Thread Hijacking - Two Threads Are Better Than One

[bbbamI]

Squirrel!!!

https://youtu.be/SSUXXzN26zg

....made my day!

 

[Chuckanut]

Anybody thinking of buying a Model S in the near future?

I was going to but lost the funds I set aside for the purchase when I shorted Tesla.

But, back on topic......

The OP is right to be concerned, but I have to also say that some threads have grown very interesting as people expanded on the off-topic topic. My empirical study indicates that the threads usually get pulled back on-topic, but maybe I am suffering from some form of optimistic bias. The worst hijackings occur when somebody gets hostile.

I agree with REWAHOO that if it's a good topic, we tend to get back on topic.

 

[Sunset]

This thread will be hijacked before you can say, "Oh look, something shiny!".

I thought hijacks had gone down a lot, since Cuba started arresting hijackers when they landed ?

This is going to make me nervous on our next flight

For many threads, if it didn't get hijacked, it would die, as everyone is done talking about the original topic. If not, it will get back on course.

 

[braumeister]

I agree with REWAHOO

Careful, that's a slippery slope ...

 

[Big_Hitter]

are we getting yelled at by a non-mod?

 

[Midpack]

Is someone having a slow day at the office that thread hijacks are annoying them?

It is so far down the list of things that annoy me that I can barely see it.

Being serious for a moment, I have absolutely no wish to see the moderators on this forum tasked with the job of "topic police". They already have their hands full enforcing the forum's Prime Directive: "Don't Be A Jerk!"

EDIT: It has been my experience that if the topic is of sufficient interest, members will refocus the conversation back on topic.

For the record, the OP never said anything said about being “annoyed.” And the OP did not recommend mods intervene.

I do agree threads sometimes go back on track. Some don’t.

What’s the downside to encouraging members to start another thread, I’d guess there would be more participation in both threads? It was simply a suggestion, thought it might improve threads. Evidently that annoys some folks...

 

[JoeWras]

If you are driven to distraction I understand. However this place stays on topic better than most. Spend a day on Reddit if you want to see what happens when folks pride themselves on going sideways.

I've recently got my ya-yas out on Reddit. It can be kind of fun just being a jerk, swearing, and throwing out totally off topic Memes.

Problem is I have to make sure to keep it there and not let it filter here.

And guess what, every now and then there is something useful on Reddit.

Oh wait, I think I may be hijacking this thread. Carry on.

 

[Nemo2]

And...while we're on the subject of "Whether ants are multidextrous or not...." I noticed that WD40 is....

 

[REWahoo]

And the OP did not recommend mods intervene.

My mod comment wasn't in response to the OP, it was triggered by this:

One solution may be a Good Samaritan (or Moderator if they notice it) periodically redirects the thread back to the original question.

 

[MRG]

I've recently got my ya-yas out on Reddit. It can be kind of fun just being a jerk, swearing, and throwing out totally off topic Memes.

Problem is I have to make sure to keep it there and not let it filter here.

And guess what, every now and then there is something useful on Reddit.

Oh wait, I think I may be hijacking this thread. Carry on.

+1

I learned that quid pro quo was really squid pro quo amongst the other gems. [emoji23]

Back to the topic: Using the android app and the timeline sort I many times see multiple copies of the same thread. They always appear to be in the identical state, mostly next to each other, sometimes not. Is that what we want to build upon? I'd suggest we decorate them with something to indicate they are a sub tangent of the original.

 

[Midpack]

My mod comment wasn't in response to the OP, it was triggered by this:

Understood, that’s why I said just for the record. I would NOT suggest we saddle mods with policing thread hijacks.

Though within minutes of starting this thread, a Mod Emeritus PM’d me suggesting “you can always report a post that you feel is not appropriate.”

Ironic...

 

[Teacher Terry]

The world doesn’t need more rules(

 

[tmm99]

I'm [-]probably[/-] guiltier of this than most, but isn't that how (normal) conversations go? Or is it simply that those with an 'I' prefacing their MBTI feel compelled not to deviate from the 'established' line?

Asking for the proverbial friend.

Yep, that's how conversations with my group of friends go too. Sometimes a person who's interested in the topic would bring the group back on track; other times, we would go off talking about something else, or something only slightly related, like "You know, that reminds me..."

I'm OK with that.

 

[target2019]

The world doesn’t need more rules(

Maybe a Rubric?


To OP, I think suggesting another thread start is fair game. But I wouldn't expect great results.

 

[ls99]

There is bright shiny UFO hovering in western PA.
What was the question?

 

[target2019]

There is bright shiny UFO hovering in western PA.
What was the question?

Has anyone seen Elvis?

 

[MRG]

Has anyone seen Elvis?
[emoji39]

Not Elvis. I did meet Jim Morrison once; he was driving taxi in Chicago.

 

[Gumby]

In an ideal world, there would be one and only one thread per topic. Everything on topic would be in only that thread and nowhere else, and no other topic would be in that thread. Of course, some of the threads would then take eons to load (when to take SS, mortgage or not, etc). And getting to that ideal world would be hell on earth, IMHO.

 

[easysurfer]

Why am I now thinking of that scene from "Dead Poets Society" when Keating (played by Robin Williams) encourages everyone to walk their own way?

 

[Bestwifeever]

Understood, that’s why I said just for the record. I would NOT suggest we saddle mods with policing thread hijacks.

Though within minutes of starting this thread, a Mod Emeritus PM’d me suggesting “you can always report a post that you feel is not appropriate.”

Ironic...

(Raising my hand here) And that PM was in response to your initial PM to me.... but anyone really can report any post they feel is not appropriate. (ETA you will never get another PM from me)

 

[davismills]

When the rules and regulations pile up, many go silent. This often spoils the flow of information, which I think is one of the reasons many of us are drawn to this wonderful forum.

I'm not complaining because I personally think this forum is much better "managed" than most I've participated in. I'm just concerned that it might become micromanaged to a point of disinterest.

 

[jollystomper]

Perhaps we need a thread just for hijacking purposes?

 

[Just_Steve]

Just saying.

 

[pb4uski]

For the record, the OP never said anything said about being “annoyed.” ...

True.... I guess that I presumed that if you took the time to start a thread on thread hijacking that you did so because it annoyed you. I stand corrected.

 

[harley]

In an ideal world, there would be one and only one thread per topic. Everything on topic would be in only that thread and nowhere else, and no other topic would be in that thread. Of course, some of the threads would then take eons to load (when to take SS, mortgage or not, etc). And getting to that ideal world would be hell on earth, IMHO.

Of course, then there would only be one or two posts per year. It would be like the retireearlyhomepage. There's not much that hasn't been said already.