is it okay for me to post a thread again?

what i mean to ask is:
if i am pretty sure i made a good thread that should get replies, but released it at an unpopular time, with not a lot of members logged in, and i only get 3 or 4 replies but they all say "flag and star! great idea!" or what have you, how can i further this thread that seems to have just been released at a bad time? i know for a fact that some threads i made did well only because there was a lot of users on, and it got a lot of responses very quicly, matter of fact the only "successful" threads i have had did the most business while it was still up on the right side of the screen under the most recent last 10 posts. if no one is around to bite when it is in that sidebar, it likely gets buried forever in the junk pile of threads past. but here i am with a great idea, even a few people who have stared and flaged it, but now it's 15 minutes in the open are gone and i am sure it will not recover. is it okay to delete that old thread and re-release it at a more active time on this forum? i have done this once before, and the second time i got a LOT of replies as compared to the first one where i only got 5 or so, so i am sure it WAS a good origional idea and was just released at a bad time the first go round. are there rules against this? if so how do i promote an older thread from a day or two ago to give it a second shot? seems to me it MUST be received well in that sidebar to do well, because i am not Mikesingh, or Internos, or Zorgon, i must hit the audience at optimum time to get taken seriously. and another question: what time (in america) is the best time you find to release a thread? seems to me 5 to 6 in the morning, and 8 to midnight are the best, but maybe someone who has been here longer can help. please don't be mistaken and think i would do this with ANY thread, i would only do it for one i was 99% sure WAS origional, something people SHOULD see, and also only if the few responses i did get were very positive. like someone saying "this is great, i have never seen someone pose that idea here before, this thread will do good, keep it up we need fresh material here." i don't do it for points at all, that is just sill to me, the point system only tells you how much time someone has been here, and i do not read posts based on someones points. i do it because i WANT to feel good about what i post, if someone says positive things like that, it makes me feel somewhat accomplised, because i am not very elequent and it is a small victory for me when something i make is received well. also, this place DOES need fresh material, i ask some things and bring things up that i cannot find in the search bar, and that makes me feel good. can someone politely tell me if this is wrong, or even if i could be TC'd for it?

If you mean reposting the same things you had in the first thread, then I think it would end up locked with a note directing people to the older thread. That's what happens when two people post the same thing so I would imagine it would happen if you started a second thread with the same info.

Posting threads on here is real hit or miss most of the time, but I have noticed that the threads that tend to get the most attention are either posted by someone who has posted a lot already or the topic is pretty out there. A lot of times the most well-thought out threads get passed over completely, but I'm not sure if it's because no one is interested or if it's because the original post is written so well that there just isn't much for anyone else to add. Hard to find that happy medium I think.

As for the points, there are some people who have been here for years and don't have many points because they don't post often. Then there are others who have been here a short time and have massive amounts of points due to either posting threads that make outrageous claims, thus getting many responses, or they post things that are extremely well-thought out and numerous mods applaud them for it. The only time I ever pay attention to points is if someone comments on them, I don't even pay attention to my own.

The short answer is "NO". If you look at the Terms & Conditions Of Use you'll find this:

1h.) Spamming: You will not post identical content, or snippets of identical content, to multiple threads in the discussion forums. You will also not create more than one thread for your topic, or create multiple "slightly different" threads for a single topic.

And seeing that only moderators can delete threads - you have to ask them to delete a thread - and to be honest we rarely do, unless there's a very good reason.

What you can do is bump your own thread when you feel the "time is right". Some do it by adding a post that says "Only 2 replies? Doesn't anyone have an opinion on this?". I'm not too keen on that method. A better method is to bump your thread without anyone noticing it. You can simply add another post with additional information on your Original Post, or add an "I forgot to add..." post.

Over the years I came to accept that ATS culture is very unpredictable. I have created threads which I've thought would stir the whole board up, and then they result in 1 or 2 replies. If you look at the threads I've created, very few of them went over the 2 page mark. So the answer is rarely quantity over quality.

What I'm trying to say is to post for your benefit - because you enjoy the topic, or have a thought you would like to share. Don't create a thread with the amount of replies in mind. That’s pretty pointless IMO.


[edit on 13-11-2008 by Gemwolf]

reply to post by Gemwolf

hey thanks for that.

i browsed through your threads and indeed saw some that on the surface (i did not click on them, just looked at the # of replies and flags) did look like they should have done better. and the seeking replies thing isn't just for selfish reasons though, i feel very strongly that some of them i made are fresh takes on a matter, and it would benefit others to read it, and to get a really good discussion going. i will conform to the second method you mentioned, because i do not like the idea of saying "is this all? no more comments or replies?" i would rather be more passive by simply adding something like you suggested. did you understand what i meant though about a thread doing great the second go-around? during my first week, i did this, and requested a mod to close the old thread because the new one was doing so well, which they did graciously, and never said anything negative whatsoever about me doing something wrong. so it kinda seemed like a grey area if the mod never said anything, but i also understand that the tolerance varies from one mod to the next, and they may have been more understanding because i was so new also. matter of fact, if i'm not mistaken....it was you! i just now realized that. i'm pretty sure it was anyway. i know for sure that you docked me 1000 points, and it took me so long to get the 400 i had before that, because of a very unintentional TC violation, i was being to hateful and volitile about a subject, not at other members, but at the parties the thread was about, and i U2U'd you explaining that it was over the line, and honestly apologizing, you felt i was honest about it and gave me the points back with a warning....thank you again for that. i have adheared to the rules ever since that's why i wanted to ask about this one. this is a great place, i love this forum, and i want to be a useful member. also, since this is a new thread, why did it not ever appear in that sidebar i was talking about? i have noticed other times that some thread i create never end up over there...why is this? if i can't get 5 to 10 minutes in that sidebar, my thread will NEVER make it, i know this for sure, so i want to know what keeps some of them from ever appearing there. i made a good thread asking people what they would do if they could make their vote count 1000 times over without getting caught, just to see the nature of folks, i got 2 replies but one was to the effect that it was an excellent question that would produce good discussion, but it never appeared over there and it failed. is the board you choose to post in what determines the ones that show up in "most recent" on the right? are they reserved strictly for conspiracy threads?
quickly off topic: thanks for getting me addicted to WANTED...i clicked your link last month, bought the premium account and now i play it hours every day...i haven't played online poker ever since. HOMEWRECKER!
[edit on 13-11-2008 by Enigma Publius]

[edit on 13-11-2008 by Enigma Publius]

[edit on 13-11-2008 by Enigma Publius]

reply to post by Enigma Publius


If I can give you further advice for creating a better thread:
Formatting. If all your threads are started like this one you will get fewer replies. One big paragraph with no formatting, no use of capitalisation, spelling and grammar mistakes makes your posts extremely difficult to read. People typically "speed read" first posts. If they can't speed-read your first post because it's difficult to read, they'll simply close the page and go on to the next - even if you may have a good topic. Take 1 or 2 minutes before you post a thread to "pretty it up". Copy your post to Word (or whatever word processor you want to use), add paragraphs, check the spelling and capitalize. It's a little effort for a huge difference.

People's methods of “finding threads” differ. Personally I've never used the "side bar". The best way to stay up to speed with threads as they develop is the "Most Recent Posts" page. From there you know exactly what's happening everywhere on the board.

But all that said - many have tried and failed to find the recipe for a successful thread. ATS culture is simply unpredictable. Full stop. If you want a hot thread, you can always create an elaborate hoax, but in the end that will get you kicked from the board... 5 Minutes of fame?

Originally posted by Enigma Publius
quickly off topic: thanks for getting me addicted to WANTED...i clicked your link last month, bought the premium account and now i play it hours every day...i haven't played online poker ever since. HOMEWRECKER!

[edit on 13-11-2008 by Enigma Publius]

You're on Wanted? Have I killed you yet?

reply to post by Gemwolf

yes, i'm sure you probably have....i'm still under the 2000 mark. i can't get the hang of getting people in the backstab part...everytime i hang out to get folks, i get tagged by bigger guys of course. and it does no good to sit in a heal room that is only 2500 and lower, because they just don't get traffic. so unfortunately most of my time on there is waiting the hours to get out....i'm not going to paypal and get more credits anymore, already spent too much. ironic thing is, i jumped to 1400 the FIRST DAY, and just hit a wall. GRRrRR. my name on there is Ars.

reply to post by Gemwolf


I have the same question about re-posting one of my previous posts. I notice that some are reposted fairly often, and listed under recent posts, such as "The Official "Up to the minute Market data. I cant figure out how he does it. Can I do the same?

reply to post by wonderworld


Every time someone replies to a thread it is "bumped" and it will appear on the Most Recent Activity page. (See your U2U as well.)