[AcousticSmash]

Is it possible to do this, or at least lock out the forums from being viewed by outsiders or something in order to prevent old topics from being bumped. Several posts have been bumped by n00bs in the last week or so and it is getting stupid that people can do it. Either that or just delete old topics that are older then 1 year from the post date.

[jenniferdurst]

That's why there is a rule about topics being bumped and they get a suspension time. 'S what my first suspension was for (although I had bumped my own topic from a few years back haha)

[nealmac]

If someone bumps a topic, who cares? It's not really that big a deal. If it bothers people so much, then just don't post in it.

To be honest, The reason the search function is there, is so that old topics can be found (although this should be for research purposes, and not for bumping). Not much point having the feature if all that can be found is current topics (which can be found easily on the first page or two).

[AcousticSmash]

Nah Neal, I am talking about getting topic hits on Google, not this sites search function. Make them all hidden so that they don't appear in search results, if I Google the name of one of my guitars, the thread I posted when I got it would appear within the top 10 results.

[nealmac]

Ah right. Fair enough.

But if people are only finding these threads from Google, that would mean they'd have to sign up to reply. Surely that's a bit tedious? I seriously doubt that that's where the problem is coming from.

[jenniferdurst]

I think that finding GTU from google is a good thing. Who cares if they bump an old topic if they stick around to contribute. Besides, some of the old topics can be useful to people, so deleting them isn't the best idea.

[dadfad]

That's why there is a rule about topics being bumped and they get a suspension time. 'S what my first suspension was for (although I had bumped my own topic from a few years back haha)

Someone suspended you for bumping up your own topic? (Dadfad shakes head.... remembers Lord Acton's old adage "Power corrupts.")

If someone bumps a topic, who cares? It's not really that big a deal. If it bothers people so much, then just don't post in it.

To be honest, The reason the search function is there, is so that old topics can be found (although this should be for research purposes, and not for bumping). Not much point having the feature if all that can be found is current topics (which can be found easily on the first page or two).

Really.

I think that finding GTU from google is a good thing. Who cares if they bump an old topic if they stick around to contribute. Besides, some of the old topics can be useful to people, so deleting them isn't the best idea.

I agree. Anything that gets a new member on the site is a good thing. Since the tabs have gone down GTU is a veritible ghost town anyway...

Hello-hello-hello-hello.... Is anybody out there... out there... out there...?


We got a new user a couple of days ago who's posted several times now who found GTU from a google-search for a tune I mentioned in an old topic a few years ago. Let's face it, except for Discussion (and maybe 75% of the regulars there probably wouldn't know a guitar if it snuck up and bit them in the ass) this place is usually pretty empty. GTU is paid for by people who click GTU ad-links, many of which are guitar related. If no one comes and uses GTU (and occasionally clicks a GTU ad and buys something) GTU will cease to exist. That reality outweighs the slight inconvemience (if any at all) of the occassional old-topic brought forward by a newb. (J/m/o of course.)

[AcousticSmash]

I think that finding GTU from google is a good thing. Who cares if they bump an old topic if they stick around to contribute. Besides, some of the old topics can be useful to people, so deleting them isn't the best idea.

Thing is that most of them don't stick around to contribute.

[dadfad]

No, most don't. But that's always been true, even when GTU had a great deal of new traffic. But some do. I did, after finding GTU on a google-search for another subject (Actually I think it was an old pre-google msn/microsoft search). Most of us found GTU while searching for something. Out of the almost 300,000 registered members I'd be amazed if more than a thousand of them had more than a single post. Also, there's a surprising amount of tablature buried in some of the old topics in Guitar Q&A, Tab Requests and Acoustic Discussion. And it would be cutting off virtually the only source for new members (outside of word-of-mouth) just to avoid the occassional old-topic brought forward which is no big deal anyway.

[AcousticSmash]

True for certain forums, seeing ones in Discussion that get dragged up that don't need to be is pointless, cause obviously there is nothing more to discuss if the topic is 3 years old

I can understand the Tablature forums where that could be useful.

I googled something to help Gus out with and the 3rd hit I got was his topic and the 4th was my response, so sometimes you never know

This post has been edited by AcousticSmash: 21 May 2008 - 04:30 PM

[dadfad]

True for certain forums, seeing ones in Discussion that get dragged up that don't need to be is pointless, cause obviously there is nothing more to discuss if the topic is 3 years old

I can understand the Tablature forums where that could be useful.

I googled something to help Gus out with and the 3rd hit I got was his topic and the 4th was my response, so sometimes you never know

Yeah, I've gotten myself here on googles before too. You're right about Discussion. It's not like there's much in the way of references or anything in there any more that's worth saving. I thought they periodically dumped it every six months or so anyway. Yeah, most of it is in the back pages of the Tab forum, and some in Q & A and Acoustic too. Almost every tab I ever submitted I did in response to a request and I almost always both posted it in whatever topic and forum the request came from as well as submitted it to the old Tab Archives so I probably have thirty or forty of my own buried somewhere, and I'm sure other guys probably do too. I remember occasionally seeing tabs being posted by someone in response to a request in a topic. Rob ought to copy the entire archived old GTU and make copies, maybe call it "GTU -2001 to 2008" or something, and sell it as a reference-book or CD for ten or twenty bucks or so. A whole lotta crap, but some good stuff buried in it as well!