Feedback on Forums, Please
Since I haven't found the appropriate category, I'm going to give my feedback on the forums, here. Since it appears we are having issues with necroposting, and I found myself unwittingly in a very old...
Forum Discussion
Hey there!
Since necroposting seems to be a topic that affects many of you, I will try and address some of your concerns.
Showing the original date of each thread on the opening page of the category
I understand that it's not the greatest setup but, unfortunately, there is no functionality that enables showing the original date of each thread on the opening page of the category.
The date should be visible on every post within every thread
At least this feature we do have, thank goodness. :) This is what it looks like:
And when you hover your cursor over the date, the exact date and time that comment was posted are being shown.
Automatically closing threads
Unfortunately, this feature is not available to us either. Threads are never closed automatically by the forum system.
We shouldn't start new threads when there is an older thread on the same topic
This is a bit of a tricky one and I tried to explain it in the info post on necroposting: it really depends on the topic that the discussion is on and whether you have a question about the topic or are adding new details. I guess we can all agree that it is not very helpful to post an answer to a thread that has been inactive for 7+ years (I'd say it's fair to assume that the OP has got their answer at that point or that it's no longer an issue). But if it's a recurring issue or if you have a question about the same problem, you should be fine to post - just use your own sound judgment. And to reassure you: creative threads cannot be necro'd. :)
And if you are really, really unsure of what to do, you can always reach out to me and I can try and clear up any uncertainty.
It feels like there are not many EA staff on this forum or they don't care to patrol it more thoroughly
I can reassure you that this is not the case. Everyone from EA who is looking after this forum does very much care but, as you can imagine, there is a lot happening on the forum all the time and we simply cannot be everywhere. That's why we appreciate it so much when you report someone breaking the rules or things not being right!
Why is there no timeline on what is considered necroposting?
Because there is no 'one fits all' rule. For some topics, the 'longevity' of a thread would be longer than for others and it really depends on the kind of conversation that is happening - for example, if it is still relevant or if someone is just posting anywhere to get the post count up.
I understand that this is confusing and I wish I could give you all more definite answers but due to the nature of necroposting, I simply cannot. :(
I'm aware that you had hoped for more clarity on this and I'm sorry I cannot provide that. Ultimately, if any of you post in an old thread and accidentally necro it, it's nothing bad (unless, of course, it happens all. the. time.) and I'm always open to hearing from you and explaining the reasoning behind closing a certain thread if that's not clear.
I hope this helps a little bit at least.
- Leeloo
Since necroposting seems to be a topic that affects many of you, I will try and address some of your concerns.
Showing the original date of each thread on the opening page of the category
I understand that it's not the greatest setup but, unfortunately, there is no functionality that enables showing the original date of each thread on the opening page of the category.
The date should be visible on every post within every thread
At least this feature we do have, thank goodness. :) This is what it looks like:
And when you hover your cursor over the date, the exact date and time that comment was posted are being shown.
Automatically closing threads
Unfortunately, this feature is not available to us either. Threads are never closed automatically by the forum system.
We shouldn't start new threads when there is an older thread on the same topic
This is a bit of a tricky one and I tried to explain it in the info post on necroposting: it really depends on the topic that the discussion is on and whether you have a question about the topic or are adding new details. I guess we can all agree that it is not very helpful to post an answer to a thread that has been inactive for 7+ years (I'd say it's fair to assume that the OP has got their answer at that point or that it's no longer an issue). But if it's a recurring issue or if you have a question about the same problem, you should be fine to post - just use your own sound judgment. And to reassure you: creative threads cannot be necro'd. :)
And if you are really, really unsure of what to do, you can always reach out to me and I can try and clear up any uncertainty.
It feels like there are not many EA staff on this forum or they don't care to patrol it more thoroughly
I can reassure you that this is not the case. Everyone from EA who is looking after this forum does very much care but, as you can imagine, there is a lot happening on the forum all the time and we simply cannot be everywhere. That's why we appreciate it so much when you report someone breaking the rules or things not being right!
Why is there no timeline on what is considered necroposting?
Because there is no 'one fits all' rule. For some topics, the 'longevity' of a thread would be longer than for others and it really depends on the kind of conversation that is happening - for example, if it is still relevant or if someone is just posting anywhere to get the post count up.
I understand that this is confusing and I wish I could give you all more definite answers but due to the nature of necroposting, I simply cannot. :(
I'm aware that you had hoped for more clarity on this and I'm sorry I cannot provide that. Ultimately, if any of you post in an old thread and accidentally necro it, it's nothing bad (unless, of course, it happens all. the. time.) and I'm always open to hearing from you and explaining the reasoning behind closing a certain thread if that's not clear.
I hope this helps a little bit at least.
- Leeloo
