NationStates Jolt Archive

I am seeing a lot of talk/negative feedback about people who have started a thread after a similar thread had been started on the same topic earlier. I have often been temped to do the same thing myself, but then wound up not posting at all, rather than having the message board nazis remind me that a similar thread already existed (n) days ago, go post there.

It is often difficult to use an existing thread, as when you go to the bottom of the thread the discussion has turned from what the original post was about. It seems derisive to suddenly break the stream of the discussion, which whether there is merit there or not, has taken on a life of it's own.

My question here, silly as it may seem, is if the original thread has wandered off of the topic of the original post, and intent of the thread, but continues to have merit in its current form, is it considered reasonable to begin a new thread?

Just curious

(By the way, I scanned breifly to make sure that this question had not already been asked)

No, just continue posting on topic and eventually it will get back to the discussion. If we made a new thread every time a thread wandered astray, every thread would have a duplicate thread.

I said thread way too many times just then.

People only start new threads on identical topics for two reasons

1. They want to draw particular attention to their personal opinion

2. They haven't bothered to check if a similar thread is already up and running


Complaining about either of these doesn't make someone a 'message board nazi' as you have so predictably put it.

People only start new threads on identical topics for two reasons

1. They want to draw particular attention to their personal opinion

2. They haven't bothered to check if a similar thread is already up and running


Complaining about either of these doesn't make someone a 'message board nazi' as you have so predictably put it.
I somewhat respectfully disagree. If an older thread has been inactive for several days, or if new information has come to light, I prefer to make a new thread or for somebody else to make a new thread. There are plenty of posters who probably would look at the first page and just think "Jesus, that stupid ------ thread is back, can't they let it drop?" and not realize that there was actually something of merit to add to it.

However, yeah, it is really goddamn annoying when you've got multiple threads about the same or similar things in the course of a day or two.....

And we're not "message board nazis". We're just making sure you knew there was another thread so that either you could go join that discussion, or you know why nobody goes to your thread.

People only start new threads on identical topics for two reasons

1. They want to draw particular attention to their personal opinion

2. They haven't bothered to check if a similar thread is already up and running


Complaining about either of these doesn't make someone a 'message board nazi' as you have so predictably put it.Or as someone mentioned, if its old and new information has come to light.

Simonist']I somewhat respectfully disagree. If an older thread has been inactive for several days, or if new information has come to light, I prefer to make a new thread or for somebody else to make a new thread. There are plenty of posters who probably would look at the first page and just think "Jesus, that stupid ------ thread is back, can't they let it drop?" and not realize that there was actually something of merit to add to it.


If it's old and has dropped off the front page then I don't have problem with it. What's annoying is when someone blatantly starts a new thread just to get noticed.

Simonist']
And we're not "message board nazis". We're just making sure you knew there was another thread so that either you could go join that discussion, or you know why nobody goes to your thread.

I agree, it was the OP who used that term.

If an old thread has been inactive for a week or so, I'd prefer people left it for dead and started a new one.