MovieChat Forums > Last Tango in Halifax (2013) Discussion > Seriously? Where are all the threads?

Seriously? Where are all the threads?

posted 8 years ago by suze-4
5 replies | jump to latest

I just started watching this about two weeks ago and am nearly finished with the existing episodes on Netflix. I wanted to read old posts - but there's hardly anything here! It would be nice to see what people wrote when it was new. Why on earth were so many deleted?

[–] ghostofhamlet 8 years ago

Very good question. I’d like to know myself. There’s a hellava lot vanished!? (I for one apparently wasted a good bit of time bothering to write about various eps and characters). Some small minded person thought things not to their liking should be deleted? No idea even WHEN it happened? (haven’t visited in awhile.) It is unfortunate for folks such as yourself, who come along to a discussion board hoping to find….discussion (and interested enough to WANT to read other people’s thoughts). But, there you are - some people aren’t very considerate, sigh.

That aside, great to hear you are enjoying it :). And just in time to look forward to a new instalment!

[–] loislane703 8 years ago

I wanted to read old posts - but there's hardly anything here! It would be nice to see what people wrote when it was new. Why on earth were so many deleted?

Some small minded person thought things not to their liking should be deleted? ... But, there you are - some people aren’t very considerate, sigh.

Suze, ghostofhamlet....

IMDb message boards don't have an archive feature. Threads are deleted once an algorithm is hit which can be a bit hard to figure out depending on how active the board in question was/is. I think when this board was more active, a lot of the threads were deleted then and all we have left now are the ones on here at present.

This is what IMDb says about it: http://www.imdb.com/help/show_leaf?boardswhydeleted

If you are certain that the post has been deleted and you didn't do it, then there are two possible reasons: the message has been removed by a moderator or it has expired. Our boards are not designed to store messages indefinitely: after a certain amount of time older threads are removed from the board automatically. This process is called "expiry".

The rate of expiry is adjusted dynamically according to the posting traffic for each board. Threads are removed sooner from a board that attracts a lot of posts than they would be from a board with less activity.

Please keep in mind that the boards system is not meant to be an archival medium, and all posts are subject to expire and disappear sooner or later. This is intended to allow us to manage the resources consumed by each board effectively, and also to promote the ever changing flow of discussion.

Hope that helps.

I too only recently binged on LTIH and came here hoping to read some old discussion threads; sigh.

[–] ghostofhamlet 8 years ago

Thank you loislane703 for the helpful contribution :). Hmmm well there ya go. Although I wonder if they had simply ‘expired’ it wouldn’t say “deleted” would it? Also, pretty sure I HAVE seen threads on other imdb boards last a lot longer. A matter of a number of years. These ones were more a matter of about 15-18 months? Plus there appears to be threads/posts I know to be older (than the vanished ones) NOT deleted. And a couple where there are deleted ‘users’ (the OP of a thread has been deleted—perhaps ended their account?), but the posts are still there. ie. click on the “started by” post and you get an error. Click on the thread or page and you get the posts still? Bizarre. Soooo, hmmm, imdb’s innocuous ‘expiry policy’ may, or may not, be the entire explanation here? Ah well. whatever. Thanks for digging up the info though :)

Hope you enjoyed your binge at any rate lois :).

[–] loislane703 8 years ago

Thank you loislane703 for the helpful contribution :).

 You're welcome ghostofhamlet. I enjoyed my binge immensely, ; thanks!

I've been around a couple of boards here and have noticed the steady "drop-off" (not delete per se) of threads from busy/popular boards and have also noticed other boards where threads seem to last for a reallly long time.

But the thing is Ghost, inevitably those really old threads will drop-off at some point too; but because that particular board is not as active, or if it is active, it is not in a way that affects that magic algorithm IMDb has set in place as their drop-off trigger point.

An example of a "purge" happened recently on the "Jane Eyre (2006)" board where threads from far back as 2009 (I believe) were visible, until suddenly, with the addition of two new threads in a span of two days, the entire board, save for a few current threads, was purged!  All those old discussions from ages ago...poof!...gone.

I think what happened is, that trigger point/threshold was activated with the new activity and it resulted in the deletion of all those ancient threads.

I'm not sure how it is with this board since I only just got here, but I suspect since the board isn't as active anymore, the current threads will remain for a bit. 

Although I wonder if they had simply ‘expired’ it wouldn’t say “deleted” would it?

No, it wouldn't.

Expired for IMDb means flagged for drop off into the internet abyss. So it wouldn't say "deleted". If you see that, then either the OP deleted their original post which started the thread, or the admin (i.e robot) deleted that OP's post - it usually says which when you click on the post. When the user has deleted their account, all threads started by the user will indicate that in the username by "!!!deleted!!! (userID)".

I believe too that threads (not user) that say "deleted" will drop off sooner than most other threads; I think it get flagged for removal by the bots, but I can't be too sure.

On a relatively smaller (slower) but active board, threads seem to drop off after 20 weeks from last post. But on much more active boards, like the "Game of Thrones" or "The Walking Dead" boards, there will be numerous threads...pages on pages (hundreds!)...but the date on their last posts are all current i.e within the 3 month period; and so, those boards hold more threads than a smaller board like this one. I think in IMDb's way of thinking, it keeps all discussion "fresh".

Sorry; didn't mean to be giving a tutorial LOL. I know some of us are old-timers on IMDb and so are used to IMDb's weirdness.  I myself am an active poster on the "North & South (2004)" board and after experiencing these random purges and drop-offs, realized that a bit of analysis was due on my part if I were to keep one step ahead of IMDb's weirdness to "protect" the threads there. 

Plus there appears to be threads/posts I know to be older (than the vanished ones) NOT deleted.

If the thread is an "active" thread i.e. with new posters still posting on it, it will remain on the board until it reaches the 600 posts limit, which is how many posts are allowed by IMDb per thread (and that includes all posts including the ones that say "deleted") before the thread "freezes" and is flagged for drop-off.

Soooo, hmmm, imdb’s innocuous ‘expiry policy’ may, or may not, be the entire explanation here?

IMDb's algorithm is a bit hard to figure out because all boards aren't at the same level of activity at a given time. That's what makes these purges feel so random and unjust. But there is an algorithm in place which is triggered sooner or later depending on the board's activity.

Anywho, hope it is all a little more clearer now!  Sorry about the length of this post. I think perhaps I should start new threads for discussion, eh?  Cheers!

[–] ghostofhamlet 8 years ago

and after experiencing these random purges and drop-offs, realized that a bit of analysis was due on my part if I were to keep one step ahead of IMDb's weirdness to "protect" the threads there.

Make sense. Good idea. 😣

Anywho, hope it is all a little more clearer now! Sorry about the length of this post.

No worries. Interesting! Thanks for taking the time :)

I think perhaps I should start new threads for discussion, eh? Cheers!

Good call. Also then YOU will be in control of whether or not the thread gets deleted :) (imdb’s magic algorithm aside; and/or something being flagged….lol ;). Have fun. Btw, don’t take it personally if you don’t get much in the way of responses. This board can be pretty quiet even when ‘on air’, much less currently—not on air. I’ve also noted people often jump in and just start a new thread saying much the same thing as another because they didn’t bother to read anything first --another weird-ity of imdb ;). However, the hazards apparently (so I have learned :P), of being considerate enough to read and respond is NOT having control of the thread if the OP wants to delete it! And such if the fun of old fashioned posting boards ;).