The impetus for this thread is from a private message I just received asking me what the rule is regarding the bumping of old threads.
Many forums have rules against bumping old threads.
As PipesMagazine.com is coming up on our 4th birthday, we still haven't posted such a rule - for two reasons: 1) There hasn't been much of a problem in this area, likely since 2) It is such commonly known Netiquette that it seemed to go without saying.
I started wondering if we need to have a rule for this, but like many things, it's not as simple as you think once you start working on it.
The reasons "Necro-Bumping" is discouraged is that it can potentially create outdated posts with information that is no longer relevant. It's also useless (and annoying) to bring up old news that has gone stale.
However, pipe smoking and pipe collecting have a unique hobbyist aspect, which by nature can generate evergreen content / discussions that never go stale. For example, all newbies to pipe smoking can benefit from different types of advice such as; how to pack a pipe, to smoke slow, tobacco recommendations, etc.
We have had some old irrelevant threads get bumped on rare occasions. After this happens, we usually close them, and sometimes delete them. Other times, we recognize that the discussion is evergreen in nature and can benefit others that have not been previously educated or informed on the topic.
So for now, we will see if we can rely on our individual members to use their own judgment as to what is outdated, irrelevant, stale information - and leave it alone - don't bump it.
However, if it is still good info / discussion that just hasn't come up in a while, it might be acceptable to bump an old thread.
Alternatively (and when in doubt), start a new thread and link back to the old one.
If you have something to add and judge that your information is related, but more up-to-date, start a new thread and link to the old one.
Many forums have rules against bumping old threads.
As PipesMagazine.com is coming up on our 4th birthday, we still haven't posted such a rule - for two reasons: 1) There hasn't been much of a problem in this area, likely since 2) It is such commonly known Netiquette that it seemed to go without saying.
I started wondering if we need to have a rule for this, but like many things, it's not as simple as you think once you start working on it.
The reasons "Necro-Bumping" is discouraged is that it can potentially create outdated posts with information that is no longer relevant. It's also useless (and annoying) to bring up old news that has gone stale.
However, pipe smoking and pipe collecting have a unique hobbyist aspect, which by nature can generate evergreen content / discussions that never go stale. For example, all newbies to pipe smoking can benefit from different types of advice such as; how to pack a pipe, to smoke slow, tobacco recommendations, etc.
We have had some old irrelevant threads get bumped on rare occasions. After this happens, we usually close them, and sometimes delete them. Other times, we recognize that the discussion is evergreen in nature and can benefit others that have not been previously educated or informed on the topic.
So for now, we will see if we can rely on our individual members to use their own judgment as to what is outdated, irrelevant, stale information - and leave it alone - don't bump it.
However, if it is still good info / discussion that just hasn't come up in a while, it might be acceptable to bump an old thread.
Alternatively (and when in doubt), start a new thread and link back to the old one.
If you have something to add and judge that your information is related, but more up-to-date, start a new thread and link to the old one.
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