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-   -   Why is it illegal to post on a thread that is more than a month old? (https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=257094)

DowntownDumpling July 12th, 2011 3:15 AM

Why is it illegal to post on a thread that is more than a month old?
 
I was recently given a warning for this. It seems like a pretty stupid issue, especially since it's a pain to start new threads and have people comment on them when there's a perfectly good old thread. Why is it illegal?

Another question: What will happen to me if I accidentally do it again?

Vrai July 12th, 2011 3:18 AM

It's frustrating. Old topics are old for a reason, and that's generally because the topic has gotten stale and/or has been dropped. In most sections you're perfectly free to make a duplicate of the old thread (so long as it really is dead) if you really feel the need to post about it.

Basically: It's a rule that has always been there and probably won't change, and as long as you're aware of yourself you won't break it again.

DowntownDumpling July 12th, 2011 3:32 AM

Before that, I had never deliberately checked the dates on any of the posts. It's kind of paranoia-inducing, but I'll try.

I'm still struggling to truly understand it. Maybe it's an issue that only arises over the scope of thousands of threads. I know that on Facebook discussion boards, with which I have more experience, posting on old topics is welcomed and new versions of old ones are almost never created.

Nihilego July 12th, 2011 3:37 AM

Regarding the second part of your question, don't do it and you'll never have to find out. But I'd imagine that you would receive a 2-point infraction as you've already been warned and depending on your past infraction history possibly temporarily banned.

Quote:

I'm still struggling to truly understand it. Maybe it's an issue that only arises over the scope of thousands of threads. I know that on Facebook discussion boards, with which I have more experience, posting on old topics is welcomed and new versions of old ones are almost never created.
PokéCommunity hopefully aims to be a bit more organised and run more smoothly than facebook does. Keeping discussions up-to-date and active rather than letting them die and reviving them again half a year later is so much more streamlined and easier for everyone.

Another thing is that it's easier to find the discussion you want if it's active and if it isn't active, you can make it yourself. You don't have to go digging through the forums for stuff.

Oryx July 12th, 2011 3:37 AM

Also, often the information in those threads are old and outdated. For example, say you post in a thread where they're discussing something related to Black and White, but it was created before the English names were revealed. People would be reading that, confused as to what the names are, because the thread is so old and no one posted in it. There's also the issue of people posting the same thing twice in a thread; if they posted once in a thread 6 months ago, I doubt they're going to remember that they did and will post again.

I've actually never been on a forum where this wasn't a rule...but tbh I don't understand why the forum doesn't auto-lock anything older than a month old that's not stickied. I never understood that on any forum xD;

FreakyLocz14 July 12th, 2011 3:51 AM

If you feel that reviving the thread woul stir up a meaningful conversation, you could always make a new thread on the topic.

Guy July 12th, 2011 6:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toujours (Post 6741665)
I've actually never been on a forum where this wasn't a rule...but tbh I don't understand why the forum doesn't auto-lock anything older than a month old that's not stickied. I never understood that on any forum xD;

There isn't anything said above that hasn't already answered why threads over a month old aren't revived. That said, not all forums, and not all of the sections here at PokéCommunity follow the one-month rule. For instance, in Game Development threads are considered inactive after two months since its last post date. I believe this also applies for Graphics & Photography as well as other forums that are dependent on a person's update to that thread and that it doesn't always happen very quickly. So, it's better not to have an auto-lock feature in this case, at least in my opinion.

kuzronk July 12th, 2011 7:00 AM

because they don't want old threads to come back after they been talked about heaps and there is no more to talk about

Ivysaur July 12th, 2011 7:11 AM

Also, all boards where the month rule apply have the "only show threads from the last month" default setting, so you actually have to go actively looking for old threads. If you simply look at the main thread index in every forum, you should be okay.

Guy July 12th, 2011 7:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Went (Post 6741899)
Also, all boards where the month rule apply have the "only show threads from the last month" default setting, so you actually have to go actively looking for old threads. If you simply look at the main thread index in every forum, you should be okay.

Speaking of that, there are some boards that go by the one-month rule that I noticed actually need the "only show threads from the last month" default setting. Black and White and the Fourth Generation Gaming (DS) forum would be the two I'm looking at that don't have this. Those have pages going back from the beginning.

DowntownDumpling July 12th, 2011 1:57 PM

But to be clear, it is always okay to post on stickies, no matter how old they are, right?

Guy July 12th, 2011 4:44 PM

Yes, if it's an open sticky, then no matter how old it is you are allowed to post in it.

Pokemon Game Fan July 12th, 2011 6:16 PM

I agree. I see some great discussions from way back then that I'd love to add to. It's a shame for this rule honestly. Just my opinion.

Astinus July 12th, 2011 6:23 PM

Then make a new thread on the topic. If you want to add something to the discussion, then there's most likely someone else who would like to as well. Starting up a new thread on the topic would allow the members who weren't around when it happened to discuss the topic. But bumping up the old thread, you're bringing back a discussion that members who probably aren't around anymore talked about.

Quote:

I've actually never been on a forum where this wasn't a rule...but tbh I don't understand why the forum doesn't auto-lock anything older than a month old that's not stickied.
Fanfiction and Writing is another forum where that option won't work.

Pokemon Game Fan July 12th, 2011 6:36 PM

Actually, looking at what you said, I kinda agree with that. Although the punishment is too harsh IMO. Warnings should be given for serious offenses.

Oryx July 12th, 2011 6:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pokemon Game Fan (Post 6743055)
Actually, looking at what you said, I kinda agree with that. Although the punishment is too harsh IMO. Warnings should be given for serious offenses.

A warning is the least harsh punishment on PC. It doesn't count for anything at all. Why is it too harsh for anything? There's literally nothing less harsh than a warning, it goes warning > infraction > ban.

Kenshin5 July 12th, 2011 6:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pokemon Game Fan (Post 6743055)
Actually, looking at what you said, I kinda agree with that. Although the punishment is too harsh IMO. Warnings should be given for serious offenses.

It's just telling you not to repeat the action again. Now if you got infracted right off the bat for that then that might be one thing. I don't see how a warning is harsh, but that's just me then. Most of the forums I have been too I see this as quite valid. Because almost all the time I do see an old topic revived(usually several months too over a year old) the post in question doesn't really contribute much at all to the topic or does not add anything that hasn't already been said. So starting a new topic on the subject gives it freshness and room to build on.

Pokemon Game Fan July 12th, 2011 6:48 PM

^^ I know, but some people might take it bad. I've met people that get upset cause they receive warnings and it makes them feel that they did something serious or really wrong, to take the first step into getting banned.

^ Yeah but those threads just get locked.

Maybe the warnings wouldn't be considered serious if they weren't like the first step towards getting banned. It's like being under a trap if warnings are going to be given so loosely.

Kenshin5 July 12th, 2011 6:54 PM

If the member has a question and they are concerned that something might be against the rules or could cause them to get a warning then they could contact the staff member of the area they are posting in or a Higher Staff member. I received one warning for telling my friend he was not allowed to have NOK(Korean Pokemon) traded and that was way back in 08 and I haven't managed to receive anything like that since. So I don't think it will be too much of a problem, if you don't worry about it, observe the date of the previous post or the rules of the forum and it's subsections there really shouldn't be a worry of infractions, warnings, or bans in the slightest.

Pokemon Game Fan July 12th, 2011 7:05 PM

I know, I'm just saying some people are more sensitive and they might feel like they've done something really really wrong to get the first step to getting banned.

bobandbill July 12th, 2011 7:24 PM

Along with what was said above... being the person who gave the warning in the first place in this instance (said instance involving a thread nearly half a year old since the previous post, never mind the usual month limit), I don't see how it was too harsh. As every automatic warning message states after all (because you get notified of it via PM):
Quote:

Warnings are different from infractions; they don't actually add any points or count towards your record for getting suspended. We're giving you this warning so you can have a chance to see what you've done wrong and improve before you receive infraction points. If you have any questions about warnings or infractions (or the difference between them), take a look at this thread and feel free to post any questions there. Further information about the infraction system can be found by clicking here (you can also ask any questions you have about the system in that thread.)
Given that explanation I'd say it's pretty clear to people who get warnings the nature of them. Certainly in the grand scheme of things for usual members who pay attention to them, they mean very, very little - warnings are just more noticeable than the verbal method.

Also, it's not easy to be able to take into account people who may still take warnings too strongly or whatnot - that'd require knowing each person's personality and/or mind reading abilities, to put it simply. I don't believe I should not give warnings just because someone might be upset with it - I try to give people a similar treatment for doing the same thing, no matter who they are, if I know them or not, and so forth. Hope that explains it somewhat?

Oryx July 12th, 2011 7:45 PM

But although they may feel that way, the fact remains that it's not the first step to being banned, and it's not a harsh punishment. If they're upset over the warning they can contact the staff member that gave it to them and have it explained, but PC can't build its warning/infraction/ban rules off of people that are overly sensitive to any kind of correction, no matter how much or little it counts against them.

Pokemon Game Fan July 12th, 2011 8:15 PM

I don't know. Just seems to me like warnings are a little more serious than they are pushed to be.
I mean, if banning from the forum takes a simple three steps, the steps shouldn't be so loose.
I understand what you all mean about getting warned being different from getting an infraction, but it just seems to me like it's serious.

bobandbill July 12th, 2011 8:23 PM

Well, it's usually more than a simple 3 steps - most infractions are only worth a few or couple points and you need to hit a limit (9 for these forums for the first time) to actually get banned. So it's more warning/s, infraction and then ban for multiple infractions. And again, it's hard to get an infraction after a warning if you simply take note of the warning as well - you can only get an infraction if you ignore it which would suggest you're just not paying attention to the rules on purpose.

Pokemon Game Fan July 12th, 2011 8:44 PM

Ohhh ok. I thought it was like "You get an offense = warning, another offense = infraction, another offense = ban"
Like, three steps and done, no questions asked.

Ivysaur July 13th, 2011 12:10 AM

I suggest you read this thread: http://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=122017

It should clear your doubts.

DowntownDumpling July 13th, 2011 6:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pokemon Game Fan (Post 6743213)
Ohhh ok. I thought it was like "You get an offense = warning, another offense = infraction, another offense = ban"
Like, three steps and done, no questions asked.

:embarrass I was afraid of that too.

ringu217 July 14th, 2011 6:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emberjed (Post 6741636)
I was recently given a warning for this. It seems like a pretty stupid issue, especially since it's a pain to start new threads and have people comment on them when there's a perfectly good old thread. Why is it illegal?

Another question: What will happen to me if I accidentally do it again?


ha! you're not going to believe this but the whole reason i got kicked out of the other gaming forums for doing that crap. i didn't intentionally bring up old crap but sometimes some of the people who posted those things still haven't gotten answers or will repost sometime in the future anyway so i don't see the problem. i won't fight the system here because it's not worth it but i totally agree with you. it's stupid. the way i see it is: if it pisses you off and you don't like it, then don't reply. the person will find out on their own if the topic is to be discussed any further. just let them be, i always say. my only suggestion is to keep you from doing it again always check the dates and if the post is more than like 2 pages back, you shouldn't respond to it.

DowntownDumpling July 20th, 2011 4:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ringu217 (Post 6746588)
ha! you're not going to believe this but the whole reason i got kicked out of the other gaming forums for doing that crap. i didn't intentionally bring up old crap but sometimes some of the people who posted those things still haven't gotten answers or will repost sometime in the future anyway so i don't see the problem. i won't fight the system here because it's not worth it but i totally agree with you. it's stupid. the way i see it is: if it pisses you off and you don't like it, then don't reply. the person will find out on their own if the topic is to be discussed any further. just let them be, i always say. my only suggestion is to keep you from doing it again always check the dates and if the post is more than like 2 pages back, you shouldn't respond to it.

That sucks. :cross-eye: Your idea seems like something that would only work if it is a well-established motto; that way everyone will do it and people will learn not to post the kinds of topics that piss others off, I guess.

The main issue I have with the rule, though, is the fact that it causes a huge backlog of abandoned threads that could probably be reduced to a couple hundred if people were simply allowed to post on threads whenever they wanted. Oh well.

Captain Fabio July 20th, 2011 5:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emberjed (Post 6758790)
The main issue I have with the rule, though, is the fact that it causes a huge backlog of abandoned threads that could probably be reduced to a couple hundred if people were simply allowed to post on threads whenever they wanted. Oh well.

People who are complaining about the ruling and calling it 'stupid', have you stopped to think why other forums have the same ruling?

If you post in a topic that is over a month old, there is a good chance the reason for the thread has become obsolete. It is old news and there is a reason that it hasn't had a reply in a month. The chances are, that the member has found an alternate solution to their problem, if that was the original nature of the thread.

If you get a warning/infraction because you have bumped up an old topic, then this isn't out fault. The rules clearly state that if you do, then you will be dealt with.


Pokemon Game Fan July 20th, 2011 10:31 PM

^ Ok, what you said sounds completely different than what the last guy said. The last guy said something that actually made it seem fair, the way you say it, you sound like Hitler No. 2 :S

Sydian July 21st, 2011 12:15 AM

Quote:

^ Ok, what you said sounds completely different than what the last guy said. The last guy said something that actually made it seem fair, the way you say it, you sound like Hitler No. 2 :S
He's not trying to sound mean. He's probably tired of having to repeat what's already been said in this thread dozens of times. Just cause there's not any smilies or anything and someone is talking sternly, it doesn't make them "Hitler 2" or anything. To be honest, I couldn't have worded it any better than Fabio did. If a thread hasn't been posted in in over a month, it's dead because no one really cares anymore. The discussion died. There's nothing more to say about it. I don't see how this thread has even gone on so long. Everyone's just repeating what's already been said at this point.

Also, according to Godwin's Law, comparing someone from the other party in a forum discussion to Hitler means you automatically lose the debate. Oops.

MonsterMMORPG July 21st, 2011 10:03 AM

forum can add a very easy system. thread will be showed to the normal users as locked if 1 month passed. only thread owner will be able to post. but in my opinion this rule is totally unlogical.

ingcoliptis July 21st, 2011 10:32 AM

what about trade threads? they almost never get old unless someone closes it

Pokemon Game Fan July 21st, 2011 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sydian (Post 6759304)


He's not trying to sound mean. He's probably tired of having to repeat what's already been said in this thread dozens of times. Just cause there's not any smilies or anything and someone is talking sternly, it doesn't make them "Hitler 2" or anything. To be honest, I couldn't have worded it any better than Fabio did. If a thread hasn't been posted in in over a month, it's dead because no one really cares anymore. The discussion died. There's nothing more to say about it. I don't see how this thread has even gone on so long. Everyone's just repeating what's already been said at this point.

Also, according to Godwin's Law, comparing someone from the other party in a forum discussion to Hitler means you automatically lose the debate. Oops.

Actually, a comparison to Hitler just means that they're being dictators. How the bloody hell does that mean you lost the debate? :paranoid:

-Anyway, all I'm saying is, if you're a mod, you should be more professional and not sound like you're agitated or annoyed, even if you are. I've been a mod 6 times on different forums now, you don't solve problems by acting all high and mighty, you try to be reasonable and gently explain it, not lash out. For instance, BobandBill is probably the most professional mod I've seen yet, he doesn't go around locking threads and then bugging people about it, he either moves it, or locks it but offers advice like "You should try doing this and etc..", if I came off as rude, I apologize, just saying.-

Sydian July 21st, 2011 12:44 PM

Quote:

Actually, a comparison to Hitler just means that they're being dictators. How the bloody hell does that mean you lost the debate?
Lighten up and take a joke, please. And for the record, we're not acting like "dictators." Mods don't make the forum-wide rules, we just enforce them. Chillax.

Quote:

-Anyway, all I'm saying is, if you're a mod, you should be more professional and not sound like you're agitated or annoyed, even if you are. I've been a mod 6 times on different forums now, you don't solve problems by acting all high and mighty, you try to be reasonable and gently explain it, not lash out. For instance, BobandBill is probably the most professional mod I've seen yet, he doesn't go around locking threads and then bugging people about it, he either moves it, or locks it but offers advice like "You should try doing this and etc..", if I came off as rude, I apologize, just saying.-
But he didn't lash out, that's what I'm getting at. That's how you took it, okay, but I didn't think he was lashing out. You would know if he really was. And we may be moderators and staff etc., but we're still human. We get agitated and not all the time we think to cover it up. Doesn't matter if you've modded in 6 different places. I've modded, super modded, and admined elsewhere, but that doesn't make a difference when I'm here. Personally, I just think you're taking things to heart too easily. Use Iron Defense!

Back to the point of the thread though, I think everything that needs to be said has been said. If a thread hasn't been posted in in over a month, it's dead. Done. Deceased. Wilted. Kicked the bucket. Just don't post in it. It's not hard to check the the date of the last post that was made in the thread and then make a new one if it's too old. I don't see why this is having to be such a big issue. I'm surprised this thread is still even open at this point.

Morkula July 21st, 2011 12:48 PM

I think this thread has well-outlived its usefulness...if it had any to begin with. I see nothing constructive coming from it and it's starting to get nasty, so...
Locked.


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