On the subject of "gravedigging" and "search&

So many forums have these policies, and I've never fully understood them or the reasons.

If I have a question and I use the search feature and find an old thread where things weren't completely resolved, why shouldn't I post in that thread? Why start a new thread? What benefits are there in starting a new thread and linking the old?

It's obvious to me that if someone asked a question 3 years ago, I shouldn't decide to answer it today. To blanket all instances of posting in an old thread as gravedigging, though, seems silly to me. Especially if in the instances where a person starts a new thread about a topic that's occurred before, they're immediately set upon by the crowd with cries of "learn to search!" Nevermind if a forums built in search feature is limited and can't search for an entire phrase or limit the search to topics...

This isn't directed at the terra-arcanum community or any specific incidents. I'd just like to know the reasons behind the rabid anger incurred if someone innocently posts in an old thread across the net.

 

Don't mind the idiots. I just started giving out 7 day bans for grave-digging accusations. Some people just don't seem to get that their bullshit got way too irritating.

I don't care about the date of a new post, as long as people use common sense (moreover, this is a pretty slow forum). But all that whining and bickering about "OMG grave-dig!" really got old.

 

Well, there are at least two types of forums: for solving problems and just for chatting. In a chatting forum (like our GD) old threads obviously become obsolete. However, in a problem solving forum (our Arcanum sections mostly deal with this) threads are always relevant. When you want to find a solution to your problem, you start with a search. Obviously, for the search function to be effective you want the threads to have as less off-topic posts as possible (thus no needless whining and harassment should be tolerated). And another thing, you don't really want a lot of threads with the same content created just because people were afraid to post in a month old thread. This way, e.g. a "post your character build" thread should never really 'expire'. Does this make sense? Sure it does.

 

...huh. Interesting. Maybe Xiao needs to fix the FAQ now to include this info.

Still, nicely done. As fun as the hazing rituals are, they really don't need to be directed at the people just here to ask on-topic questions.

 

This annoyance is alleviated if someone makes a new thread and links to the old one? I must admit some confusion. You've still actually read the topic before; not seeing that you had posted replies before doesn't really change that...

Drog: I thank you for your efforts, but this is more of a general question and not a complaint on the T-A community. I've just never understood the animosity I've seen in virtually every forum I've been on and decided to ask about it.

 

I'm not that hissy about gravedigging in and of itself, as long as it contributes to the topic. Over the years, I've seen far too many topics on far too many forums brought back from the dead for really stupid reasons, and I've wound up with something of a kneejerk reaction to seeing something rezzed that isn't always appropriate.

(Battle Forum, my former haunt before I wandered over here, was particularly bad in that respect. The fact that the biggest arsehole on the forum got promoted to Admin and promptly managed to remove all the moderators who were, you know, SANE, didn't exactly help.)

 

Yeah, it's not particularly rational. It's a forum-culture thing that leads to far more bitching than it's worth.

And this forum in particular is full of people who think it's fun and funny to be jackasses. Kinda like 4chan, really.

 

Largely dependent on the person really, but more often than not (Xiao aside), it's not animosity, it's old fashion pissing. Pointless? Most assuredly. If it contributes to the thread and the thread itself contributes to the specific forum it's posted in it's usually acceptable. On my own forums I have no time limit to threads, and if they hadn't yet been moved to archives, they're open game. However, I have issues when people grave-dig with a "contribution" post to a thread in which the entirety of the thread is pointless. It brings up a topic that often is itself completely irrelevant, or has been made obsolete through the passage of time, or they're just nitpicking semantics over how someone described something 5 years ago without knowing if that person they're replying to is even alive, or they just want to share their opinion as to why the op is incorrect, etc, and simply gives others an opportunity to post additional stuff that often isn't even related to the pointless topic that's been dug up.

 

Well DBT, I thank you for your well-made notification of your intent to provide bannings for grave-digging notifications.

I'll be honest. I have no quarrel with this rule. It's actually a good idea. Two things go hand-in-hand with it though:

Firstly, this notification system? You should have done this prior to throwing a ban at someone. The whole make-an-example thing isn't the friendliest. It upsets the person serving as an example who, until the ban wears off (provided you remember to do it, the person comes back, etc.), is bewildered and angry because they've been banned for what isn't a very apparent reason.

Secondly, there needs to be clarity on rules such as this. I know, I got to it before you did. However, had I known your seven-day-ban rule, I wouldn't've commented on it. The fact you threw a ban at me based upon a remark you made a month ago in a thread that has nothing to do with Terra-Arcanum, it's rules, regulations, and how it's run? That just makes your action rude. However, I understand where you're coming from. You're trying to do your best to keep everyone in line. Not an easy task, given the nature of this place. I don't begrudge you it, or want an apology, or anything silly. I want it clear. Most people don't possess the tenacity I do. Seeing themselves banned with no idea why? They'd just leave, and never return to the forum, regardless of whether or not they liked the forum.

 

This forum isn't slow. I'm able to spend an hour every day responding to all the threads I'm in.

I don't understand this whole 'banning the gravedigger complainers' thing. This forum is largely self-moderated. None of the active admins were admins when the forum started, and the rules were followed pretty nicely up until you stepped in, Drog. Can't you just try to fit in with the rest of us and hate newbies and gravediggers? The system was working just fine. We had certain threads by nobodie that could be necroposted at our leisure, and even provisions in place for useful necroposting. Vorak himself, a prideful man if ever there was one, has apologized for necroposting in the past.

This forum has been bred of vigilantism for years. That shouldn't really change just because somebody finds it slightly irritating. If we banned everything we found irritating, Darkfool, Xiao, Papa_Dog, and I would have all disappeared after a hundred posts and Xz would have been turned away for not understanding English five years ago.

That's my two cents on the matter.

 

Objection

 

Admin fight!

::sells tickets::

 

Fish is a jarhead. Pretty sure he was never in the army.

 

He was a Navy Corpsman stationed with the Marine Corps. So basically a jarhead, but with slightly longer hair and a taunting 'stache.

 

Why, not copying everyone else's behaviour when not agreeing with them? I think I heard about that one before. I believe it was called "nonconformism". :shivers: Truly the devil's tool which should be nipped in the bud for humanity's sake.

 

People should take on the responsibility to assimilate into the cultures they have newly arrived in, rather than try to make the culture conform to them.