How Often Do Discussions Here Get Hijacked?

Den Warren

Den Warren

New Member
Location
Ohio, USA
I noticed that a topic I brought up fairly immediately veered off the road into something else. It seems like there are some on here so eager to get points on the board that they have to comment on everything any unrelated way they can and follow up with more irrelevant comments. I like for people to have fun too, but does it often go that way?
 

I’m probably guilty of that. I think it happens because the subject strikes a cord in someway that seems related to the person. Sometimes these discussions get even more interesting, sometimes not. I don’t think anything of it, but perhaps some people may feel it’s a form of disrespect?

Oh and welcome to the forum!
 
Trish said:
Just joking @Den Warren. :) Threads often veer away from the intended subject. Just the nature of things I think. Don't let it deter you from posting (y):)
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I agree... it's easy to bring something back to the original point. Just think of it like a chat in the pub. You start off chatting about your car, and eventually ends up with how much the missus is costing you over Christmas... :LOL:
 
oldaunt said:
Its not hijacking, its morphing. ALL good conversations tend to do that. If you want it ta stay all about you, well.......
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Yes it even happens on ‘serious’, tightly moderated discussion forums. In a way what happens here is like group think and our collective thought may stray when the carcass of the defined topic feels sufficiently picked over.

But your analogy to conversation is spot on. Everyone is in charge and gets a vote over which way to steer.
 
It's rare for a thread to get "hijacked" in SF, but remember when planes would get hijacked all the time? That was back in the '70s. Why don't planes get hijacked any more? It's like acid rain. Everybody was worried about acid rain back in the '80s, but nobody talks about that any more. It was killing all the trees up in Canada, but now it's beetle kill, or more specifically, mountain pine beetles that are killing trees. Man, the Beatles were a great band. How come young people these days can't create great music like that? Today's music is so boring...
 
I posted some thread about something (?). It had a long life, people were still responding months later. So, I decided to check it out, two people were swapping Thanksgiving turkey dressing recipes. I found people take a different read from what you think you are saying. And while you may be the author, you don't own the thread-it's the people, who respond, are the owners. A thread is like having a kid, you created it, and it goes off and has a life of its own. And really in the grand scheme of life, it doesn't matter.
 
A more common factor is posting a vague opening thread topic that can be interpreted in several ways other than what an OP author intended. On other boards, have noticed such members tend to create most threads. Of course, that will not only result in more thread hijacking from the OP's perspective but also encourage others that tend to post likewise as they do on Twitter with one liners. This is a factor in why my own created threads tend to have longer opening text, so such is not likely to happen.

If given patience, a thread has run its course with few if any additional posts, I don't have issues with widening a discussion. But if a thread I created, any obvious early hijacking input that does not in someway state they are just interjecting say an anecdotal input, is likely to get an off-topic input from this person, especially if political or an ongoing emotional issue between members.
 
1955 said:
I’m probably guilty of that. I think it happens because the subject strikes a cord in someway that seems related to the person. Sometimes these discussions get even more interesting, sometimes not. I don’t think anything of it, but perhaps some people may feel it’s a form of disrespect?

Oh and welcome to the forum!
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Yes same with me1955…..slap my wrist LOL
 
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