Replying to older posts

[Muira]

I was advised by Casa in the US & UK dual nationality thread that I shouldn't have dug up an older post by replying to it, and that the member who posted it hadn't been around for a while.

I remember seeing a separate thread and another mod replied to a saying that there were already many related posts to that subject and there wasn't need to post yet another thread about it.

Please could I ask for further information about this? Is this a difference of ways of working among the different mods?

[Casa]

1. There is little point in posting advice for a member who hasn't visited the forum for over 1 year and the thread has been inactive since then.

2. Threads which have been inactive for a year or more frequently contain information which is out-of-date. In one recent example the inactive thread was 7 years old and referring to the Immigration Rules in 2010, which were significantly changed in July 2012.!

3. Moderators simply don't have the time (or the will) to check through these old resurrected threads to check for advice which is no longer relevant.

4. Digging up very old threads clutters the forum with no real purpose if the OP has been absent from the forum for a considerable length of time.

5. I'm guessing that your example of a Moderator asking you not to open a new thread was due to the existing thread on the particular immigration issue still being active. Unless you can post a link, I'm unable to comment further.

As a new member, you may find the guidance in this link helpful, especially point 12:
announcements/read-me-getting-started-t ... 24804.html

[Muira]

Thank you for pointing me to point 12 of the Top 25 FAQ's, I did find it helpful.

One bit of information that I've been unable to locate in the FAQ's; however, is how to see whether a member is inactive. For this case, is it because the person who started that threat had only made that one post and they joined some time ago?

I want to make clear that I'm not trying to be obtuse, or trying to cause annoyance, but this forum is different from forums I've posted on in the past, as stated in the post read before you post / netiquette / choosing your title by ca.funke. I'm not able to click on members' usernames to see their information, or perhaps not yet.

[CR001]

If you click on a members topic, to the right of the page it shows their username, how many posts they have made and date they joined the forum (assuming you are on a computer and not a mobile device)

[Muira]

I'll try viewing the site through computer as opposed to my mobile.

Thank you CR001.

[secret.simon]

On that point, is it possible for the IT Admins, as opposed to the moderators, to look into the possibility of automatically locking threads that have not been updated for a period of say one year? That should prevent such an issue from reoccurring.

It may be, if possible, be desirable for the OP to be able to unlock such automatically locked threads. But even in the absence of such an ability (of the OP being able to unlock threads), s/he can link to his/her older threads in a newer thread if there were any updates.

[Muira]

In response to secret.simon, it seems like when people post a duplicate post, or nearly duplicate, the moderators ask the people to update their previous post, or is that when the initial post is recent?

[Muira]

An example of

when people post a duplicate post, or nearly duplicate, the moderators ask the people to update their previous post, or is that when the initial post is recent?

is general-uk-immigration-forum/removal-of ... 32455.html

[Casa]

The member already had an active thread running which gave a background to his situation.

If a member opens multiple threads relating to their request for help, it means other members have to trawl through the forum to glean the relevant information in order to advise.

[vinny]

An example of a poster giving relevant information in a different topic.

[Muira]

That's understandable, Casa; and I can see how frustrating it can be for others who wish to help the person.

Thank you vinny for giving an example. That was helpful.