# Old Thread Warning? Help please.



## wanna be (Dec 31, 2009)

I am new here and I dont know how everything works yet.The older messages that are on this site do they come with a warning that they cannot be replied to?If so I have not seen one.That dose'nt mean that it's not there, if it is please let me know.Posting messages are a very labor intensive process for me as I only type with two fingers.I also have a question about spell check.I have downloaded it twice and every time I try to use it it wants me to download it again.No more fancy words for me untill I get this figured out.(Happy New Year Guys) I hope the next one is better than the last.


----------



## Alix (Dec 31, 2009)

Wanna be, the warning will be under your reply box if the thread is an old one. It just tells you how long the thread has been inactive and suggests you think about whether its worth reviving or not. Then you have the option of checking a box and continuing with your reply. If you do NOT check the box, the reply does not register. Hope that helps.


----------



## MostlyWater (Dec 31, 2009)

i have revived an old thread and dind't get in trouble.  Yet.


----------



## Michael in FtW (Dec 31, 2009)

MostlyWater said:


> i have revived an old thread and dind't get in trouble.  Yet.



Don't worry ... we've rounding up the posse and we're just looking for a rope before we hunt you down ....


----------



## powerplantop (Jan 1, 2010)

Michael in FtW said:


> Don't worry ... we've rounding up the posse and we're just looking for a rope before we hunt you down ....


 
Just to clarify when we "mess up" round here, we get a fair trial *after* the hanging? Right?


----------



## kitchenelf (Jan 1, 2010)

wanna be...There is no harm in reviving an old post if you truly want to contribute to it, ask a question, etc.  Spammers tend to revive old posts to get to a certain post count...then they spam, which doesn't last long!


----------



## LPBeier (Jan 1, 2010)

powerplantop said:


> Just to clarify when we "mess up" round here, we get a fair trial *after* the hanging? Right?



Yes, and we usually find you innocent at that time, if that helps!


----------



## wanna be (Jan 1, 2010)

*Had no idea.*

I didd'nt know that replying to old messages could lead to spam whatever that is.I just started useing computers so I am pretty clueless about all of that stuff.I do know that my computer has a spam filter so it must not be good.I was just tired of spending ten minutes typeing something only to be unable to submit it.I will stick to just reading the old messages.Thanks for the info.


----------



## Michael in FtW (Jan 2, 2010)

Did you ever go out to your mailbox and get a handful of junk mail? Well, that is basically what SPAM is. SPAM filters work to cut down on the amount of junk mail that arrives in your e-mail inbox. But, it will not block spam if it is posted in a message on a forum.

*Forum spam* is the creating of messages that are advertisements, contain content contrary to the community rules or policies, or otherwise unwanted on Internet forums. Most forum spam consists of links to external sites, with the dual goals of increasing search engine visibility and generating more traffic for these websites. Some of these links contain code to track the spambot's identity if a sale goes through, when the spammer behind the spambot works on commission.

Spam posts may contain anything from a single link, to dozens of links. _Text content is minimal, usually innocuous and unrelated to the forum's topic, or in a very old thread that is revived by the spammer solely for the purpose of spamming links_. Alternately, when links are not allowed in the text of a post the spam links are posted in the user's signature where it is more likely to be harvested by search engine spiders than discovered by forum administrators and moderators.

_Spambots_ are automated computer programs or a script designed to assist in the sending of spam. Asking a user to verify that they want to revive an old thread makes it more difficult for spammers to use spambots. 

I am sure that is more information than you probably wanted to know - but it explains for you, and anyone else reading this thread, why they get that message when reviving an old thread, and why we have restrictions on new members posting links of any kind for their first few posts.


----------



## kitchenelf (Jan 2, 2010)

wanna be...you can still reply to the thread.  Just check the box that says Yes, I understand the thread is old and I still want to revive it (or something like that anyway).  You can reply to anything here.  Sometimes it's even nice to see older threads come back to life!


----------



## BrianMorin (Jan 2, 2010)

Thanks Michael in FtW, very informative... Well put together, on your part. Oh and Wana Be, thanks for the quesrtion...


----------

