# Should duplicates of recent threads be closed? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 17, 2024, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-duplicates-of-recent-threads-be-closed/1011764 "2024-12-17T19:10:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-duplicates-of-recent-threads-be-closed/1011764/1 "2024-12-17T19:10:03Z")
Inspired by this recent thread. > [@Is the DMV / traffic department / transport office / etc. a universally horrible experience?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-dmv-traffic-department-transport-office-etc-a-universally-horrible-experience/1011753): > > Inspired by a four-hour odyssey to renew my driver’s license this morning… The place you have to go to to register your car or get your driver’s license, whatever you call it. Is it a terrible bureaucratic experience everywhere? Is there anywhere that has made it, if not pleasant, at least painless? Some questions seem to get asked over and over again. This is just a sorta extreme recent example. Made me wonder if “fighting ignorance” might be advanced by educating folk about how to conduct a simple search. Not HUGE issue. And I imagine I may have violated it on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-duplicates-of-recent-threads-be-closed/1011764/2 "2024-12-17T19:10:51Z")
I’ve reported similar threads. Sometimes the mods close the new ones, sometimes they merge them with the existing ones. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-duplicates-of-recent-threads-be-closed/1011764/3 "2024-12-17T19:13:04Z")
Depends, for breaking news stories, almost definitely closed or merged outside of having different styles of threads. #breaking-news in #Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share, a full on Pit thread on the same subject would be left alone as would a #Politics & Elections thread. But for your example, it varies. It may or may not be merged or closed and could easily be left open if it seems to be getting a different audience. ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-duplicates-of-recent-threads-be-closed/1011764/4 "2024-12-17T19:30:40Z")
I have no objection to my thread being closed. I have to admit I missed the October thread when I looked at the search results for “DMV” - despite the OP’s implication that I’m ignorant as to how to “conduct a simple search”, I did in fact do one. In my defense, the title of that thread does not suggest that it would be the same topic as mine, though when I look at the replies I can see that it effectively amounted to the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-duplicates-of-recent-threads-be-closed/1011764/5 "2024-12-17T19:34:11Z")
There is no need to close it. I’ll leave yours open. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-duplicates-of-recent-threads-be-closed/1011764/6 "2024-12-17T23:34:18Z")
Board software sometimes comes up recent threads with a similar topic - @discobot have you been drinking on the job again? ---
**Author:** ![discobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/discobot/32/570_2.png) [@discobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/discobot)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2024, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-duplicates-of-recent-threads-be-closed/1011764/7 "2024-12-17T23:34:19Z")
Hi! To find out what I can do, say `@discobot display help`. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-duplicates-of-recent-threads-be-closed/1011764/8 "2024-12-18T01:51:41Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Board software sometimes comes up recent threads with a similar topic It’s pretty bad at it though, in my experience. From what I’ve seen if there are multiple _active_ threads on the same topic they usually get merged, which seems appropriate. If a thread dies and another one on the same topic pops up, I think it depends on if you’re talking weeks, months, or years when you mean “recent” topic. I’ll often link to the previous thread if I know there is one, so that people can read it to see what was discussed before. I may even give a summary or a few points I thought are noteworthy. But if it has been a while (months at the very least) I don’t think it’s a big deal if you have a new thread. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2024, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-duplicates-of-recent-threads-be-closed/1011764/9 "2024-12-18T02:03:04Z")
I offered my POV in post 5 of that thread. And reported it for closure / merger / mod action at the same time. They chose otherwise and so be it. My POV is a month is too soon for a 90+% repeat. A year is fine. In between is … arguable. At 2 months from OP & 6 weeks from last post, and in the same category to boot, I’d have merged & closed if I was a mod. Fortunately for our community I am not. 😉🤪