Hijacking Threads

I don't talk a lot and I type even less so I'll keep it brief.

WHAT IS SO DIFFICULT ABOUT STAYING ON SUBJECT OF A THREAD?

Think before you speak or type. Is it related to the subject of this thread?

Will use the thread I just gave up on as an example. By end of page 5 it goes completely off subject and stays off subject. I gave up after page 8 when it was still off subject.

You have to go through 70-80% of chit-chat garbage to find relevant information.

Go ahead and flame me for speaking out. I won't respond. I don't do cyber spats.

Threads at times can go off tangent it's up to the thread starter to steer it back on course if they feel it's needed. Now if they jump ship on thier own thread it can be the wild west. Sometimes an OP will say something like thanks for the info or that's what I was looking for and the thread will keep going, it's up to you the reader to hang in or jump ship.

Or a wild thought if you're looking for something specific start your own thread with what you might be after.

I sometimes visit three or four forums in a day and don't always look at the title or the original post but sometimes just respond to the last post.

OpenNRG said:

I don't talk a lot and I type even less so I'll keep it brief.

WHAT IS SO DIFFICULT ABOUT STAYING ON SUBJECT OF A THREAD?

Think before you speak or type. Is it related to the subject of this thread?

Will use the thread I just gave up on as an example. By end of page 5 it goes completely off subject and stays off subject. I gave up after page 8 when it was still off subject.

You have to go through 70-80% of chit-chat garbage to find relevant information.

Go ahead and flame me for speaking out. I won't respond. I don't do cyber spats.

Click to expand...

Having just joined the forum, I will admit that it stunk reading all 36 pages of that thread. But I recommend that you do so because that particular oyster contains several pearls. I saw many places where people couldn't do math or physics or much of anything except post incorrect information, but I held my keyboard until I got to the end.

I will also admit that I am a professional at thread hijacking, and see it as part of the entertainment value and payback for my time spent reading and answering questions. In addition, if a simple question can be answered with a simple answer, why not just answer it?

The thing that really chaps me is when people *don't* read the whole thread, then come in at page 20 and ask a question that was clearly answered on page 2.

Yep, this is a problem, but it's a human nature problem one has to live with. I've managed forums of my own for years and still have one I own going since 2003. Honestly, keeping a thread on a topic is like herding chickens and cats.

You're not wrong, but welcome to the internet....

One of the problems with off-topic posts is when something important/cool gets posted ... but because it's posted where it doesn't make sense; those not interested in the original thread topic won't see it and they miss out on something they'd find of interest. There's no way to navigate to it.

Case in point, there's a cool discussion on biofuels currently in the "would you recommend solar to a friend" thread. Ideally, that stuff would get posted in its own thread for all to enjoy. It's just lost knowledge for most by being posted there.

On threads with topics proven to otherwise descend into uselessness, I ask folks in the OP to stay on topic and ask them to ask the moderators to delete any off-topic posts (e.g., see What Can I personally do to help against climate change?) It won't stop some, but at least they aren't surprised when their posts are deleted.

A certain amount of what's happening here is social. It helps to "grease the wheels" for any person-to-person transaction.
But how much is too much? It varies by individual and the OP obviously has a very low tolerance!
YMMV

You know why Will Prowse videos are so informative. He starts on point, stays on point, and ends on point. He doesn't try to be a comedian, rarely gets off subject. You get 14-15 minutes of info out of a 15 minute video.

I'm here to learn, obviously not here to socialize. Needed to plan a system for House and Business. That's done.

Sorry if I offended some.

I'm both guilty of this and annoyed by this. I wish there was a way to insert a 'ninja' comment right below somebody else's that doesn't divert the conversation. Then again, sometimes that annoys me (discord).

OpenNRG said:

You know why Will Prowse videos are so informative. He starts on point, stays on point, and ends on point. He doesn't try to be a comedian, rarely gets off subject. You get 14-15 minutes of info out of a 15 minute video.

I'm here to learn, obviously not here to socialize. Needed to plan a system for House and Business. That's done.

Sorry if I offended some.

Click to expand...

Nature of DISCUSSION forums.
Drifting to off-topic too easily or too fast is not ideal but strict guidelines and moderation also tends to kill the forum in long run. It might work as a stagnant ”library” but any new discussion tend to die off.

Buy a book if you want to stick to topic.

OpenNRG said:

I don't talk a lot and I type even less so I'll keep it brief.

WHAT IS SO DIFFICULT ABOUT STAYING ON SUBJECT OF A THREAD?

Think before you speak or type. Is it related to the subject of this thread?

Will use the thread I just gave up on as an example. By end of page 5 it goes completely off subject and stays off subject. I gave up after page 8 when it was still off subject.

You have to go through 70-80% of chit-chat garbage to find relevant information.

Go ahead and flame me for speaking out. I won't respond. I don't do cyber spats.

Click to expand...

The concept is related to something called "Godwin's Law"

There isn't a forum on the internet that stays on subject for every thread.

Then there's COVID.
People are feeling a little isolated and more chatty than usual these days.

OpenNRG said:

You know why Will Prowse videos are so informative. He starts on point, stays on point, and ends on point. He doesn't try to be a comedian, rarely gets off subject. You get 14-15 minutes of info out of a 15 minute video.

I'm here to learn, obviously not here to socialize. Needed to plan a system for House and Business. That's done.

Sorry if I offended some.

Click to expand...

Never apologize; it defeats one's sincerity. If someone gets upset, it is what it is.

You can't fight human nature, and when you try, it fails because it is what it is; live with it or go crazy.

OpenNRG said:

WHAT IS SO DIFFICULT ABOUT STAYING ON SUBJECT OF A THREAD?

Click to expand...

That's the nature of the beast. You have to weigh the length of the thread (and thus the time you'd have to spend "mining" it) against the possible value - which you can't know ahead of time.

So, for me, when I don't know a subject well it's worth going into a forum like this, reading through the biggest issues to find answers to my questions and learn the questions I should be asking but didn't know about, then present my questions as new threads.

The reality, though, is that this is a DIY forum, and like most similar forums you aren't going to get a straight answer to any question. That's the reason threads meander - people have a little to contribute, or the conversation lit up one of the areas of their expertise they do know about and might be relevant, if only tangentially, so they contribute what little they can.

If a thread doesn't go off topic, it's because no one is paying any attention to it - at all.

This is one of the things Discourse forum software was meant to help solve - calving off a portion of a thread into its own topic is trivial for moderators and long-term "trusted" users. So thread management is built in as a primary goal and feature. Forums like this have features to support this sort of use, but not very good, and they require a lot of tending from, usually few, dedicated moderators to perform the same work. Not that I'm suggesting we change forum software, simply pointing out that this is a problem endemic to forum style social networks, and you ultimately need to come to terms with it, and determine your own techniques for dealing with it.

Of course, the reality is that if you're looking for answers and not conversations, then forums will forever be frustrating for you. Maybe quora, https://diy.stackexchange.com/ , or https://sustainability.stackexchange.com/ would better meet your needs - where going off topic is a capital offense, and quickly squashed.

The dilemma for me is when someone jumps on a thread and asks an unrelated question. Do I give them a simple answer or tell them to start a new thread?
I am not a moderator but on some forums that are heavily moderated, the Mods move those type of hijacks to a new or related section. That may be a lot to ask of volunteer Moderators. Also some forum software may make that process easier for the Moderators. I am appreciative of the work that the Mods do and am not making a suggestion.

OpenNRG said:

The post above wasn't directed at anyone in particular. No need to remove. I do appreciate the offer, thanks.

Click to expand...

I am a member of some real Nazi type moderated forums and they typically end up dying pretty quickly or are just no fun to be on.
This forum has been great in every aspect. The owner Will has done a few things I have never seen on other forums.
They don't lock threads often. The moderators are practically transparent yet show up almost instantly when something goes sideways. They allow people to edit posts indefinitely where as most forums give you about 24 hours and there are some that I am on that lock the edit within 30 minutes.
Other aspects of this place just defy conventional forums by the way the members behave. There is very little personal abuse, almost no political talk and people are generally very civil towards each other.
All in all a little off topic discussion is not really a big deal so long as you get the info you need. I do get your point and I respect it. If someone is asking a question and the post gets derailed before the answers are given I will certainly try my best to interject and put it back on course.

As with most polls, the questions are inadequate.
The proper answer would be "not necessarily".

See, a certain amount of "drift" in a forum thread is pretty much inevitable.
You seem to think that if it drifts far enough, there's no way to bring it back on course. I disagree, there are many ways.

Now, "hijacking" implies somewhat malicious intent. But even if innocently done, you seem to think that it precludes meaningful replies to the original question(s). Now, I don't think that's necessarily true. If the discourse hadn't drifted, it would very likely have fizzled.
Meaning, nobody had any more "meaningful" things to say... anyway.

You can always try saying, hey, you peeps, I was trying to get an answer to why CATL cells look prettier in the moonlight than EVE ones, and now you're talking about moon phases, c'mon...
Which might bring about more "on track" replies, probably won't, and there's always things to be learned about moon phases anyway.
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