Thread ? -How Old is too Old

[cruisemom42]

Real quick, I'm not directing my responses specifically to you. ..................I tend to sound intense and preachy when I post. It comes from years of writing in "a scientific voice" for research papers. Can't seem to break the habit.

 

I hear ya. I am also a science writer/editor. I know where you're coming from.

[Viesczy]

ON all the boards I frequent, musician boards and shooting boards, there is always an occasional necro bump. If the bump has pertinent info, who cares?

 

Too many folks on all the boards I visit are SO concerned with what they consider etiquette they fail to realize that they are bereft of etiquette.

 

That said, if the necro bump is something like 'me too' or 'was a great time'... while not needing an actual reply on the board it does generate a "really, way to go genius" verbal statement.

 

Derek

[NoobCruise]

I think the "necro bumps" (great term lol) are a result of the newbies using the search feature that is so strongly advocated. Ironic, huh? lol

[jaguarstyper]

I can tell you from experience, the rudeness of the "do a search" crowd is not limited to this forum. I frequent several internet forums for everything from DIY home renovation to amateur road racing to cigars and the rudeness is prevalent on all of them. I never understood why someone has to take the time to post "This has been covered already, do a search". If you're not interested in participating and providing useful information, then just ignore the question and move on. How difficult is that? I guess some people feel the need to "police" the boards. I never really understood what satisfaction anyone can draw from that. This is a discussion board and you should be here to discuss things. Who cares if its already been discussed? Why the need to be dismissive and rude?

 

One more thought, how boring would life be if we never discussed anything again once its already been discussed? Too boring for me.

[KirkNC]

ON all the boards I frequent, musician boards and shooting boards, there is always an occasional necro bump. If the bump has pertinent info, who cares?

 

Too many folks on all the boards I visit are SO concerned with what they consider etiquette they fail to realize that they are bereft of etiquette.

 

That said, if the necro bump is something like 'me too' or 'was a great time'... while not needing an actual reply on the board it does generate a "really, way to go genius" verbal statement.

 

Derek

 

LOL great term!

[serendipity1499]

I am so appreciative of all the help I have received on this site.It always makes me smile when I see a newbie's question answered promptly and graciously...I well remember my first timid questions ,very grateful for the kindness I was shown.

 

Now I have another question :)... As the OP of a thread.. how would one go about having some threads removed permanently from the CC "archives"

I have four I wish to remove and I am not sure if this is possible.

 

Thank you

Colleen

 

Colleen I've often wondered about that too...Have looked at the guidelines & it only has guidelines about the removal of posts, nothing about removal of threads..This is what the guidelines state:

Quote We do not review messages before they are posted and you cannot delete your own messages once they are posted. As much as we'd like to, our volunteer staff is too busy to delete messages for you, extend spell-check services or rescue you from a momentary lapse in good judgment! ;)

Unquote

You might have a better chance of asking that the thread be closed..You might want to e-mail the Hosts & ask their opinion..Please let us know if you receive an answer..Thanks...Betty

P.S. BTW in case you don't know it-you can click on a Hosts Name at the bottom of the main page to get their e-mail address..

 

There's always the option of just not answering. You don't have to answer every post you see and if you feel negatively about answering it, it definitely comes across to the newbie and they just may leave the site with a bad feeling. Not a very good representation for CC. Better to just not answer and let someone else answer who doesn't mind.

 

JMO

 

That is my opinion too! In our business we had the same questions asked over & over & we would never dream of telling anyone to check their ticket for the answer, even when it was clearly printed on their ticket...LOL ..If one does not wish to look up an answer &/or give the URL, so be it..;)However, IMO it's better to ignore a question & let others answer it than to tell someone to "Search"...IMO, when a poster tells them to search it comes across as being adversarial & snobbish...

 

 

I can tell you from experience, the rudeness of the "do a search" crowd is not limited to this forum. I frequent several internet forums for everything from DIY home renovation to amateur road racing to cigars and the rudeness is prevalent on all of them. I never understood why someone has to take the time to post "This has been covered already, do a search". If you're not interested in participating and providing useful information, then just ignore the question and move on. How difficult is that? I guess some people feel the need to "police" the boards. I never really understood what satisfaction anyone can draw from that. This is a discussion board and you should be here to discuss things. Who cares if its already been discussed? Why the need to be dismissive and rude?

 

One more thought, how boring would life be if we never discussed anything again once its already been discussed? Too boring for me.[/quote]

 

Agree 110 %

Cheers...:):)Betty

[cruisemom42]

 

..If one does not wish to look up an answer &/or give the URL, so be it..;)However, IMO it's better to ignore a question & let others answer it than to tell someone to "Search"...IMO, when a poster tells them to search it comes across as being adversarial & snobbish...

 

 

 

 

I'm totally mystified now. Why does it come across as "adversarial & snobbish"? :confused::confused:

 

I think perhaps it is an issue of someone "reading into" such a response something that isn't necessarily there....

 

Do you not agree with the old proverb: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."?

 

I guess there are some that just like to do for others, without helping them to understand how to help themselves. Different strokes for different folks. In the example you give above, I would try to point out (to the person asking a question about something that was obviously on their ticket) how to read the ticket themselves. Mainly because that's what I would want someone to do for me.

 

Perhaps not everyone would appreciate it, but I'm sure some would. ;)

[CowPrincess]

Sometimes I do that, but not often. I have a hard time with the idea that the burden should be on me, time after time, to do a search and locate the old post and provide a link to it, when (to my mind) it should be the job of the person asking to just do a search.

 

 

 

 

 

IMHO if you personally wrote a thread that answers a newbie's question, you should post a link. Not everyone uses the same words. Some people might search "boarding time" while others may search "embarkation". For Pompeii, "tours", "on our own", "private vendor" -- any of which may or may not work.

 

When you add in the possibility of typos and misspellings, the chances that someone will find the exact thread needed to answer their questions don't seem that great :)

 

As for the "how long should a thread be allowed to be remain open" -- I think that TripAdvisor's way works well.

[cruisemom42]

IMHO if you personally wrote a thread that answers a newbie's question, you should post a link. Not everyone uses the same words. Some people might search "boarding time" while others may search "embarkation". For Pompeii, "tours", "on our own", "private vendor" -- any of which may or may not work.

 

When you add in the possibility of typos and misspellings, the chances that someone will find the exact thread needed to answer their questions don't seem that great :)

 

 

Well, I guess we will just have to disagree. :o It doesn't seem right to me that I am expected to not only write out a complex and well thought out set of instructions and notes to someone, but then I am required to search out and re-post it any time the question is asked again....?

 

Sounds like a lot of work and a good way to turn off your most experienced posters. I'll be honest, I've thought for some time that I might be better off writing a blog than posting here. Perhaps this just gives me the push I've been needing to say farewell to CC.

[jaguarstyper]

Well, I guess we will just have to disagree. :o It doesn't seem right to me that I am expected to not only write out a complex and well thought out set of instructions and notes to someone, but then I am required to search out and re-post it any time the question is asked again....?

 

Sounds like a lot of work and a good way to turn off your most experienced posters. I'll be honest, I've thought for some time that I might be better off writing a blog than posting here. Perhaps this just gives me the push I've been needing to say farewell to CC.

The thing is, nobody is saying you need to rewrite everything again. You don't even have to respond if you don't feel like it. But responding with "its already out there, go look for it" is a little mean spirited and will turn off a lot of new posters. Its assuming the original poster is not smart enough or too lazy to do a search. People who have been on the site for years and just assume everyone knows how to navigate it. I would venture to say the more than half of the people on here don't know how to search and this site is not important enough for them to learn to search. Or, perhaps they did a search and didn't find it. It would be much nicer to say something like, I already answered that question quite thoroughly, here is the link to the thread: blah blah blah.

 

If someone came up to you on the street and asked directions to something you knew about, would you tell them to go get a map and look it up, or would you tell them where it is? How is that any different? How would you feel if you were the one asking directions in a strange town and someone told you that?

[fleckle]

Sometimes I do that, but not often. I have a hard time with the idea that the burden should be on me, time after time, to do a search and locate the old post and provide a link to it, when (to my mind) it should be the job of the person asking to just do a search.

 

Besides, there may be several different threads with great info. Do I have to look them all up and post links to all of them?

Oh, there should never be a burden on you to go do a search for anyone. If you have easy access to the info and kindly provide a link to help someone else, that's great.

If not, often someone else will provide it.

 

I agree that the person asking should be the one to do the search, but some newbies are unfamiliar with the procedure, or easily intimidated.

 

Sometimes people may just be wondering if others have more information to offer beyond what they were able to find on their own.

 

Many of us who travel frequently keep various types of information bookmarked for our own reference, so when someone requests something that we have readily available and can access easily, it is no trouble to pass it along.

 

I look at it as a form of "paying it forward" when I think about all the helpful information I have received from others.

[COLLEYBERRY]

Colleen I've often wondered about that too...Have looked at the guidelines & it only has guidelines about the removal of posts, nothing about removal of threads..This is what the guidelines state:

Quote We do not review messages before they are posted and you cannot delete your own messages once they are posted. As much as we'd like to, our volunteer staff is too busy to delete messages for you, extend spell-check services or rescue you from a momentary lapse in good judgment! ;)

Unquote

You might have a better chance of asking that the thread be closed..You might want to e-mail the Hosts & ask their opinion..Please let us know if you receive an answer..Thanks...Betty

P.S. BTW in case you don't know it-you can click on a Hosts Name at the bottom of the main page to get their e-mail address..

 

 

Thanks Betty good advice...not sure if I should bother anyone....I am sure they are long buried ..but I have posted some cruise short stories here on CC and perhaps i shouldn't have ...if I ever wanted to use them elsewhere I think they are now the domain of CC. ...: if so , my fault :) Thanks again Colleen

[cruisemom42]

 

If someone came up to you on the street and asked directions to something you knew about, would you tell them to go get a map and look it up, or would you tell them where it is? How is that any different? How would you feel if you were the one asking directions in a strange town and someone told you that?

 

 

What you are implying is not at all what I would actually say. It's more along the lines of:

 

"Here is some brief information.....(blah blah blah) I wrote a detailed post about this topic giving step by step directions for getting to Pompeii on the train about a month ago that you might also find helpful. If you do a search for "Pompeii DIY" you should be able to locate it."

 

Incidentally, I also voluntarily email my advance planning notes with folks on my roll calls and anyone else who asks. But I'm sure someone here will find fault with the way in which I do it. :rolleyes: I actually make people email me and ask for them....very adversarial and snobbish of me, I'm sure.

 

In all honesty, I guess I thought I was being helpful by providing some information and by letting them know that more information is available if they look for it. Often I am at work and don't have time to look up everything and post it. I was working on the assumption that some info is better than none. But based on the consensus here, I guess that feeling isn't shared by many others.

[cruisemom42]

Many of us who travel frequently keep various types of information bookmarked for our own reference, so when someone requests something that we have readily available and can access easily, it is no trouble to pass it along.

 

I look at it as a form of "paying it forward" when I think about all the helpful information I have received from others.

 

I have some things bookmarked, but it's hard to keep tabs when one has over 10,000 posts. :eek: Yikes, how did THAT happen???

[NoobCruise]

Well, I guess we will just have to disagree. :o It doesn't seem right to me that I am expected to not only write out a complex and well thought out set of instructions and notes to someone, but then I am required to search out and re-post it any time the question is asked again....?

 

Sounds like a lot of work and a good way to turn off your most experienced posters. I'll be honest, I've thought for some time that I might be better off writing a blog than posting here. Perhaps this just gives me the push I've been needing to say farewell to CC.

 

I think where you're having the problem here is that you think anyone is "expecting" you specifically to do anything. Nobody expects YOU to do anything. The point is, there are plenty of regulars on the forum who don't mind and are more happy to answer a question again, and happy to fill in the details....even though they've given the same answer a dozen times before. If YOU don't want to give an actual answer or point someone towards a good thread, then it might be better not to answer. Let the people who don't mind answer.

 

Also, I think you're jumping to conclusions about newbies experience in using things like search engines. You said you write/edit so it's understandable that you are very experienced at using the technology. That's not true for everyone. I know people who still have never bought a home computer. My dad has had a computer for years and still has trouble figuring out email and he's a retired MD. He might try to find info on a site like CC,but he would get confused pretty easily. Search features are second nature to some, and completely intimidating to others.

[Lady Chew]

I have no problem with the old posts, but I do wish they would put the date on the main page, after the title, so you can see how old it is before you open it. I don't know how many times I've started reading through a thread before realizing it's several years old ... and I don't need the old info anymore.

[RuthC]

I think where you're having the problem here is that you think anyone is "expecting" you specifically to do anything. ...

 

Also, I think you're jumping to conclusions about newbies experience in using things like search engines. ...

Noob, you are totally spot-on about both your points.

No one is ever required to answer anything. And telling someone to "do a search" (as I have seen posted so many times) tells them nothing if they don't even know what that means, or where the "search" button is.

[Himself]

Some long time posters, resent the fact that newbies ask the same old question over & over.. I don't understand the "old timers" frustration with this & certainly don't understand why they are so adamant about it, especially with new posters! :(

 

I often wonder if the Newbies are regenerating these older threads because they are afraid of the "Thread Police" who sometimes in a nasty way point out to them, that they should use the search function instead of asking again..;)

 

In the past few weeks, we've seen several really old threads being resurrected, for want of a better word..Just today one from 2004 hit Pg. One.."Eagle Eyed JTL" (using name appreciatively John:)) pointed out to us that this thread was really old (It was last posted on over eight years ago)..I probably would never have noticed it..:o In this case the original OP has not posted on the HAL MSG. board, in over a year & I for one miss her.. :) There are others on the same thread, who are also missed & wonder if they are OK...

 

Things change very rapidly in the Travel & Cruise Business & IMO a searched thread which is more than a few years old should not be regenerated...Wonder if there was some way for the CC computers to close them after a few years...One old thread which concerned me was the one where a Posters Cruse was canceled & they were upset..I thought it happened recently until John pointed it out..When quoting someone else I'll normally mention that the post is old & give the URL if they wish to see it...This to me is not the newbies fault, but it could be a concern to other posters..

 

So my questions to you all are:

 

!) What is your opinion about posting on "Old Threads" & do you believe some of those which have been posted on again, are no longer viable?

 

2) If you believe they are outdated, what in your opinion, is a reasonable time frame to resurrect some old threads?

 

Happy Cruising & Happy Spring everyone.:)

 

Betty

 

I think if the posts are still relevant, it is fine to bring them up. Many are not relevant and I see no reason to bring them up if they are not relevant.

[Cindy]

Some of the old threads are ok but old reviews that are no longer relevant are very misleading. Especially if some of us less eagle eyed don't spot the old date:o I think closing them off after xx months isn't a bad idea.

 

Searching is fine - I do it a lot - but if you have a specific question relating to NOW I don't anyone should hesitate to ask.

 

Good suggestions:)

 

I also suffer from "Don't Spot the Old Date Disorder!":rolleyes: I think it would be a good idea to lock threads that were inactive for a set time, but still have them available for reading.

 

I agree with the poster who said that we were all new once and we all asked the age old questions. Experienced cruisers answered us patiently so we should extend the same courtesy to new members even if we have heard the question over and over. Remember---the poster is hearing the answer for the first time.

 

I have found Cruise Critic to be a wealth of information which has enabled us to save money, smoothed our travels and provided me with some wonderful friendships which would not have happened otherwise.

 

New members should be encouraged and not scared off. It is easy enough to sort out the genuine new poster from the troll or recycled troublemaker.

 

Yes, we were all new at one time. I can't speak for others, but I asked ENDLESS questions before my first cruise, and they were all answered with patience and courtesy.

All our cruises have been fantastic, due in large part to the information I've gotten and the contacts I've made on Cruise Critic. I don't have as much time to be on the boards as some because I still work full-time (for 8 more weeks!:D), but I try to "pay it forward" as much as I can.

Unfortunately, I've noticed that as CC has gotten bigger there is less patience with newbies, and less tolerance for differing opinions. I've also seen a HUGE and negative increase in the "cheerleaders" who immediately dismiss anybody who dares to post anything uncomplimentary about "their" cruise line or ship. I had a terrible experience a couple years ago when my husband and I took a week-long car trip tour of Napa and the California coast, followed by a seven-night Carnival cruise. I posted what I thought were interesting comparisons about the cost of the land trip vs. the cost of a cruise, and I got called every name in the book. It got so bad that I e-mailed CC and asked to have the thread removed.:( Unfortunately there's a large element of society that will hide behind a keyboard and behave in ways they'd never dream of behaving if they could be identified.

 

I can remember when I first joined CC in 2007. I asked some rather ignorant questions and was always told there is no such thing as a dumb question here on CC.

 

The one thing that I would like to see here on the boards is this. When someone takes the time to research, refer and answer the OP's question it would be nice if the OP would take the time out to acknowledge and thank the person who took the time out to address/answer their questions.

 

Common courtesy can go a long way.

 

Well said!

[igraf]

I though this thread was about the age of the "old timers".... :-)

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

Some long time posters, resent the fact that newbies ask the same old question over & over.. I don't understand the "old timers" frustration with this & certainly don't understand why they are so adamant about it, especially with new posters! :(

 

.....Betty

[serendipity1499]

I though this thread was about the age of the "old timers".... :-)

 

igraf

 

OH My...That is sooo funny!:D:D:D

Happy Spring everyone & thanks for your comments..