Rude and CRAZY Custom Transformer guy....

Maybe we should do a survey to find out why new members invariably dig out and respond to 4 year old posts.  I'm just curious because I see it happen all time.  I realize that many forums really harp on not starting a new thread for something that already exists elsewhere but I think maybe there's a bit of just wanting to break the ice with something they feel comfortable with, and they have a habit of doing it by dredging up old posts for some unknown reason.  Older members seldom do because they are acutely aware of the effect it has.

BTW welcome to the forum ghanks!  I didn't mean to put you on the spot personally - it's a far too common phenomenon and we have almost 4 times as many potential members filing in every week now.

I generally advocate digging up the most relevant historical post and continuing, but this is a weird one. 

It's always struck me as strange that when you post in an old topic, you get a warning that it's old.  Never mind if it's relevant.  Starting new posts when old ones exist causes a lot of unnecessary regurgitation, when the topic is usually covered ad nauseam.  IT leads to questions like "why won't anyone help me?"; usually because the experts have already weighed in somewhere. 

ghanks said:

RIGHT ON JOEL!
I build custom electronics .... sometimes.... My real income is from corporate computing.
Audio is flakey... the people who buy are difficult, the people who supply are difficult, but what do you expect for a business that is based on passion and NOT on business sense or personality.

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Based on your handle and the content of your post, I'm going to go out on a limb and say this is the one and only Greg Hanks. Greg penned some great REP articles on the MCI JH decks and also designed the very cool and rare BA-660 limiter.

You are certainly a welcome addition around these parts Greg.  8)

Hey Greg, I'd love to get my hands on one of those limiters!

Regards,
Mark

> why new members invariably dig out and respond to 4 year old posts

"invariably"?

Sure, some do.... because they came here from a Google or Forum _Search_, which often does not discount for age.

Many don't, but you don't notice.

Folks who have been reading a while before posting will _tend_ to be already following the current discussions, are much less likely to jump to an old post (but it does happen).

> strange that when you post in an old topic, you get a warning that it's old.

Necroposting is a social problem that computers can't grasp. Some forum operators/cultures prefer that everything be fresh, even to the point of scrolling to trash every hour(!). Others value some old threads, but which ones? And how old is old? How loud is loud? How long is a rope? Time flies like an arrow.

One additional combination of factors. New members, on their first few posts, are given trick questions (to deter robot spammers). After that, the "This is an old post...?" question may not register in the brain.

I remember doing it at a guitar amp forum some years ago.  Everything felt new and fascinating and I found an old thread about one of the amps I had owned and hoped to get the conversation resurrected.  I had no concept of necroposting at the time.

One the other end is going to try and offer help to an OPs question and then realize the post is 3 years old.

Sure, some do.... because they came here from a Google or Forum _Search_, which often does not discount for age.

Many don't, but you don't notice.

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You're right.  I just notice that when an older (year or more) thread is resurrected it's more often a new member who is responding. 

I add additional info in my own old posts all the time.  I guess I should start a new post every time?  Not.....

I don't think digging up old stuff is bad or wrong, but it does make me smile - especially when I see my own words or something that I remembered from years ago.

Surely it mostly happens because someone finds the thread via google?

Hopefully because the used search first before opening their mouth.....

I think Greg must have just been Googling my name again. 

-Joel

Personally I prefer to wind my own and as they say "if you want it done right, do it yourself ". You know you can use the tube rectifier and two sandstate to form a bridge rectifier. With the tube forcing the sandstate to act like the hollowstate. That way you cut the cost and size of the tranny by adding two 20 cent 1n007 or whatever.