Don't delete old simple questions threads so quickly

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Res Ipsa Loquitur

I would like to see the old "Ask a Simple Question, Get a Simple Answer" threads archived, rather than deleted completely. I think that this would be a positive change for two reasons.

First, having access to these old threads would minimize the number of needless repeat questions in the current one. Doing a simple site search (or Google search with "site:smogon.com" operator) would make it easy to find the answers to old questions. Certainly, the answers may sometimes change, but it would still be a useful resource as a kind of super-FAQ, even if threads would need more scrutiny from the reader as they got older.

Second, providing answers in these threads is a really valuable way to contribute to Smogon. Helping newer or less experienced players get past the rather steep introductory learning curve is one of the best resources our community can provide. We should be encouraging serious users to participate actively in these threads. The knowledge that, no matter how impressive or meticulously researched my answer is, it will be gone in a month (and deleted from my post count!) actually discourages me from assisting with the more difficult "simple questions."
 
Have the staff though about not deleting old simple questions type threads so quickly? Suppose a question's been answered, but the questioner hasn't returned before it's deleted. I can't see why there's any need to delete them, shouldn't locking suffice?
 
I agree with this, though I don't think they should be kept forever, maybe just locked for a day or two then deleted.
 
Hey, my first thread was apparently overlooked, so I'm glad that the matter is getting some attention. If a mod would merge my old thread onto this one, it might help.
 
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