Reviving old topics

[Maria]

What are your thoughts on reviving old topics? I have been on a few online communities where admin and staff were not very happy when users replied to old topics, topics that had not been replied for over over a year. Likewise, I have also been on communities where the admin and staff did not mind replying to old topics but they had this notification "you are attempting to reply to a topic that has not been replied for over a year" placed on the bottom of the page.

[JoelR]

I think the best way to view 'old topics' is through timeliness:

• Is there value in allowing new discussion, or is there actually harm in allowing in allowing new discussion on an old topic?  
• Is there value in allowing fragmented discussion with large breaks, or am I better off encouraging members to simply start a new topic?  
• To be more advanced, instead of punishing users, how can we proactively educate them on the risks or dangers of old content? Or perhaps provide alternatives to newer or fresher content?    

[Maria]

I also believe we really need to see whether there is any value on that topic or not. There will be no point in reopening time sensitive topics, however, ever green topics always have room for discussion. By the way, I do not encourage users to post much on time sensitive topics.

[Dilip]

I am ok with it as long as there is relevance and context. I have personally bumped old topics because I had the same problem and need more information or related help. Or have a comment that adds value to the discussion and does not need a different topic.

 

[Kane]

I think it depends on the topic itself. Is it still relevant, revive it. If the discussion is outdated, just lock it. By the way, if you have too many post on your community, members will have hard time in finding topics, especially if the are very old. If you believe the topic needs fresh inputs, you can revive it.

[Nomad]

My forums are less than two years and I do not have too old topics. If the topic is evergreen, I would always prefer to have it on the top of the loop by replying myself as an admin, or send newsletters with the top links for the users to interact. I lock outdated or off topic posts.

[Maria]

On 2/11/2024 at 8:50 AM, Nomad said:

My forums are less than two years and I do not have too old topics. If the topic is evergreen, I would always prefer to have it on the top of the loop by replying myself as an admin, or send newsletters with the top links for the users to interact. I lock outdated or off topic posts.

I think it also depends on your forum niche. If your forum is in general discussion niche, you are less likely to get evergreen topic. However, if your forum is in webmaster, health, etc. you are likely to get evergreen topic. Sometimes I feel that creating a new topic is better than having 20 pages on the topic.

[Shortie]

I don't mind seeing old topics revived in my community as long as the reply to the topic adds to the discussion and also helps with engagement. 

In some cases, you do find that a topic can no longer be added to and may not help the engagement or even attract discussion, that is when I feel an old topic should be left. 

[Kane]

On 4/27/2024 at 3:40 AM, Shortie said:

I don't mind seeing old topics revived in my community as long as the reply to the topic adds to the discussion and also helps with engagement. 

In some cases, you do find that a topic can no longer be added to and may not help the engagement or even attract discussion, that is when I feel an old topic should be left. 

Yes, the most important thing is whether the new reply adds value to the discussion or not. If the reply does not say anything new, what's the point in reviving the old topic. The topic also also be relevant as there is no point in reviving topic that is irrelevant or outdated.