# Zombie threads ate my brains **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 28, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-threads-ate-my-brains/620245 "2012-04-28T17:15:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-threads-ate-my-brains/620245/1 "2012-04-28T17:15:50Z")
Will I ever remember to look at the date on the first post of a thread? No, what generally happens is I get interested in the long conversation before noticing an innocent reply by a poster who is BANNED. Then I think, I wonder why they are banned? They don’t seem to be doing anything wrong here– Look at the date posted. It was several years ago. Oh. Sometimes, I see that the extremely clever poster who has just posted exactly what I was going to say is, in fact, **Tamex**. :smack: I used to not be bothered by zombie threads. I’m still not so much when the threads are not so long and the new poster actually has some new information. However, when the threads are huge and they died because everyone has already said anything that could possibly be said and the newbie posted something that was already said fifty posts ago…yeah. ---
**Author:** ![SnakeBabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@SnakeBabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeBabe)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-threads-ate-my-brains/620245/2 "2012-04-28T18:02:26Z")
> [@Tamex](#): > > …noticing an innocent reply by a poster who is BANNED. Then I think, I wonder why they are banned? They don’t seem to be doing anything wrong here– > > … They may have been banned for something posted in a different topic you havent seen ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-threads-ate-my-brains/620245/3 "2012-04-28T18:23:03Z")
> [@SnakeBabe](#): > > They may have been banned for something posted in a different topic you havent seen Or because they were a sock, not because of anything they said. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-threads-ate-my-brains/620245/4 "2012-04-28T18:35:59Z")
> [@Tamex](#): > > Sometimes, I see that the extremely clever poster who has just posted exactly what I was going to say is, in fact, **Tamex**. :smack: Heh, I do that too. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-threads-ate-my-brains/620245/5 "2012-04-28T19:20:32Z")
> [@SnakeBabe](#): > > They may have been banned for something posted in a different topic you havent seen Yeah, I know. Sometimes it’s a poster who I remember but who flamed out later. It’s seeing their name with BANNED under it that jars me into the reality that I am in fact reading a zombie thread. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-threads-ate-my-brains/620245/6 "2012-04-28T19:21:44Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Heh, I do that too. I see I have fans. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-threads-ate-my-brains/620245/7 "2012-04-28T19:55:30Z")
The same thing happens to me as well, although I usually notice that it is a zombie when I read down to the latest posts and see a zombie joke (I have made one or two myself) or I want to reply to an older comment and notice the date when I look at it again. Not that being a zombie prevents me from posting if others have also posted; I figure that if everybody else is reviving it, then I can do so without any zombie jokes, but not if only the reviver has posted unless I include a zombie joke. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-threads-ate-my-brains/620245/8 "2012-04-29T16:48:42Z")
I’ve recently got into the habit of looking at the date of the first post. If it’s more than a few years old I’ll close the thread and not go back to it. ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-threads-ate-my-brains/620245/9 "2012-04-30T05:34:58Z")
Zombie threads annoy me too, especially if I think I’m about to jump into an epic debate with dozens of posters, and realize that only two of the posters have written in the past 5 years. It’s like arriving at a party the morning after; the needle spinning endlessly on the inside of the record, ashtrays overflowing, empty glasses (some lipstick stained) on every surface, a leg broken off of the coffee table, shoe prints marching inexplicably across the ceiling… And that disappointing feeling that you _missed it._ …On another note, this looks like a good place to ask a question I’ve pondered for a while now: How do most zombie threads get started in the first place? Do people somehow flip back 300 pages without realizing it and start posting? ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-threads-ate-my-brains/620245/10 "2012-04-30T09:56:45Z")
People google something that they’re interested in, and a Dope thread comes up in the search results. For instance, if you google “zombie thread” right now we’re about answer number [five](https://www.google.com.au/#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=zombie+thread&oq=zombie+thread&aq=f&aqi=g4&aql=&gs_nf=1&gs_l=hp.3..0l4.1281.4061.0.4310.13.10.0.3.3.0.322.2585.2-8j2.13.0.jeIHUsWxzT4&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=6d04fe8aa9aef652&biw=1146&bih=798) ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-threads-ate-my-brains/620245/11 "2012-04-30T23:37:10Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > I’ve recently got into the habit of looking at the date of the first post. If it’s more than a few years old I’ll close the thread and not go back to it. I wish I could remember to do this. Maybe someday. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-threads-ate-my-brains/620245/12 "2012-04-30T23:54:18Z")
I thought this was a thread linking to interesting zombies. ☹ Too bad. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zombie-threads-ate-my-brains/620245/13 "2012-05-02T20:44:05Z")
After being caught out a couple of times I now look at the date. When I remember.