wow, i’ve been seeing a TON of old threads being revived…
what sparked this?
sorta cool though, you can see the progression of CD…
-Z
On all the forums I’ve posted on (all two of them) it’s generally discouraged to revive old threads. I’m curious, why is that? I understand that some may no longer be relevant but otherwise I don’t understand why it is bad.
I think the old threads are being revived because people are taking the “search before you post” comment very seriously.
The main reason that reviving threads is frowned on is because it clutters up space with items that may no longer be relevant. For example, somebody searches for “control system” and gets a thread on the IFI system, then asks in that thread about programming in Labview. Then the rest of us take time to say, “Hey, this is the wrong system.”
Occasionally, it’s a spam attack that revives the thread. As soon as that’s dealt with, the thread returns to dormancy.
Of course, the revival of threads means that archiver should probably quit slacking after his work on CD-Media and get back to what he’s supposed to do–archive the threads that haven’t been posted on in years.
(Or lock them…)
Revival of threads can be good or bad depending on how its done. In the case Erich mentioned, revival is bad. But often it is the preferred method of posting certain things. A good time for revival is when dealing with letter jackets. If you search for ‘letter jacket’ you will find MANY threads about the same thing. If you want to talk about “How do I get a robotics letter at my school?”, there is already a thread for that. And it has been discussed in length multiple times. If you read these threads and it doesn’t quite answer a small question…just ask the question in that thread. That way we won’t have to cover the topic from scratch (again). If your question seems to be somewhat related, but completely different then the threads already started…please start a new thread.
The factors when choosing to revive an old thread:
- Age of the thread (if its 5 years old, probably best to start a new thread)
- Does your topic coincide with the thread? (if yours is tangent, revive. if yours is completely different, start a new)
- How many threads are already on this topic?(if there is one for every year, let things lie. if its not been covered but a few times, revive)
Thread revival is not an exact science, it is an art. Unfortunately, you have to be here a while to really know when to revive and when to let rest. Until then, I hope my guide lines above help a little.
The tricky thing is too that people have different views of what “old” means. To some it’s a thread that’s 4 months old and to others it’s one that’s a year or more. I’m on an automotive forum that most people consider a thread that’s 2 months old…old. I don’t agree with it but, eh (shrugs), that’s how it is.
Molten has a good point that it depends on what the thread is about and the info contained. It’s like a sliding scale with no exact points though…if that makes sense. 
Clear as mud now? 
I also think it’s from people searching old threads and pulling them back to life. The one about “Lettering in FIRST” and the pins is the one that sticks in my mind as being that way.
We could cut the postings down on CD a great deal. We could create a master thread about:
The GDC and how much we hate/like/don’t care about this years game and how much we like/hate/don’t care about the GDC’s approach and how much our new idea that others will don’t care/hate/like will improve things.
Similar thread on rules.
The control hardware: there is enough fodder from the prior years on the changes and how much we hate/like/don’t care of all the control systems to create some pretty decent threads. We just need to replace IFI controller, cRIO, etc. with a generic name.
Next years game. We could cut a few thousand threads down to four threads:
– How much better it will be
– How much worse it will be
– How much I can’t wait (with the starter line of “Only 270 days till next season”
– Why it will never be a water game
That trims us to threads on how much competition robotics has changed our lives for the better and the birthday thread.
I for one welcome our new thread trimmed overlords, it will cut my CD time way down 
Foster, your post made me grin. Big time. You are very funny.
I like some old thread revivals. Every once in a while, someone will find a good one that has a lot of wisdom, insight, humor, and hope. Those threads rock and should be excavated and brought to light occasionally.
Many wonderful things have transpired out of this place, oldies are goodies in that way. 
/me thinks it’s time to update that profile pic…
…and some people are just oldies. :yikes:
Wetzel
Yeah so what’s your point Wetz?:]
I would call this irony, but I’m sure that is not what this is. Anyone else have a word for when a thread about being cautious about reviving threads is pointlessly revived?
Jason
Chit-Chat.
It no longer applies. Disregard, carry on.
At the rate we are going, the only way we’ll be able to mine wisdom from people like Andy Baker and Dave Lavery will be to refer to old threads and bring them to light.
Sadly, I think the present is a hint of our future and many of the members who posted on a rather frequent basis - have moved on. To CD’s loss. I’m also sad to see the WFA/WFFAs section left to rot with little to no hope of updating.
Sadness.
Jane
cutting down on CD time? is that possible? 
Not to mention UFH.
Although with this most recent crop of WFFAs, the people who were formerly UFHs are becoming SFHs, which is a good thing.
I’ve noticed the CD-loss of some historically extremely insightful and prevalent characters over the past two years. For some, it’s understandable as their jobs/positions no longer allow them the time to frequently make their thoughts publicly known (like Mr. Baker and Mr. Lavery); more are still involved with FRC but are not vocal on these boards (like Amy Prib); others have simply dropped off the face of the earth (like this fellow from FRC229 named JVN)
Not that I am all that important or insightful, I will say the time commitment to FIRST becomes extremely difficult at a certain point in time. I personally, am doing the mommy thing so until my son gets just a bit older (a year or two max) I’m out of commission. I will, however, be refreshing my FLL knowledge very soon… we are entering 1st grade 
Mommy! :ahh:
I always called it necroposting.