Since topics are seemingly being merged together at an increased rate I was wondering whether anybody knows of a way to stop this happening or at least reduce the chances of it happening when a new thread is created.
Other things I have noticed is that some posts seem to be missing from some topics, for example The Aspie Quiz thread. I don't know whether it was purposely deleted though but I don't remember its contents being particulary deletion worthy.
Are you sure this is happening at an increased rate? The rate seems to be decreasing from what I can tell.
Maybe it is just the threads I am looking at.
I don't think the rate is increasing or decreasing.
By the way, it happened to me earlier.
I think it might be a "jump" of new information (such as a new thread being posted) into the middle of old information (deleted threads), or vice versa, triggered by the post of a new thread.
Are the deleted threads archived somewhere? And an occasional communication mislead could be causing the problems?
This is ONLY pure observation and extended thought alone; I don't actually know much about the way forums work.
I should go and look at the merged threads more.
One thing I have noticed it that all the topics that have been merged together consist only of the last page from the original topic, which had been replied on the 27/11 to 1/12.
Also all those topics had seemed to have disappeared when the switch to myBB was made. For example all the good news threads.
This would mean that they are not increasing or decreasing in occurance but it will stop once we run out of old threads.
Plus the two merged threads seem to have come from different sections.
Are you sure this is happening at an increased rate? The rate seems to be decreasing from what I can tell.
Ah, My topics have merged before. Check "The Off topic topic?" that somehow merged with somthing not even related.
Gareth, (or Amy) did you delete some of the threads whent the forums migrated?
Or did they move to a more secret part of the site during the migration, that interferes with thread creation?
I have a theory that those threads were not deleted but another thread was, which messed up the sequencing codes for all the threads or posts that occured after the deletion. So when the transfer to myBB came there was a gap in the code left by the deletion and so some threads after the deletion didn't appear. Now when a new thread is made with a similar code is created the old thread automatically sticks to it.
Of course this is just conjecture.
That theory would make a lot of sense but doesn't explain how random it is. I may have to go over the database and manually renumber all posts and threads.