Why bumping is not allowed?

[Catrik]

How is it better to start a new thread rather than bumping an old one, if the issue of the topic is not resolved yet? I can understand the rule if the topic is a discussion and you have nothing to add to it then bumping is stupid, but if its a problem/question that is not solved, then you have to start a new thread?

[Team Fortress 2 Source SDK]

It's better to search your problem. Unless your problem is something else.

[Catrik]

How would I find an old topic if I was not searching for a solution? Ofcourse you keep looking for more but not always you can find an answer. Then I dont understand how opening a new topic is better than bumping

[mimizukari]

That is just the way of it. bumping often leads to spam topics becoming top of the board, if your issue isn't resolved, it is better to create a new thread, maybe word it differently, because clearly nobody knew the answer to it seeing it the first time.

[Catrik]

Yeah, I guess it is better to not allow it so it is easier to moderate. TBH probably more bumps would be useless than useful anyway

[Allgemeine]

Think of all the necromansers who will bring old threads back to life. Also all of the users who will bump their own thread to get it back on the top.

[Catrik]

Yes, I can see some troll go bumping 50 old threads just because if it was allowed :D. I just had a thread locked cause I didn't know the rule, though maybe it would have been okay if I didn't start my message with "bump", since I actually did bring new info to the issue.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

it can go both ways. mods have to take everything into consideration when that happens.

for game hub mods (like the one that locked the thread) they can do as they please if that is how they want their forums to be run. at least he was kind of nice about it and left a closing message.

[ReBoot]

Posting in an old thread isn't bumping. If you contribute to that thread, it's not bumping.

[Catrik]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Posting in an old thread isn't bumping. If you contribute to that thread, it's not bumping.

That's what I figured too, now I went back to read the board where I posted (War Thunder) and there are a lot of threads locked after someone continued the discussion with legit messages, thats just stupid. Many of the topics are not even old (unless you count four weeks as old) and on top of that, the moderators use "necro" as the reason for locking. Rules dont say anything about "necro", I had to google what it means.

So yeah, I guess they can do as they please.

[The Giving One]

Sometimes, the information in the older thread is outdated, and no longer applies. Therefore, reviving an older thread may cause confusion where some things may have changed since its posting.

Also, a dead thread is dormant, and reviving it can often lead to it being spam posted in, increasing that problem more than it normally is.

From what I understand, necroing old threads is frowned upon.

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by Catrik:

So yeah, I guess they can do as they please.

Sort of. They also follow rules, but adifferent set of rules. Game forums are separate from the main forums.

[Catrik]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Sort of. They also follow rules, but adifferent set of rules. Game forums are separate from the main forums.

Reaaaally confusing system. Two sets of rules that change depending on where you post. Though I do understand why it is so.
I did notice War Thunder has another set of rules pinned on their board, even there it says nothing about "necroing". Not even anything about bumping or posting in old threads.

Originally posted by The Giving One:

Sometimes, the information in the older thread is outdated, and no longer applies. Therefore, reviving an older thread may cause confusion where some things may have changed since its posting.

You have a good point. But the problem there is outdated information, not bumping itself.
I don't use Steam forums much at all so I don't know the general level of moderating, but looking at War Thunder forums at this specific thing, I don't think they do very well. Basically locking threads for a reason that doesn't seem to be written anywhere in the rules (necroing) and atleast one moderator considering a month old thread as dead.

Their rules also suggest to PM a moderator but I don't see any way to do that without sending a friend request.

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by Catrik:

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Sort of. They also follow rules, but adifferent set of rules. Game forums are separate from the main forums.

Reaaaally confusing system. Two sets of rules that change depending on where you post.

Yeah, totally confusing. When I go to Switzerland (I'm in Germany), the law changes! Really confusing! And when I visit a friend who's cool with me having shoes on in his flat, it's very confusing as people have to take off their shoes at my place. CONFUSING!

Seriously, different places, different rules. That's life.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

even the global mods treat each necro differently.

depends on their mood and situation.

ive seen them not care about a necro and issue warnings and lock the necro'd thread.

it just depends on how they want proceed with it.

[Tito Shivan]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Posting in an old thread isn't bumping. If you contribute to that thread, it's not bumping.

And this is the right answer.

We actually encourage people to use the search function. since usually their questions have been probably asked before.
As long as you're adding something to an existing thread there is no problem in replying on an old thread.

It's bumping for the sake of just bumping the thread what is problematic. It's people that are resurfacing old threads with nothing new to be said about it, which makes that thread with no new info take the place of another one that might be more relevant.

Considering we're about 10 million Steam users daily, it's easy to see why letting people bump in that way can become a problem fast.