I don't know if this is possible with the forum software, but would it be possible to show the date the original thread was posted on the first page of the topics? I know that it is shown once the thread is opened, but we seem to ignore that date. I've been guilty myself a couple of times, but when a thread from 2 years ago appears under "new posts" it is easier to look past the date. Once I realized that a lot old old threads were being resurected, I started looking closer, and skipping to the last page to see what was new. A case in point is the Scottish Shops thread, as well as several newbie threads. My suggestion might not help, but I would be looking for it more on the opening page.