Well if nothing else, system ends up going through and bumping really old topics to the topic of the topic list.
2 Likes
System bumps nothing unless it is configured that way.
But ancient rule is as longer a topic grows, that more certain is it will be off topic, and answer after longer time period are off topic almost every time.
But using a flag, for example, can ask re-opening.
6 Likes
It is 
For example, this topic
I suppose I could have been more clear and specified that it would bump because it was setup to do so.
3 Likes
And yet it is configured that way
Why I can’t upload an image? Is it limited or is my iPad seen its better days?
Anyway.
Automatic bumping is not normal every day functionality. It comes from the staff.
2 Likes
Old topics still hold valid information and are searchable so I suppose the support category bumps them up and then staff can decide yay or nay? If a user has answered the OP question then there’s no need for further replies so it gets closed off.
I guess it makes sense to create a new topic sometimes instead of posting about the same issue in a topic thats a couple of months old especially since you can only choose 1 post as a solution.
7 Likes
Category settings here
Note in my category setting above 0 topics to bump
The topic you linked says it was closed 2 days ago. Not sure when it was bumped. So might be if it is bumping actually closed topics; if it will bump a closed topic would be an unexpected behaviour. As imho archived & closed topics should be excluded by system bumps
2 Likes
And default is nil, same as zero. So we are back in situation it doens’t happend unless staff wants so.
Is this bike shed ready now 
2 Likes
Yes was just showing a SS of the setting. As you had explained the “why” behavior.
I suspect that topic was bumped by the system prior to closing it. However if it did bump a closed topic imho like an Archived topic it should not bump it.
2 Likes
Huh? It was bumped two days ago, it’s still open.
1 Like
Yup, we have them set to bump so that we can make a call on whether the info is still up to date and relevant. If it’s not, we delete it. Like the topic you linked to.
5 Likes
It’s deleted now as Hawk mentioned. But when I looked at it -thought- it had said it was closed.
1 Like
To answer @Full30, I agree that topics don’t need to be closed so soon.
The topic that you mention was automatically closed because you marked a post as the Solution. For topics on Meta, they’re closed 30 days automatically after a solution is marked, because it’s assumed that the problem is solved and there’s no need for further discussion.
Other topics in WordPress remain open for months and years and so on.
I think it would make sense to ask moderators to reopen the original topic and merge your second topic there, since it turns out that your issue is still unresolved.
If @community-moderators could merge these two topics, and reopen the discussion, that would be helpful:
https://meta.discourse.org/t/wordpress-comment-question-ii/317580/
Thanks in advance.
1 Like
Okay misread. But guess odd to bump a 4 year old topic. Might be an idea to maybe have a feature request to put an option to age restrict bumped topics.
1 Like
Let’s see what @JammyDodger reckons.
4 Likes
I’d just note that it was appropriate for this topic to be auto-closed:
And for @Full30 to need to create a new one. I have moved the new post to a new topic.
https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-posts-not-appearing-as-comments-in-wordpress/317580
From the perspective of solving support issues it is important to keep every new issue separate, even if they seem similar, albeit with appropriate links to the existing issues for comparison purposes. All issues have to considered new issues until proven otherwise. If you start from the position that it’s the same issue it artificially limits your enquiry and you often miss the real issue. It’s the same principle underlying the inadmissibility of prior convictions in the adjudication of a legal case (until you get to sentencing). Every case has to be judged on its merits otherwise motivated reasoning is often going to push you to be overconfident in your conclusions.
10 Likes
In the majority of cases, I think both of these are true. 
Occasionally we do get some topics that can be merged/re-opened, but more often than not a separate topic per issue is the right way to go.
The auto-bump feature we use on meta is a little controversial. 
It has at times been called an anti-feature and some community regulars have regularly expressed their strong feelings of annoyance with it… The main reason it was started in the first place is to tidy up older topics (the older the better), and update, close off, mark solved, recategorise, or delete them depending what pops up. I think it’s been acknowledged a few times by various people that it’s more useful for those organising the forum rather than those browsing or contributing.
So far, I have left the tradition in place, mainly because I haven’t yet got a replacement for it and having 3 or so topics bumped a day seems manageable and not too noisy (though I appreciate it’s a trade-off).
8 Likes
This would probably be more appropriate as a plugin rather than a core feature but I wonder if an auto-flag might remove that trade-off.
Essentially working the same way as auto-bump does now but flagging rather than bumping to hide it from anyone who isn’t involved in that housekeeping.
Of course that may involve trading minor confusion/inconvenience in the community with making it more awkward for moderators to deal with other flagging unless there is some good way of filtering out those housekeeping flags.
3 Likes
I do like the sound of that. My tentative idea for a replacement was creating a data explorer query based roughly on the same principles as the auto-bump criteria and having an Automation drop it in my inbox each day/week. Having them delivered somewhere where the right people can manage them and others can enjoy Latest as intended does have a lot of appeal.
One of the other new things we have now that wasn’t available at the time is the Related Topics feature. I often have a browse of those when a new topic is created and clean up a few random things I find in there. The bonus of that is is covers more categories than just support.
Perhaps this is the right moment to reconsider the auto-bump. 
Even I red TOS I’ll go a bit off topic and this comment should be on site feedback or even ux .
But here the exasperation (really 
AI translated it, perhaps irritation is better; those are homonyms in Finnish) grows because bumping isn’t shown. I’ve gotten few heart attacks because of some major bugs until I realized that topic is something like 6 years old.
Marking those clearly in /latest would be huge improvement.
3 Likes