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Originally Posted by FunkyRes
I can make a suggestion to prevent the bumping of zombie threads. When a thread has been stale for a period of time (six months?) lock it. Weekly cron job on the server should be able to go through the database and do it for you. If there is a need to add material to such a thread, a request can be made to the moderator to unlock it.
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Sorry, but no, I don't think that is the best course to take. There could be any number of legitimate reasons for someone wanting to resurrect an old thread. I've always viewed locking a thread as telling everyone "I don't want you talking about this topic any longer." And I have used that in the past for exactly that kind of reason. When threads would blow up, I have locked them with the warning that anyone just trying to pick up the baton in a new thread will have that thread deleted.
There is also a legal reason against locking threads. Locking a thread could be construed as becoming a co-author of a thread, which would put the person doing the locking in legal jeopardy if said thread ever triggers litigation from the parties involved. Accordingly, I have warned my moderators about being VERY circumspect when modifying threads in this and other manners.