Does Fluther prefer that members "bump" old threads that address their questions instead of creating new ones?

It is preferable to search the existing questions first.

It’s a good idea to check, because if it’s a recent repeat it will probably be tossed out.

From what I have seen, most members would rather see new questions rather than old ones, but I have gotten told off by one member for posting links to similar questions.

They just implemented a step when asking a question that will inform you if the question you’re about to ask is similar or the same to any previous questions asked.

I’m no authority round here or anything, but I think they like it more if you search for old questions. I my self never use the search feature, because the times I have used it, I have not found anything, and even had people tell me I should have searched when I did.

However, yesterday I noticed that I was going to ask a question, but fluther prompted me saying that the question may already exist, and offered up 3 examples, so instead i checked the answers on the old ones rather than make a new one.

Also, I think it depends on the question a lot, some things are etched in stone and some are not, e.g. don’t ask what is 2+2 if that has already been asked, because the answer will always be the same. but a question about politics or something else could have different answers on different days. “what is the capital of the US” may have a totally different answer in the future.

Most of us, I think, would prefer that people use the search function first. I can’t speak for everyone and I’m sure there are some that don’t care, but my feeling is that a significant enough portion gets annoyed when the same question gets asked repeatedly. Particularly in a short span of time.

If it’s a fact-based question and if it’s been asked before and satisfactorily answered, there’s no need to ask it again. Reading through that kind of past thread should be enough to answer your question. Occasionally, though (and especially if the question hasn’t been asked in a really long time), things may have changed between then and now. Sometimes it’s nice to get an updated opinion on something that was asked 2 years ago.

Thanks, all.

Aww, they took off my “search-fu” tag.

As @poisonedantidote mentions, if one is just looking for an answer to a specific question, such as “My ear hurts…Should I go to the doctor?”, there are oodles of existing questions almost exactly like this that all have the same answers with recommendations on how to resolve the problem. If the person asking the question is just looking for a solution, it is better to use the search feature first.

There are some questions though, usually poll-type, where the person is interested in hearing new answers from Jellies who are active. One that comes up frequently is, “What is your favorite season?”. It might be annoying for those that have run across the same question numerous times; they can just ignore it. Some may have had a change of mind since the last time the question cropped up. Others are new and haven’t seen the question before, nor would have thought to search it out. I personally don’t mind reading the responses again or the answers of the new members.

The other challenge is that new posts to old questions don’t necessarily get read. If no one is following the question anymore, then the only gratification is in responding to it. It’s sort of like sending out a message in a bottle that never gets read. If new answers to old posts cropped back up in the current feeds, it might be a different matter.

@YARNLADY I have gotten moderated for asking a previously asked question, so Fluther would clearly prefer that unless it’s something where new material may be available since the original question was asked, we not ask the same question over again. That being the case, I think anybody that complains about posting a link to an old question is way off base.

@poisonedantidote The time I got moderated for asking a question that had previously been asked, I had searched. The old search facility was pretty pathetic, because it didn’t turn up a hit. Fortunately, the tool is now much improved. I had not seen the new feature @erichw1504 mentioned. It must be brand new. Great idea. I had been planning to suggest that.

What I would like to know is how much time must pass before a question is considered a repeat question now. When I first joined almost two years ago, users would complain if a question was asked that had been asked 6 months prior. I now see repeat questions that were asked just a few weeks ago, if not sooner, without any complaints.

I personally don’t have a problem with repeats as long as it wasn’t asked very recently. If it was asked recently, I ignore it. We have many new users, and there may be that one person that has something new to add that would not have seen the previous question.

From what I’ve seen, questions that are virtually identical and asked within the same short time period, like a news topic, the latter will get moderated. There are others that are spin-offs of existing questions that sound similar but really aren’t. The OP is looking for answers to an aspect of the original question that wasn’t or isn’t addressed. Usually, it is duly noted in the details of the question.

The bottom line is that no one wants to be publicly flogged for a Fluther Misdemeanor. Either ignore it, flag it, or send a PM to the OP to let them know about the duplication and a link to a previous post.

The official answer is: It depends on the question.

As others have mentioned, if the question has a definitive and un-changing answer, definitely search the archives… it’s likely you’ll find your answer there.

If you ask a more open-ended question, and it’s been asked fairly recently (say, in the last month or so), it will likely be removed as a duplicate. Better to add your thoughts to the existing question in that case.

Certain Fluther-specific and social poll types of questions are bound to be asked every so often, because new people join all the time and it’s almost a way of bonding with the community… things like “How did you discover Fluther?”, “Why did you choose your username?”, and “What are the best books you’ve ever read?” tend to be asked with every new wave of members. We understand that, and those will likely stay, as long as they haven’t been asked in the last 2 weeks or so.

Welcome to Fluther, @submariner. :)