Delete which threads?

[Robert9]

Let's imagine you have a forum for singers, bands, groups.

Every {item} has one thread, people care much to have no second thread for singers, bands, groups.
People add many new names, it is a hobby for many users to find new names and add them with a thread to the forum.

Many of the these threads have new posts, some more, some less, but some of these posts have no posts.

So we could delete them after some time?
{delete all threads with age > 2 years, and replay_count=0 for example}

but!

All these threads are in Google; and the question is now:

Can I measure, when a thread was visited the last time, or how many times in the last month, for example?

Yes, we can say: Hey, if nobody writes about ABBA, then delete this thread!

But maybe ABBA brings 123 users every month from Google; not much, but if you have 1000 of threads bringing 123 people from Google to the forum, it is not so bad, right?

Do we measure the clicks of guests?
Do we have the date of this measuring?

Do I need a log like:

date | thread_id|user_id or 0

to calculate a value and decide which threads we delete and which one we let there.

Maybe Analytics can help?

Or might be this is nonsense, and we should just delete everything older than two years when there is no reply?

 

[StarArmy]

If you have to delete threads, delete the lowest quality ones with little to no content, and keep threads which are well written.

 

[Suzanne O]

If you need to delete or remove from public view create a hidden from public board called Thread Hell where you put the locked threads that are no good.
Don't delete because your members will kick up a stink

 

[Robert9]

Users are the ones who want to get rid of the empty threads.

There are many ways to have a forum. Some people keep everything, some people move old content to archives, other people move old content to another forum and in this customer forum, old threads are deleted.

My question is not, delete or not. My question is: What should I delete?

The main rule is:
- delete every thread without a post newer than three years.

Another rule could be:
- delete only the threads without bringing visitors and without a post never than three years.

But what kind of information we have about a thread?

 

[Suzanne O]

Users are the ones who want to get rid of the empty threads.

There are many ways to have a forum. Some people keep everything, some people move old content to archives, other people move old content to another forum and in this customer forum, old threads are deleted.

My question is not, delete or not. My question is: What should I delete?

The main rule is:
- delete every thread without a post newer than three years.

Another rule could be:
- delete only the threads without bringing visitors and without a post never than three years.

But what kind of information we have about a thread?

Delete anything that is no longer needed. For example an old closed rules thread. Anything that is no longer needed in the suggestions board

 

[Mr Lucky]

bringing 123 people from Google to the forum, it is not so bad, right?

It is if they leave the site because there is nothing of interest or no answers in that thread.

Threads with no replies may be worthless or even damaging especially if the OP has little content. Even if there are visitors.

The problem is when those visitors find the thread via Google, see there is nothing of any value or answer to a question and bounce straight back to their a Google search.

Google clocks that as a useless page as people bounced back, didn’t even explore the site further.

 

[Robert9]

Let's say the average time for guests to stay is over six minutes ...

But i want to ask again:

What do we know about the visitors of a thread, please?
Maybe nobody knows it? Then I have to watch tables and classes.

Maybe the answer is in analytics.

 

[Mr Lucky]

Let's say the average time for guests to stay is over six minutes ...

Well if your example ABBA thread with no replies is leading people to stay for at least 6 minutes then leave it be.

 

[jeb35]

Either leave them alone or move them to a hidden node. That's what we try to do with threads with no replies.

 

[Suzanne O]

Also if you're having issues with spammers make it harder for them to join.
untick boxes that allow guests to post on your forum without registering.
have it that you manually approve people to post on your site.