At the end of the day, there is nothing stopping someone from making a new post with the old information that is still relevant (providing link to opd thread) and adding some new information about what has been done about the topic.

Pelanora wrote: »

The really interesting thread on servers and lag in australia which was still relevant was locked. So annoying.

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/458671/which-server-is-best-for-australians#latest

The last post from when the topic was fresh was February 2019 and then the next post is January of this year that isn't even engaging in the poll in the OP, but is essentially a stealthy way of telling people they're quitting (had they made their own post it would have been closed). Due to server changes it would've been better to make a new post with an updated poll to see if the changes were enough to make one of the two options viable for Australians.

This is just one example of why it is typically better to just make a new post with updated info than digging up a post that has been dead for years.

The thing I find astonishing about this is that they actually invest time for this, because I don't see what purpose it serves (just wondering, it's not meant as criticism - of course they're free to do as they wish, it's their forum after all, so it's none of my business). If I was (still) owner of a forum, I wouldn't mind if people reply to old topics if they feel there's still something to add.

vsrs_au wrote: »

I've seen it occur more times than I can count. Someone replies to a thread, when its previous reply was a year or more ago, because the problem still exists, and therefore the thread is still relevant. What happens next? The thread gets locked of course: this is guaranteed. I don't think this helps anyone, instead it just stifles discussion on problems that are still relevant.

Yes, I could have emailed ZOS about this issue, as recommended by the very first paragraph in the "Community Rules" thread pinned to the top of the "General Discussions" sub-forum.
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/502831/community-rules
The only problem is: this email is not read by anyone. I've sent to this email previously and never got any reply, even when sending a follow-up email requesting a reply. So my only option is to create a thread highlighting the problem of relevant threads being locked.

Just because it's old doesn't mean it's not relevant. Sometimes the same issue exists for years and still needs to be discussed.

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Hey @vsrs_au, we've noted before that if you believe a thread is still relevant but it gets locked because it is an older thread that looks like it's bumped, please feel free to DM or tag me. Happy to review and reverse the lock if it is indeed relevant.

We'll also pass this along to our teams and talk about bettering this process so that DMs are not the core method of dealing with locked threads.

@ZOS_Kevin We shouldn't have to message you on it, I'm sorry. Be reasonable with us; if someone's saying something's still an issue or clearly an evergreen topic, just leave it open. Right now, it seems like only timestamps are being compared.

You've stated before the whole goal is to prevent confusion. I personally haven't seen much confusion when people necro a thread; I've seen issues still being issues, by and large. But if the whole goal is to prevent confusion, why not close every combat thread after each patch? Something could've changed and people could be using outdated information.

And again, it's incumbent on the moderator to tell us what's out of date. If the whole goal is to prevent confusion, people will see something closed with malleable language - the "in many cases" boilerplate - and get no clarification on why there's recent comments. If anything, that's more confusing than someone adding "still an issue" to an old thread.

There'd be a lot less frustration if threads just autoclosed after a year and the search feature had default sorting by most recent. You're already taking it upon yourself to reverse decisions. It seems like the least amount of effort would be to reopen one-offs rather than contend with the game of whack-a-mole that exists now.

Syldras wrote: »

The thing I find astonishing about this is that they actually invest time for this.

Exactly. It just seems like their cycles could be better spent on other things like supporting players and compiling feedback. Would make for a warmer relationship, for sure.