Add to Older Thread or Create New Thread?

[walker.t]

I’m curious if a few people could share their thoughts on which is better, to add a comment to an older thread or create a new thread on a topic that is related or very similar. I was going to create a new thread with a question regarding the use of wing walls around drinking fountains but searched the forum first and found this thread from February of last year:

Drinking Fountain Protruding Object

Hello, I have a very large square-sized retail space. I need to add a drinking fountain. There is no alcove as-is. If I put the drinking fountain on one of the long walls around this square-shaped space, would you consider this no-compliant with the protruding object rule? It's not technically...

www.thebuildingcodeforum.com

I was thinking this post was too old to add to and that I should create a new thread.

At least one other person has had a similar thought:

I think about that when I am looking for answers by searching the forum and then add to an old post (like I just did on an old post). It is a toss-up...add to a post or rehash everything again.

Some factors that would help guide me in the decision to add to a thread or start a new one:
1. Age of the post, think about a new post if the old post is maybe three months old.
2. If the thread has drifted from the original topic, don’t try to bring it back to the original topic, just start a new thread.
3. Maybe think about a new thread if there are three or more pages to the thread.

 

[Yikes]

Only do a new thread if the code references have changed since the old thread.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

I think any thread that has been inactive for more than six months should not be re-opened. Certainly not when it's over a year old and the new post is to ask a new question about a new project. No matter how similar the question may appear -- it's a new question about a different building and a different project, and it may be located in a different jurisdiction so the applicable code may very well be different..

 

[Sifu]

My process is to try and search through the forum to find an answer to my question. Often, because the search function here is more limited than google, I search there, and more often than not the search results are discussions from this forum. Sometimes I can't really find anything, so after a few fruitless minutes I start my own thread. But sometimes, I find the topic I am looking for, only the question was never resolved, or it wasn't an exact fit. I used to never take much note of the dates, I also never paid attention to the length of the post. I just assumed everyone would be so darned interested in my problem, they would read through 8 pages of posts started in 2008, some drifting away at speedy pace. Then it started making me tired. I might see an interesting topic, only to see it is 15 pages long, and there just isn't enough time to go into it. So now, I think I have transitioned to starting a new thread for anything more than a few months old and/or more than a page or two, and if needed I can summarize the info from the old post, or even paste it in if I feel it is on point. Sometimes I feel stupid when someone responds that the issues has been asked and answered, but usually I am ok with feeling stupid as long as I get to the finish line faster.

Sometimes the experts on this forum have answered the questions before I even ask them, I just have to find them.