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Can we add a date to thread titles, please?

by JohnMcCabe
13 replies
I'm getting frustrated. Seems the spammers are on a major campaign here lately.

The obvious crap cluttering the front page is one thing. It's usually cleaned up within a few hours, and, while annoying, is relatively easy to avoid.

What's got my shorts in a knot today are all the old threads getting dug up by spammers. You read through what seems like a legit thread, then realize that the question is several years old, and the only activity is sig pimps answering the OP even though they are long gone.

Usually, the spam post which dug up the thread is gone, which is a good thing. The side effect is that people are wasting time answering threads that are long dead.

My suggestion?

On the front page, we currently show the thread title and the username of the member making the post. Maybe we could add the date the thread was started, as well?

On a side note, have the rules against self promotion been loosened? Seems I'm seeing a lot more "PM me", "see my sig" and "see my site [link]" posts than I have in the past.
#add #date #thread #titles
  • Profile picture of the author Jeff Lenney
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    • Profile picture of the author webmarketer
      Posting of active links should be disabled by the mods until a new member has a certain number of posts met.

      There should also be strict spam filters set for new members until a certain number of "meaningful" posts are met.
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  • Profile picture of the author Teravel
    John,

    I have two suggestions that may help you out, as I agree with you completely!

    1. If you click User CP at the top left, then click Edit Options, you can see near the bottom a section marked "Default Thread Age Cut Off". It has a wide range of settings, but I find 1 year to be the best option on the list. Any thread older than 1 year no longer shows up in my listings.

    2. At the bottom of each sub-forum, there is a filter called "Display Options". If you are looking for newer threads, you can sort by Thread Start Date. I've found this to be a great tool in the War Room, now that there are several beginners dredging up threads from 2009-2011.

    Neither is perfect, but both can be a benefit in their own way.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Teravel View Post

      1. If you click User CP at the top left, then click Edit Options, you can see near the bottom a section marked "Default Thread Age Cut Off". It has a wide range of settings, but I find 1 year to be the best option on the list. Any thread older than 1 year no longer shows up in my listings.
      Will this work with threads that have been bumped within that year?

      In other words, is the age of the thread determined by the first post, or the most recent?

      Either way, I do appreciate the suggestions.
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      • Profile picture of the author Teravel
        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        What good are rules if the powers that be aren't interested in enforcing them?
        So true...

        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        Will this work with threads that have been bumped within that year?

        In other words, is the age of the thread determined by the first post, or the most recent?
        It used to work fairly well... But, I just tried it in the War Room and it appears the age is determined by the most recent post.

        It's sad to enter the War Room and see all those dredged up offers from 2009-2011 that are no longer available, because some twat didn't pay attention to the threads start date and instead decided it would be a good idea to ask the OP to "fix the link".
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        • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
          Originally Posted by Teravel View Post

          It's sad to enter the War Room and see all those dredged up offers from 2009-2011 that are no longer available, because some twat didn't pay attention to the threads start date and instead decided it would be a good idea to ask the OP to "fix the link".
          It's even worse when the offer is still available, but should have been pulled five years ago.
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  • Profile picture of the author mikeyman120
    This happens to me from time to time. I see an interesting thread title and start reading then notice the posts are years old. I need to either do what Teravel right above says. In fact I didn't even know about -"Default Thread Age Cut Off". Or I need to keep remembering to check the ops post date which I do forget to do from time to time.
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    • Profile picture of the author paulie888
      I must confess I have been caught out several times as well. Just like you, I see an interesting thread and feel like jumping in on it, and occasionally I don't notice the date of the original post.

      I don't know what these spammers have to gain from resurrecting these long lost threads except for wanting to increase their post count. Maybe they think they can sneak in and won't look as foolish (or get blowback) by replying to someone's thread that has long been forgotten?

      Originally Posted by mikeyman120 View Post

      This happens to me from time to time. I see an interesting thread title and start reading then notice the posts are years old. I need to either do what Teravel right above says. In fact I didn't even know about -"Default Thread Age Cut Off". Or I need to keep remembering to check the ops post date which I do forget to do from time to time.
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  • Profile picture of the author Teravel
    Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

    On a side note, have the rules against self promotion been loosened? Seems I'm seeing a lot more "PM me", "see my sig" and "see my site [link]" posts than I have in the past.
    I went digging through the various (and unorganized) rules threads that have been published over the years, and found there are no rules against the "PM me" or "See my sig" bits. (please link if you found something)

    Maybe this is the reason for all the useless dredging of threads from pre-2013?

    It would be nice if the people at Freelancer could reorganize the rules, and even better if they could add something to cover these self-promotion bits. I doubt it will happen.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Teravel View Post

      I went digging through the various (and unorganized) rules threads that have been published over the years, and found there are no rules against the "PM me" or "See my sig" bits. (please link if you found something)

      Maybe this is the reason for all the useless dredging of threads from pre-2013?

      It would be nice if the people at Freelancer could reorganize the rules, and even better if they could add something to cover these self-promotion bits. I doubt it will happen.
      The practice used to be covered under the umbrella injunction against self-promotion. Now we have blatant ads with email addresses, blog promos, "PM me for more info" and "see my sig" nonsense all over the place.

      What good are rules if the powers that be aren't interested in enforcing them?
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      • Profile picture of the author discrat
        I have really noticed the "PM me for me details" has really gotten out of control as of lately.
        Somebody should clamp down on this.

        A bell should go off in peoples' heads that the essence of a Forum is to publicly disclose your knowledge and convictions so EVERYONE can see and learn from it


        - Robert Andrew
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  • Profile picture of the author Regional Warrior
    There was If I am right when I signed up a video series you had to watch, or more to the point were asked to watch.

    I have forgotten the persons name but I think he/she were banned for life for indiscretion and the videos are no more.

    But they were great for newbies and it is a total shame they don't make them again for newbies, And they then have to watch and learn if they wish to post in the right sub forum
    Because at the moment the Mods we have now are crap, and you can see It is never the same person in the main forum.
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  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    You raise a good point, John.

    However, even though the OP might be long gone, MAYBE the NEEDS/INTERESTS they raise in their threads might still be RELEVANT to some people NOW?

    I'm not condoning bump spam but maybe as long as the concerns being raised by the bumped threads are DIFFERENT from the 'freshly asked' threads here, they might provide some much needed THEMATIC DIVERSITY?

    Just thinking against the grain here....

    Please put away the pitchforks, torches, and huge pile of wood around a stake in the center of town (J/K)
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      MAYBE the NEEDS/INTERESTS they raise in their threads might still be RELEVANT to some people NOW?
      Though I can see how that might apply in some forums - or on some topics - I have NEVER ONCE seen that 'relevance' apply to bumped old threads here.

      These threads are being bumped by those advertising their service, posting a few words or one line, building their post count or trying to get their (usually Fiverr) sigs seen. Many of the posts make little or no sense.

      A thread from 2010 doesn't show up here unless you search for it and deliberately choose it. I don't think it's a priority or even on the radar so we might as well get used to checking dates closely before answering a thread.
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