Attention: No more duplicate VAMPIRE threads, page 2

reply to post by The Soothsayer

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Here's the policy. It is five years old, but that's it in writing. It's supposed to be a general outline, I think. Because some topics have a thousand threads, and some only have two. So of course they would discourage repeats on the threads with the most topics.

When you have a new thought on an old topic, pick up an old thread(s) and...

1) Long recent thread: If the existing thread is too long (more than 15 pages) reference the thread or threads in your first post by linking to them, then pick up with your new twist on the existing discussion.

2) Old existing thread: If the existing thread is more than 3 months old, reference the thread or threads in your first post by linking to them, then as above, indicate your new twist on the older discussion topic.

3) Current events: If you know your topic is related to current news, please take some time to see if it's being covered in our current discussions. Simply find the thread and add your new thoughts to the existing discussion.

Locking or Removing Threads: If you create a new thread on existing topics, especially current events, it may get moved to the "trash bin", or locked by a moderator indicating there is an existing discussion. If this happens, please don't take it personal... it is difficult to keep up with the pace of discussion on ATS at times, and this action by no means reflects on our opinion of you as a member of ATS.

When new users find ATS, it is most often through a Google search. We tend to get 12,000+ people a day coming to this domain from search engine searches (and have had peaks of 60,000 in one day!). Very often, they find older threads. From a user experience perspective, it makes more sense to contain thread continuity through the evolution of thought from original idea, to the newly discovered ideas.

Also, when any thread gets beyond 15 pages, it's time to consider if there needs to be a new thread spawned. Most threads at that length usually contain two or more sub-topics with various involved members focusing on singular sub-topics within a long multi-topic thread.

The Cryptozoology forum is one of the smaller forums on ATS. Therefore, it's easier to control things like duplicate threads (there are only 58 pages of threads in here!)

We were having a slight problem with the vast amount of vampire threads compared to the amount of cryptozoological threads or threads on other mythical beasts.

It also wasn't all vampire threads. "All new vampire Q&A threads will be deleted. Vampire sightings or personal experiences are naturally still welcome."