your opinion on bumping threads

[ekantnl]

Hi there..

many forums do not allow you to bump threads.

So.. this made me think. What's happening with a bumped thread in serps..?

Why do forums not allow bumping? Is there a SEO reason behind it? Does it influence serps? I try to figure this out..

Do you or would you allow bumping old threads?

If no, why not.. or if yes, why? Thanks!

[briansol]

people don't allow bumping simply because it's a waste of a post.

one guy bumps, the the 500 he just got on top of feel the need to bump too.

there's no seo behind it.

[Joe Ward]

Well, in terms of SEO, a *bump* is similar to any other "low value response" such as simple thank-you messages, or any short message that does not add significant new content (i.e. terms) to the page.

Adding "Thanks" or "Bump" will add a lot of code to the page, and no new value terms. So it effectively decreases the content to code ratio, and devalues the page overall.

From a general standpoint, is also looks bad.

Obviously, both "thank-you" and "bump" have their role in communication. One is a polite acknowledge of receiving help, and the other is a direct request for attention/feedback.

Fortunately, it should not have huge SEO impact. Bumping can be a useful tool, but it will get abused by users at times. However, continual bumping especially on a support site it a good indication that you are not responding to your users as quickly as they would like.

[bernard]

There is also the annoyance factor of members receiving email notifications for very old threads without any significant new contribution - wasting their time to review the new post devoid of content.

Bumping threads is fine with me if the bumping post (1) acknowledges that the thread is old, and (2) adds something new to the discussion beyond a "hey, look at me".

[Joe Ward]

That's a good point. That would make for a good plugin. One that checks to see the length of the message or checks for "bump", "thank-you" messages and does not send the thread update notifications.

[ekantnl]

Thank you guys for your explenations! It is clear to me now.

btw: I believe there is a mod available to prevent bumping? Didnt look at it yet.