Thread hijacking

[Midpack]

From wiki:

Thread hijacking in internet forum communication is the act of steering a discussion off-topic by discussing a subject entirely unrelated to the subject at hand.

While this can be an intentional act of trolling, it is often accidental - caused by participants in the discussion responding to a throwaway remark, thus taking the thread off at a tangent to the original subject matter.

Thread hijacking is generally considered a breach of netiquette and can cause ill feelings among other participants in the discussion.



Will be interesting to see who is first to hijack this one...

[W2R]

Then there is the decision of how much veering off-topic is OK, and how much is not. Sometimes a thread can have a few posts off the central topic and still return to its original intent. Sometimes it moves so far away from the central topic that it morphs into another topic completely. As a new mod, I am learning from the more experienced mods to more clearly distinguish the point at which posts on a thread need to be removed and put in their own thread (due to excessive topic drift) and when they need to be left where they are.

If anyone feels a thread is experiencing too much topic drift and needs intervention, please hit the icon with the exclamation point in the lower left corner of the post in question, and let the mods know. Then we will examine it and decide on what, if anything, needs to be done about it.

Edited due to learning in progress. For great information on moderator policies, see posts #4, 8, and 14 below!

[UncleHoney]

I prefer to call it thread morphing. Some of the best threads in this and other forums develop when the subject drifts from the OP's intent.

Maybe it's due to the space warp thingy.

[REWahoo]

A little board history on "threadjacking".

When the Community Rules were being developed, thread hijacking was discussed. It was agreed:

- A 'reasonable amount' of hijacking was inevitable and to attempt to prohibit it would inevitably result in accusations of jackbooted Nazi moderation.
- There had not been any limitation on thread hijacking in the past and imposing limits might destroy some of the unique personality of the board.

That said, who do you think will win the Superbowl this season?

[Wags]

I once had a friend that was bald and he was known as the bald headed stranger (big Willie Nelson fan - the red headed stranger) rather then be defensive about his lack of hair the man became a living legend when he chose to embrace his baldness.

When he would go to the barber to get a hair cut he would tell the male or female barber to take a little of the top (had no hair on the top but some on the sides).

Great men overcome their perceived weakness and you to can overcome the thread highjacking.

God Bless Us All

[Moemg]

What fun would it be without thread wander as I call it ??

[poboy]

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo A little board history on "threadjacking". When the Community Rules were being developed, thread hijacking was discussed. It was agreed: - A 'reasonable amount' of hijacking was inevitable and to attempt to prohibit it would inevitably result in accusations of jackbooted Nazi moderation. - There had not been any limitation on thread hijacking in the past and imposing limits might destroy some of the unique personality of the board. That said, who do you think will win the Superbowl this season?

What he said! Oh, and it's GOT to be the Saints.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo That said, who do you think will win the Superbowl this season?

The patriots, and no matter who's playing I'll be serving some sausage related product and at least 3 things wrapped in bacon.

It might be cheap bacon if the economy doesnt turn around, but given the presidential election climate who knows.

Anyone ever try giving vasectomies to chiggers?

[ziggy29]

There's hijacking and there's "topic drift." I consider the former to be bad Netiquette as I think of it as an intentional digression intended to take the participants away from the original discussion.

Sometimes over time, there's really no such intent, and in a sufficiently long thread, it just happens. Someone makes an innocuous comment in passing, and soon that's the topic of conversation. If that new topic is no longer appropriate for the particular board it may be appropriate for the mods to move it, but it's not really the same as someone trying to deliberately change the subject.

A thread that's long enough is like that game where you put 50 people in a circle and one person whispers a phrase into the next person's ear. You go around long enough and pretty soon what's being passed from one person to the next isn't much like the original message. Sometimes people intentionally change the message and sometimes they just inadvertently change it a little bit, with the sum of such small changes often being a big one...

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Back to seriousness...talking about something and having the discussion change and branch out is nothing more than having a conversation.

I can see how it can conflict with people who like to have everything broken down into separate specific categories and neat tiny little topics.

I have to go wash my hands again. Be right back.

[igsoy]

poboy, is that Robert DeNiro?

Does anyone else feel that DeNiro has been pretty much mailing it in for the last 20 yrs?

[frayne]

Oh ! Look, a ball of string.

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Boards have their own culture. Try to veer even an inch on some boards, and you'll get your wrist slapped. Around here it's much more easygoing.

The commonest reason to correct a hijack would be if the digression contained highly useful information that a reader might otherwise miss (skip the topic on the after-life not realizing there is a great hijack therein on removing ink stains from leather).

When I first got here the digressions made me crazy. Now, I like them and feel they contribute to my enjoyment of the board.

[Gotadimple]

It's a conversation, and in most conversations, there is topic drift. When that happens one of the parties says something like, "But you were saying that . . ." and they're back on topic.

I agree with R_I_T that a little digression adds to the enjoyment.

-- Rita

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cute fuzzy bunny I have to go wash my hands again. Be right back.

How many steps to the bathroom?

[bbbamI]

About 17 topics so far. Will this turn into 17 threads?

[Gotadimple]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI About 17 topics so far. Will this turn into 17 threads?

Sound like way too much w*rk for the moderators!

-- Rita

[Walt34]

Topics do drift around. It took me an especially long time to adjust to DW's style of speaking because she takes forever to get to the point, but eventually does. Some people are like that.

I never tried surgery on a chigger, but I had a pet cricket once.

[calmloki]

i like turtles.