From The IT Moderator - Quick Reminder About Zombie Posts - New Posts And Inky Tods

[TSherbs]

I think the only time that necroposting irks me is when the resurrection is to reply to a long-ago answered question, e.g. what ink should I use today (in 2010)? Oh, use this shimmer ink that was released in 2018.

 

Good point. But I have done this a few times by mistake cuz I read the title question and not the original post.

[ErrantSmudge]

I like the idea of necroposting. Some important topics (like the blackest black, is Bay State Blue safe for my pen, or the best doppelganger for Parker Penman Sapphire) frequently pop up again and again on the forum. Collecting the discussion in one place is a real benefit.

 

Even if things change over time (for instance, Monteverde Horizon Blue emerging over the past year as a credible substitute for Parker Penman Sapphire) it is still good to have the history to put those developments in context.

Edited September 9, 2018 by ErrantSmudge

[A Smug Dill]

My view is that fundamentally there are four related – and sometimes overlapping – things for which people turn to online forums:

• engaging peers and equals in discussion, exchanging ideas and thoughts on some topic, and trying to gain visibility of someone else's view ;
• satisfying a need to express one's opinion and sentiments, but expecting only concurrence, support or positive feedback in general, and prefer to be ignored than challenged on assumptions, proven factually incorrect on particular statements, or just affronted by dissent that threatens one's control of the narrative;
• asking a question to which a prompt (and hopefully ‘correct’) answer will deliver some benefit, after which the asker's need is satisfied and interest in discussion (or even just follow-up on how things turned out for him/her) is extinguished or wanes; and
• looking for a knowledge-base as an aid to one's research or due diligence.

I don't think there is anything particularly negative or bad when someone – intentionally or accidentally – posts in a long-dormant discussion thread. If someone is answering a question several years (too late?) after it was asked, as if he/she is actively trying to contribute, without noting that the question was asked a long while ago, that could… be damaging to his/her own credibility or at least calls into question his/her attention to detail.

 

That said, I don't believe online discussion forums were ever designed to function as knowledge-bases in which information can be easily found, sorted and filtered. Continuing an old discussion is great and can be fun, as long as the objective is not to create the ‘one-and-only thread’ for a topic or question such that it can be relied upon to be the always-up-to-date snapshot of (or knowledge article on) something.

[Arkanabar]

This may be in part my fault. I will point out who did the thread necromancy, but I swear my motives are pure and true -- I want to point out where a discussion has a few years of lag in it, not sneer down my snout at whoever did so. I like thread resurrections; it's sometimes nice to be reminded of previous discussions.

[amberleadavis]

@Ark - This actually wasn't in reply to any one topic (and you were never mentioned until this post).

[amberleadavis]

Now other moderators may have different views on necroposting, but we all agree

 

BE POLITE

ENCOURAGE OTHERS

If in doubt, you can ask. So long as you are encouraging others and you are polite, it will all be good.

[amberleadavis]

One of the other mods suggested the following as Necroposting done right:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/336342-waterman-cf-photo-thread/page-1?do=findComment&comment=4101267

[TSherbs]

One of the other mods suggested the following as Necroposting done right:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/336342-waterman-cf-photo-thread/page-1?do=findComment&comment=4101267

Well, yeah. This is an essay with accompanying annotated photos. 😉

[amberleadavis]

And no photo bucket missing images.

[TSherbs]

And no photo bucket missing images.

 

word

[bone215]

as they might say in Philly

 

"So I gotta be nice?"

[amberleadavis]

Yeah, baby.

[meiers]

I love seeing ancient threads return.

[Maurizio]

I like necroposting. Never really understood why some folk get very irritated by it.

Don't really mind separate threads asking the same questions over and over either.

I try not to crush newbie enthusiasm.

Im very late to this little party but do want to note that this is what is unique about the FPN: in addition to the wealth of time-earned wisdom and experience, people here are NICE and willing to share in kindly and courteous ways. Thats what really makes the FPN a special place for enthusiasts to hang out. Edited November 25, 2018 by Maurizio

[hbdk]

I like necroposting. Never really understood why some folk get very irritated by it.

Don't really mind separate threads asking the same questions over and over either.

I try not to crush newbie enthusiasm.

+1 I still remember my newbie days - so good to visit a nice and friendly forum

[scunepo]

I am reluctant to comment on any of the above entries from vastly experienced members of the FPN and my contribution doesn't really advance the pinned thread. However, as a relative rookie on this site, I find the courtesy of members to be, without fail, excellent (unlike some of the fora to which I subscribe).

I knew nothing about the sensitivity of necroposting and feel I must, at some point, been guilty of that. Even when the previous post was well in the past members have responded with helpful information. Additionally, although a FP user all my life the hobby aspect of usage was prompted the day I found the FPN. Reading through old threads has given me great pleasure and huge amounts of information and to read new entries added to old threads provides me with an up-to-date perspective together with a back catalogue of considered opinion. For what it's worth my vote would be to not discourage necroposting.

Long may the FPN continue to fly the flag for courtesy and acceptance of differing opinions.

[inkstainedruth]

I am reluctant to comment on any of the above entries from vastly experienced members of the FPN and my contribution doesn't really advance the pinned thread. However, as a relative rookie on this site, I find the courtesy of members to be, without fail, excellent (unlike some of the fora to which I subscribe).

I knew nothing about the sensitivity of necroposting and feel I must, at some point, been guilty of that. Even when the previous post was well in the past members have responded with helpful information. Additionally, although a FP user all my life the hobby aspect of usage was prompted the day I found the FPN. Reading through old threads has given me great pleasure and huge amounts of information and to read new entries added to old threads provides me with an up-to-date perspective together with a back catalogue of considered opinion. For what it's worth my vote would be to not discourage necroposting.

Long may the FPN continue to fly the flag for courtesy and acceptance of differing opinions.

 

I know I've discovered after the fact that I've necroposted at times -- because I tend to read threads based on the title, as opposed to noticing the date of when it started.

But a lot of the time, the information is in fact still valid. And yes, new people are going to ask the same questions and I'm happy to tell them the same thing I've said to six other people, because that's often just easier than trying to direct them to the search function (which frankly, doesn't work all that well at times).

It does help that if I've posted on a thread in the past, it's starred in the main menu, so I can go look up and see what people have said since I had posted (or not, as the case may be).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[twigletzone]

I came across the concept of "necroing" via a board about gender identity that turned up in a Google search years ago. I think a board's mod stance on the practice is about whether they're more interested in activity per day or value over time; boards that ban necro are in favour of "keeping content fresh" and don't see churn as a problem, in some cases because their intended audience is young people who genuinely are going to all be asking similar questions over time and who won't necessarily use the board for that long before "graduating" from it. Whereas FPN is a board full of people who love historical writing instruments, carefully preserve old ones, and keep coming back to the forums long term to share the love and wisdom - so it's probably not surprising that we preserve old threads for their historical value!

[Chouffleur]

This might be a geezer thing but I never take someone off my Christmas card list. Not even after they die. So I'm  guaranteed to think about them at least once a year.

 

There are many great FPN members who stopped posting before I joined. Necroposts are a chance for me to learn from them - wherever they may now be.

[bunnspecial]

I'm on boards not totally unlike this one where posts on a particular subject have been going for years and years. In particular, if you're collecting/researching something, a central place for observations, new discoveries, and general discussion makes a lot of sense.

 

At the same time, I'm on boards where certain types of necroposting are frowned up. As an example, I'm on photography forum that's a shadow of it's former self, but none the less moderately busy. There are threads on a particular subject that have been running for years. At the same time, though, sometimes a new member will dig up a post from 2004 asking "I have a Nikon F100 and x,y,and z lenses. Does it make sense to sell my F100 and get a D70." In 2020, it's kind of pointless to answer that question because both are worth so little now that you should just buy a D70 if you want it, and really if you want a DSLR there are far better choices in 2020, and in many cases the person who asked the question hasn't even logged on in 16 years!. With that said, sometimes a similar necropost can prompt other regulars to weigh in on the answer through a current lens, and it can still prompt some good discussion.