Forums » Help » Topic experation dates

This is just a simple question I had about forum topics so its not really an issue.
I read somewhere in the help section that topics don't get "closed" that I've seen some other sites do. Instead, this
Is this sort of the polite way of closing the topic?

I have a theory that the more topics/forums the site hosts, the more it costs the site, but I was unsure of that was the reason for closing these topics.

When this notice appears, or if it appears at all, changes based on which forum it's on and if the original poster is still involved.

For example, this notice doesn't appear on the Forum Games board, since reviving a game from a year ago is harmless -- it's usually still totally playable by anyone who decides they want to get re-involved.

But on the LFRP or Introduction forum, it can be really problematic. For example, someone would respond to multiple requests for RP that was months or even years old, and end up moving ancient topics back to the front page. Others would see that it was at the top of the forum, assume it was recent without checking the date, and also respond with interest. They would all be disappointed because almost never was the OP still taking applications for the RP they started a year ago. At the same time, actually current topics would be shoved off the front page, meaning that other people who weren't involved in any way with necroing old topics would also get fewer people seeing their topic and be disappointed they had fewer takers on THEIR RP idea.

This effect is mitigated by the Find RP tool, and the fact that it filters out topics that the OP hasn't responded to in awhile, even if the topic is somehow back on the front page. Even so, there are plenty of people who prefer to browse the forums directly and continue to be impacted by accidental necroing.

On the intro forums, having a brand new person who joined today pushed down the board or even kicked off the front page could cost them their welcome, and make them feel excluded and be much less likely to stay as part of the community.

So far, I have resisted flat out locking older topics, because in almost all cases you can imagine valid reasons for wanting to re-open an old RP idea (if you are the OP, for example, and don't want to retype it all), or someone who decides that they will go back to their intro topic to take advantage of the 12 offers of answering their questions that they received, or someone who has a new idea to add to an old discussion that's still just as valid today as it was back when the discussion was first held.

So if you have a valid reason, by all means, ignore that reminder! It's just there because SO many people never bother to check dates on posts, and don't realize that they are giving a time-sensitive response on something that is no longer relevant without an extra reminder. I've tried to strike a balance that helps people to be aware and use their good judgement, instead of just barring everyone from responding to older topics because some people make mistakes.

You're right that forum bloat can impact our hosting costs, but it's minor compared to, say, gallery images. Those notices were primarily motivated for the social reasons I've described above.

One of my rps is still using the "Find a RP" forum topic as a discussion for the rp which is how I noticed it, but thank you for explaining it Kim!