User blog:Kirkland22/Necrobumping

This blog is a response to recent situations in the Article Comments involving "necrobumping." The purpose of this blog is to alert anyone who may be unclear as to the rules or definition of the term "necrobumping". Please take the time to peruse this blog post.

What is necrobumping and why is it looked down upon?
Necrobumping is an Internet term for situations involving a forum thread or an encyclopedia comment section in which a discussion has been inactive for a long time, typically years, and is bumped by a reader in what he/she inadvertently believes to be an ongoing discussion. This practice is generally looked down upon because the conversation involved has been abandoned by its participants for many months or even years and is, at present, irrelevant and cast aside by those who once participated in it. Some of the participants may no longer frequent the site with the discussion, making further response unattainable. It can be a hassle for users when they see necrobumped comments on the news feed and have to scroll down on the page and figure out where the comment is and what it's being directed at, and it may give them a false sense of 'this must be an ongoing discussion' without bothering to look at the dates from when the comments were posted.

What are the punishments for necrobumping?
While not a serious offense, necrobumping may constitute strict warnings from administrators. Usually, if necrobumping is identified, the administrator removes the comment(s), and if there are multiple offenses, they may leave a message on the culprit's talk page. Like any offense, if violated past administrative warning(s), it may constitute a block.

How would you define necrobumping on this wiki?
Necrobumping on this wiki is defined as a bump to a conversation that is over six months old. You are free to comment on anything within the six month to present margin, but prior to that, you can expect your comment(s) to be removed. Exceptions may be made if, for example, your comment is extremely insightful and added to a conversation eight or ten months old (which is just slightly past the acceptable margin).

Please understand and acknowledge the fact that necrobumping is against the rules of this wiki, albeit a minor offense, and administrators will monitor for this phenomenon frequently. This blog is not meant to steer anyone away from commenting nor to attack anyone in particular, but merely to set the rules and information in stone and carve out the knowledge of the situation to wiki frequenters.