# What's the deal with all the old threads? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 17, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777 "2013-07-17T19:49:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/1 "2013-07-17T19:49:18Z")
Over the last, say, six months, I’ve noticed a LOT of old threads popping up. This used to happen occassionally, but now it seems chronic. Does anybody know what’s changed? I suspect something has happened to search, but that’s a guess. ---
**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:** [July 17, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/2 "2013-07-17T20:14:42Z")
What’s the deal with all the threads about old threads? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/3 "2013-07-17T20:19:59Z")
What’s changed is that mods no longer reflexively lock them. Other than that – number of bumps, number of ATMB threads questioning appearance of zombies – no change since we opened the boards to Google … four years ago? something like that. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/4 "2013-07-17T20:40:29Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > What’s the deal with all the threads about old threads? I was surprised to see no threads on this topic in this Board, which seems like the most appropriate place for such a question. So, I don’t see your point. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/5 "2013-07-17T20:43:14Z")
Well, I’ve only been here a few months and this is the fourth thread asking this question I’ve seen. Zombies are trendy. ---
**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:** [July 17, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/6 "2013-07-17T21:03:45Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > I was surprised to see no threads on this topic in this Board, which seems like the most appropriate place for such a question. > > So, I don’t see your point. Just searching the term “Zombie” in this forum brought up over 250 results. Including [these](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=691640&highlight=zombie)[four](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=688145&highlight=zombie)[threads](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=686646&highlight=zombie)[since March](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=684310&highlight=zombie). I’m just surprised that someone who’s been here as long as you have wouldn’t have noticed at least one of these nearly monthly threads over the years. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/7 "2013-07-17T21:29:10Z")
Note to self: bump this thread July 2023. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/8 "2013-07-17T21:29:33Z")
1. As a long-time member, I know generally how this board works so I nearly never visit ATMB. 2. It didn’t occur to me to search ‘zombie’. Clearly an oversight. 3. Why is it that those threads are not currently on ATMB? All the other boards (I think) have multiple pages of threads. If those threads were here, I wouldn’t have started a new one. ---
**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:** [July 17, 2013, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/9 "2013-07-17T21:39:08Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > 1. Why is it that those threads are not currently on ATMB? All the other boards (I think) have multiple pages of threads. If those threads were here, I wouldn’t have started a new one. Check your Display Options settings at the bottom of the forum page. You’re probably only showing a short number of days worth of threads. For example, I have mine set to show everything from the last year (overkill). ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/10 "2013-07-17T21:39:49Z")
In this forum, as in all the forums of this board, the main page displays “all posts for the last X,” with X being some length of time. I keep mine set at a day; I don’t recall offhand what the default interval is. Unless those threads were posted to within the last X, they won’t appear when you go to the forum page. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/11 "2013-07-17T21:44:07Z")
I love how my post begins with how I generally know how this board works and then the very next post shows that I don’t. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/12 "2013-07-17T21:49:15Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > I love how my post begins with how I generally know how this board works and then the very next post shows that I don’t. > > :smack: I love with how I didn’t actually point that out … in so many words. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/13 "2013-07-17T21:57:04Z")
Google search now brings up more hits from the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/14 "2013-07-18T19:21:29Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > In this forum, as in all the forums of this board, the main page displays “all posts for the last X,” with X being some length of time. I keep mine set at a day; I don’t recall offhand what the default interval is. I believe the default is 2 days. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/15 "2013-07-18T21:53:02Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > I believe the default is 2 days. I don’t believe I’ve ever changed a configuration for this, and I show 2 days. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/16 "2013-07-19T11:56:45Z")
Two days sounds right. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/17 "2013-07-19T12:39:31Z")
I have a theory, if someone would like to research it. My theory is that, during the summer, we get visits from lots of students, who might happen to google-search for some topic and (since we’ve covered lots of topics over the years), they find a Straight Dope thread and post to it, thus reviving an old thread. That’s my theory, and I’m stickin’ to it, until/unless some one wants to figure out whether (a) it’s true that there are more zombie threads during the summer than (say) during Jan - March; and (b) most zombie threads are re-opened by newcomers’ first posts. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/18 "2013-07-19T13:27:42Z")
It’s people finding old threads from Google, then joining the board just so they can post to that old thread, not realizing how old it is or how we have a policy here of generally not replying to old threads. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/19 "2013-07-19T14:01:58Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > **What’s the deal with all the old threads?** It used to be 2 for 1, but with the economy, they’ve shifted to “buy 1 get the second half off”. Lousy economy. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777/20 "2013-07-19T14:18:10Z")
The SDMB has reached that critical mass where everything that can be said on these boards, has been said. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-all-the-old-threads/663777.md?page=2)