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Often times you'll see someone start a thread on some subject, and people will respond that there is already a thread on such a topic. Sometimes you get an idea for a topic, but just to be sure you look to see if such a topic already exists and you find one. You post to it and you get called for necroing. So what do you do?
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You necro the thread so it brings it up because you want to add to the discussion and the idea. If a mod locks it, then you create a new topic right on top of it on the subject you were talking about so the forums look worse and overmoderated and laugh at their rules if they warn you for repeat topic too. Lol.
This is the one rule that bothers me. It should not exist. If anything, it should only exist in Town Square and General Chat, but nowhere else.
It's even more funny though when a mod merges your repeat topic with their original suggestion topic, in turn necroing it, but it's ok when it's their topic.
If you want to discuss a certain topic it is recommended you search for it first, otherwise your new thread may be merged. If the thread is younger than 30 days just post in that thread. If the thread is older than 30 days just make a new thread.
I think this should be the best and safest option.
No, I think it's ok as long as you mention something like saying that you know there's some old topics about it, but just starting a new discussion to prevent the necro of the old topic.
Sure, but why is Necro-ing bad? I really don't see why it should be.
It's really broad, so of course there would be confusion on this. Maybe we can have Katherz or someone else give us more insight?
I did bump the thread I created 2 months ago about new metals to see if there is any more meaningful discussions with the new life skills update and it hasn't been closed yet.
- Bumping (repeated posting on a thread to keep it going or visible) is also not allowed.
- Intentionally necro-bumping will result in disciplinary action.
Necrobumping, aside from (often) being a form of spam, can cause complications and confusion if certain things have changed. It’s also a common rule you find on many forums.
If it is directly relevant to the new discussion you are making in order to continue an older one(so as to avoid a necrobump), you may link to the older discussion in context.
There isn’t some magical flag that goes up, but please be mindful in the future. As an option, you can also ask short questions like that on the Official Mabinogi Discord.
I'll take silence as indicating a resounding, YES!
The only thing the document says on the matter is posting say "Bump" because you really really want someone to say something RIGHT NOW, and you just can't wait until Christmas, is a no no, which I think is reasonable. But there is nothing on time limits. So as long as you're not doing that, or basically just saying "bump" but with more fancy clothes on, I'd say that most accusations of Necro-ing have been false ones that for the most part are based on non-stated and assumed "time limits" being exceeded.
That CoC is a general one applied to all forums; Mabi does have a defined limit of thirty(30) days with some exceptions(such as marketplace threads), after which the thread will be closed and the necrobumper sent a non-warning PM informing/reminding them of the rule.
Okay, I have already said that I do agree that bumping just for the sake of trying to drum up activity in a thread when no one really has anything to say at the moment is a no no, but then there are still several issues here:
1) If the thread is automatically closed after the stated period of time then that is actually okay since it cannot possibly be necro'ed by a regular user. But then complaints about making new threads when there are already existing ones can no longer be made. Because what are you supposed to do, never talk about a subject ever again? This is a forum after all.
2) If the thread is not automatically closed then this is a problem. Saying that rules are posted, or giving a freebie is not really a solution when they could simply be closed on time. Yes, it means more work for the moderators, to which I think it's reasonable reply: so? Being proactive rather than reactive would lead to a better experience for the forum users. And, once such a policy is implemented and has been running for a while, it's not like there would be an unmanageable number of threads to go through. I understand that transitioning to such a policy would involve removing a back-log of work, but I'm talking about after that. Otherwise are moderators just cops and nothing else? Also, closing threads automatically after the time limit might be scriptable. If so, that would be a win/win; wouldn't it?
3) Thirty days is arbitrary but really why have a limit at all? I mean why? If people are making new threads on the same topic what does it matter if instead there's say a year and a half between one group of posts and another. The end effect on the forums is pretty much the same.
I fail to see what you’re asking for, other than more work on our end. Is there a great problem with counting days or taking a safe bet and not bumping a thread that’s from a month or more ago? We are moderators who volunteer our own personal free time to monitor and assist the team, not act as your parents and prevent you from ever doing wrong or making a mistake.
As for having a limit in the first place? There doesn’t have to be a reason. I’ve already stated that it’s a common rule found on many forums, and that necrobumping can cause problems and complications. It’s also rather unsightly.
Those are the terms set for these forums, which are entirely optional for you to use.
Thank you for replying. The folks minding the store could have simply kept silent, other than to quote rules, waiting for me to vent, and leave the discussion unfulfilled. Your willingness to engage is very much appreciated; two thumbs up! Please understand it is not that I can't see things from your point of view; I do. I realize that one can simply see how old a topic is and come to reasonable conclusion that it might be, by an arbitrary definition, too old to continue posting in, and so one can simply start a new thread on the same subject. Should other forum users criticize the action, one is free to more or less tell them to "take a hike", provided one does so within forum guidelines. I get all that.
One problem I have is that the ultimate penalty is too severe for breaking a rule, that although it can be understood in terms of how to obey it, makes no sense whatsoever in terms of why it should be obeyed in the first place. I have already conceded that should one simply post, say, "Bump" in order to bring attention to a thread is a no no; I understand that and even agree. But there are other reasons to post and they are reasonable. If a post that would otherwise be considered reasonable is made before the time limit, why should it now be unreasonable after it; what is special about a time limit? Why does it exist in the first place?
Automatically closing threads after the time period prevents any boo boo. This makes the system more robust and reduces bad experiences by forum users. If the issue with that is that moderators, who volunteer their personal time, would be too overburdened by that, then either get more moderators (if they are volunteers it won't increase staffing costs) or make auto-closing something performed by a script. The third solution, of course, would be to stop having this rule. That would be even less work for the moderators; everybody wins.
If you are frustrated with me I do apologise; it is not my intention. I've thought about this and I really can't see why it is bad, this is where I'm coming from. As for why the rule exists, of course there has to be a reason, otherwise it's arbitrary. "Because I say so" is not a reason. "Everybody else is doing it" is also not a reason. I'm looking for the technical reason why having a discussion of a topic stop in one thread then continue in another is better than just having one thread where there might be a long period between two blocks of posting activity in it; why does it matter?
I assume the reason behind that rule is that it allows for more constructive discussions. Replying to a year-old thread, or suggesting something in relation to that thread, will more likely cause confusion when the main idea that is replied to (not necessarily the original post) is buried within many pages. For example, the Dark Skintone Options for Elves thread is 12 pages long. As such, people have been going in circles repeatedly (some saying it's against the lore, others proving them wrong). A new thread, however, would "clean" the thread, and will allow the OP to rewrite the idea differently, often making it more polished and detailed. This cleaning process, however, does not remove the comments from the previous thread; it only archives it, and the new thread may reference it.
Part of the reason it is 12 pages long though is due to merges. And aparently you are able to add information on old bug topics (7 months) as my post, which I created new as it is against the rules to necro bump, but it was merged and was told if its adding new information to a bug post it is allowed to necro it. So, as of now, the rule is more confusing then a necro bump.
The Bug and Glitches forum section has always been an exception to the necro rule. When GM Tasket was in charge of that section, he requested that threads of the same topic be merged together in order to help keep it organized for his reports and he allowed bumping if it added more information to a report or if it helped to complete an existing one. He was pretty meticulous lol. It's just been continued for Katherz after she took over.
I can't remember if the old forum had this stated or not in that forum section's rules/guidelines, or if it was just a request to the VFMs from the GM.
These two rules always contradicts each other, and no one, and I mean, NO ONE forum, has ever really bothered solving this problem. Everytime someone necros a topic, or creates a new existing topic, someone always gets lynched.
A literal decade old problem no one wanted to deal with.