links without whining.
ATMB “test” threads and threads asking about technical questions have no time limit. ATMB threads complaining about the board, or the mods, or trolls, or sock puppets, or anything else, have a time limit of 15 minutes, max. Unless you’re personally involved in the issue at hand, just bite your tongue, 'kay? 
In General Questions, if you have useful information to add, go ahead and post it, no matter how old the thread is. Somebody out there might want to know, and sometimes it sparks an interesting discussion in another forum.
In Great Debates, it can be very tricky to decide when to bump a thread. Some GD threads are very “of the moment”, such as the gazillion Elian Gonzales threads we had, or the election threads that are now (finally) starting to slide down the page. I don’t think anybody really wants to start discussing Elian or Ralph Nader again.
However, if you have something useful to add, or if you want to make a point that hasn’t been made in the thread so far, go ahead. But, generally speaking, if the thread in question hasn’t been posted to in over a month, it may be old news, and it’s probably better to include a link to the old thread rather than bumping it. (Say, “I know this was already discussed in THIS thread, but I just wanted to add…” Then we know that you are up to speed on what has already been said.)
Also, many, many old GD threads resulted in a lot of rancor that in turn spawned a lot of Pit threads. Some GD threads were started by trolls that we are all profoundly grateful are no longer with us. Some very angry GD threads resulted in decent posters leaving the boards. Nobody really wants to see those threads resurrected. If it’s older than a month, start a new thread and include a link to the old one.
While our time zones are still colliding, I just wanted to say thanks, Duck Duck Goose. That was really helpful, exactly what I was looking for.
…and sometimes it’s disturbing for the rest of us when newbies bump an old GD thread and then try to have a discussion with the ghost of a poster who is in the thread but who is no longer with us. We’re, like, “Um, he left three months ago, don’t bother.”
Sometimes they even start Pit threads–“Why won’t you answer me?” or ranting about the idiocy they found in an ancient GD thread spawned by a mercifully banned poster. We’ve all “been there and done that.” Nobody wants to go there and do that again.
Hey, it’s your first simulpost! Congratulations! 
Excellent advice Ms. Goose. I really don’t have much to add, but ATMB was getting rather lonely. The last post anywhere in the entire damn forum was over 14 hours ago. C’mon people, liven it up around here.
Duck Duck Goose has really put a lot of thought into this, and the rules look sound.
But I don’t remember all that. What I remember is I once raised a thread because it sounded hilarious and got a lot of people pissed “because I opened old wounds”.
So now I have one rule: only raise your own threads or non-personal threads. And check them for anything in the “old wounds” category.
Actually I think Duck Duck Goose’s rules of thumb sound very reasonable. In other words, “me too!”
You have two real choices here:
-
Start a new thread and have a bunch of people respond making snide remarks like “We just talked about this last week! Learn how to use the search feature!”
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Revive the old thread and get flamed for “resurrecting” a “long dead” thread.
Have fun!
Personal rules of thumb:
Don’t be an old woman about it. It’s just text. It’s a message board.
OTH - Old Threads Happen. Get over it.
If it’s “got legs” it will continue. If it’s really a dead fish it will sink out of sight.
Funny. I just asked a question last week that was answered in an old thread. About why dust appears on fans.
So I was tempted to raise the old thread to put in the correct new answer, just in case someone finds the old one in a search.
I decided that would be seen as too nit picky though, correcting old confusions.
I suppose I just have to accept this message board part of the site is not revisited and revised like Cecil’s columns sometimes are.