It is obnoxious as hell. Seriously.

The forum has been almost dead for quite awhile; why discourage activity?

Because it adds no value? What little value this place has anymore anyway.

I've seen it before on other forums, but I don't understand why one would get incensed over the bumping of old threads.

People often don't look at the dates of posts when first venturing into a new thread, and are then reading outdated information and possibly responding to posters who aren't even around anymore. It is annoying and frustrating.

What I said in another thread where this just again happened, was that if the topic is very specific, then bump that specific old thread. If there is a one and only thread for a topic, then bump that thread. However, if your point is only tangentially related, or if the topic is of such general interest, then please start a new thread.

Trevor,

Since the activity is slow around here, it is even more reason to start a new thread.

I had been changing the thread titles of those that I encounter, but I don't see all of them.

I don't get it, if a member posts a similar thread someone will inevitably ask why they didn't use the search function instead of making a duplicate thread. Now you want them to get banned for bumping old threads? No wonder why we can't keep new members around... the fun has left the forum.

wow, people will bitch about everything.

I am not calling for the banning of anybody.

However, what you posted is a fallacy. People get upset when relatively recent threads aren't used and the topic is the same or very closely related. People do not get upset and complain when ten year old threads, that nobody remembers, aren't bumped.

A recent case in point. An eight year old thread was bumped to vent frustration over merchants not giving back the proper change for transactions. Do you believe that anybody when have been upset if a new thread was posted? Would anybody really have said, "oh my god, why did you start a new thread instead of bumping that similar one from 2007"?

conversely, I've seen people make NEW threads about something, then some jackoff posts a snarky link to an older (sometimes years older) similar thread. damned if you do... damned if you don't. life's too short, does it really fucking matter?

Sorry Pharoh, that banning comment was directed at the OP, not at you.

Regarding your question, I don't honestly know if people want new threads or old threads renews. For myself, I really do not care since you would receive the same information either way. I do remember when someone did post a new thread and others did tell them (some nicely and some not so nicely) to use the search function. This has happened more than once and has prevented me from being more active in the forums and to just lurk.

I come to sites like this to relax, have fun, and get some entertainment not to get bogged down in Internet bulletin board semantics.

What's the big deal if you're reading old info or responding to someone who isn't around? If the content is relevant, the discussion is relevant. If you're writing on a public forum, it's for everyone to enjoy/benefit. The OP or person quoted is not important.

The old information always adds something.

Regarding the improper change thread you mention Pharoh, I don't think anyone would have complained if it was a new thread instead of a bump. But it being a bump made it a much more entertaining thread. If it was a new thread it may have not caught on and died quickly. But even if it dies now, at least it has some substance and those of us who saw the bump got more out of it.

not to mention that the search function sucks dead donkey dick.

Sometimes it's nice to see the history. By default, for me, ""New Posts" will start with the new post, even if the thread is a hundred posts long.
I lean more toward liking the addition to an old thread - if someone took the time to search for an existing thread and post a relevant comment to it, rather than lambaste him for 'thread already exists' (which does happen), let it go. I don't see the big deal.
If it is an issue, define it - no reviving threads X months old, and make that known on the search screen, not a sticky thread that has to be searched for on its own.

I like reading old threads. So hard to look at the date of the post, eh?

If you're going to bump a decades old thread, at least have the courtesy to say "Bump" or something, so it doesn't look like a 10 page thread just appeared out of nowhere and the conversation somehow flowed with a jump of 10 years in between.

It's the people who just act like no time that has past with a bump that are the most annoying. Just be up front about it if you bump an old thread.

I do like Pharoh's take on it as well.

Honestly who really cares? Seriously what a stupid thing to bitch about. In certain cases it seems silly to create a whole new thread that's likely to get lost in the shuffle but there's something new that a person may want to add or whatever. For something like that I think it makes perfect sense. Even in other cases though unless its something that's completely irrelevant I don't see what the issue is.

I want to ban members that open secret anti-SterlingBen thread bumping threads.

If we don't want old threads to be bumped, why not delete or lock all threads older than three years?

Yes, that's a good point, but I still don't really see why a tangential bump would get people's dander up so much. As Trevor said, it's better than no activity, and the more arguably-trivial rules one enforces, the more people will avoid a forum.

I don't think it's a big deal either, but it gets a little annoying when one particular person goes on a run doing it.

It usually tends to be new posters for some reason, is their a forum default that is ordering old to new when you sign up or something?

That's a bit different if its just someone being stupid and bumping a bunch of threads for no reason or doing it in excess. In general I don't see it as a big deal at all though really.

My plan is to bump this thread in 10 years.

Setting alarm to remind you in 9 years 11 months 29 days. Siri.....