Zombie threads

[RobotHamster]

There seems to have been a lot of spam recently, particularly the bumping of old threads to advertise something.

PLEASE can you work out a way to highlight old threads so MNers don't spend hours reading through them. You already have the facility to highlight the OP on threads - It shouldn't be that hard to do something to change a thread to slightly grayed out if its older than 6 months. IF something 200 days = blank. Or something. PLEASE.

It would also discourage the spamming fuckwits.

[AmberLeaf]

Why would it discourage the spammers though?

They don't seem fussed if a thread is old or not.

No need to spend hours reading through either, you can just check the date on the first page surely?

[RobotHamster]

True.. I'd hope they might realise it's an ancient thread and not bother?


well yes, you'd think, but so many zombie threads, and you kind of assume that threads in 'Active' are current.

[AmberLeaf]

I think the spammers just want to bump threads up.

Did you see the online tv spammer last night? they started new threads, no idea how many but it was loads! in a way Id rather spammers bumped real threads than fill up active convos with that sort of rubbish.

[RobotHamster]

I did.

Spamming is kind of beside the point. I spent ages reading a campaign thread about lads mags today and realised it was from about 3 years ago, but only after 10 mins or so.


I reckon it really shouldn't be that hard to gray out or highlight threads older than 6 months or so.

[Tee2072]

The SPAM attack is from bots. So greying or whatever a thread will do nothing to stop them.

[PedlarsSpanner]

you really have to train self to look at OP date before getting stuck in, partic if a huge thread appears to have sprung up out of nowhere all bunfighty and bristling

Though there was an old thread bumped by accident yesterday that was tres interessant, about how many continents there are

[wannabedomesticgoddess]

I recognise zombie threads because the emoticons always look bigger.

Does that not happen for others then?

[RobotHamster]

I do look at the date. I recognise that theyre old . Plenty of people ddon't though.


Tee - makes sense about the bots.

[HelenMumsnet]

Morning. We do see what you mean. It's dead annoying when spammers/trolls resurrect an old thread but tbh it's dead annoying when spammers/trolls post on a recent/new thread, too!

We don't think it's the bumping of old threads (zombie threads) that's the issue, really; it's the spammers/trolls who bump them.

[nickelbabe]

That's true, but it would be helpful to lock Zombie threads anyway.

Maybe you could put "it's been a year since this was last posted on, so is being locked."

[AmberLeaf]

Old threads can still be relevant and helpful though, posters sometimes come back a while after and update too.

I really hate locked threads!

[HelenMumsnet]

We'll have a think but I know that last time this was raised, we did think of examples of times that old threads had been resurrected for good reasons.

My mind is completely blank now too long spent standing on football sidelines this morning so I can't think of any examples. But there def are some.

[nickelbabe]

ah, but in that case, the OP could ask to have their thread unlocked.

[AmberLeaf]

Bit of a faff?

[RobotHamster]

I was thinking of a more automatic thing really, it must be possible.

There are some good threads that get bumped and keep going for ages, agree that locking them isn't the way to go.

Maybe a message could come up if you go to post on an old thread, ?