# SDMB norms on repeating your old, failed threads

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-norms-on-repeating-your-old-failed-threads/204372>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [September 28, 2003, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-norms-on-repeating-your-old-failed-threads/204372 "2003-09-28T22:18:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![knock\_knock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@knock\_knock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knock_knock)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2003, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-norms-on-repeating-your-old-failed-threads/204372/1 "2003-09-28T22:18:34Z")

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Sometimes SDMB threads fail. The thread dies, without ever approaching a satisfactory resolution to the question raised in the OP. There can be a variety of reasons for this:

- The title was not descriptive or interesting enough to attract people who might know the answer
- The OP was not written well enough for people to know what the question was
- The thread lost its momentum because of too many inside jokes, like **Hi, Opal!**
- The thread was sidetracked by some other issue that arose in it
- The thread just happened to die too fast, before people with answers came in

There may be other reasons as well. Also, similar reasons can apply to opinion threads, in addition to GQ or CS threads. For instance, a poorly written OP can lead people to express opinions about something that is somewhat different from what the OP wanted to discuss.

I’ve started some threads like these, and, looking back on them, I’m still curious about the questions I asked. Is it ok to start new threads on the same topics that I started threads about months or years ago, with more effort put into writing a good title, writing a good OP, and keeping the thread on track? Is it ok to do this without citing the old thread?

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**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-norms-on-repeating-your-old-failed-threads/204372/2 "2003-09-29T02:19:10Z")

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If you didn’t get answers that satisfied the question, try rewriting the OP and trying again (give it your one bump and about three months).

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**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-norms-on-repeating-your-old-failed-threads/204372/3 "2003-09-29T15:11:23Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by knock knock \*  
> \*\*- The title was not descriptive or interesting enough to attract people who might know the answer
> 
> - The OP was not written well enough for people to know what the question was
> - The thread lost its momentum because of too many inside jokes, like **Hi, Opal!**
> - The thread was sidetracked by some other issue that arose in it
> - The thread just happened to die too fast, before people with answers came in\*\*

Sometimes, just nobody knows the answer, and doesn’t have anything constructive to add, so no-one posts. Rare, perhaps, but it is a reason 🙂

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**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-norms-on-repeating-your-old-failed-threads/204372/4 "2003-10-03T15:04:56Z")

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OK, I swear to God I’ve seen **Paco’s** response to this come up on 3 separate days as a new post. Is there something seriously derange with the hamsters, or am I losing my mind?

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**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-norms-on-repeating-your-old-failed-threads/204372/5 "2003-10-03T16:48:42Z")

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It’s a troll, who keeps posting information about how he wishes the board was run under various names.

And yeah, I’d say three months is a good guideline, because the mods and admins frown on posting the same damn question oftener than that. It borders on spamming the boards.

Since this thread is trollbait, I’m gonna close the thread.

Lynn