Is there any way to prevent threads being hijacked

[Vorpal]

While we're not on the subject, did you see how he government messed up the A levels?

[Vorpal]

There isn't really a good way to prevent threads being hijacked. If it's really a problem, or the topic is sensitive, we will sometimes split threads. You can use the 'report' button (the exclamation mark in the upper right of a post) and ask moderators to remove or split off-topic posts. I cannot guarantee that we will, especially if it looks like alot of work, and doesn't appear to impact the discussion that is on-topic.

The advantages to a virtual environment like a forum are alos, in some ways their disadvantages. Anyone interested can just jump in with anything. If it were a conversation, they would have to wait their turns, and kind of follow the conversational thread, or divert it for everyone. On a forum, people can follow threads as they arise, even to multiple ones arising from the same topic. Appeals to stay on-topic sometimes help.

[mjr]

Are there that many people who don't have real life conversations that they need to have imaginary friends to talk to on this forum?

Yes.

You can try a post dragging topics back to topic, but if the usual offenders notice you're doing it, they'll often redouble their hijack attempts, so definitely don't complain about the previous attempt.

I don't know why the mods allow it outside maybe of the tea party - and a cycling forum having a space for tea party views probably deters many anyway.

[Jdsk]

Appeals to stay on-topic sometimes help.

You can try a post dragging topics back to topic...

Yes, but I wouldn't recommend admonition. It's often helpful for the original poster to repost along the lines of "Thanks for A, B, C, I need more on X,Y Z, please.".

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

There isn't really a good way to prevent threads being hijacked. If it's really a problem, or the topic is sensitive, we will sometimes split threads. You can use the 'report' button (the exclamation mark in the upper right of a post) and ask moderators to remove or split off-topic posts. I cannot guarantee that we will, especially if it looks like alot of work, and doesn't appear to impact the discussion that is on-topic.

The rapid response of Moderators is a great asset of this site.

Thank you

Jonathan

[PH]

Are there that many people who don't have real life conversations that they need to have imaginary friends to talk to on this forum?

I couldn't care less about thread drift, but this forum would be a far better place if people were a bit less judgemental.
There will always be people who go online for social contact, in present circumstances that will be multiplied several times over.

[pedals2slowly]

I couldn't care less about thread drift, but this forum would be a far better place if people were a bit less judgemental.

Surely that is being judgemental? I think the moderators, by definition have to be judgemental, or are we to accept whatever people post regardless of its content?

Anyway, as somebody posted above, if you want a chat, maybe sticking to the tea shop would be less irritating to those who actually want serious answers to queries?

[thirdcrank]

To prevent something, it's useful to think what may be causing it. This has had me thinking and "in no particular order":-

Avoid targets for nitpickers, especially in the title. eg if it's in the form of a question, end with a question mark.

Avoid ambiguity in the title or OP, that cuts the risk of somebody getting hold of the wrong end of the stick. Think how it reads. Predictive spelling can turn something simple into a cryptic clue.

Avoid the "elephant in the room." An OP which talks about repeated punctures as an introduction to a request for a recommendation for the best rubber solution is likely to attract advice on preventing repeated punctures.

Be aware of contentious subjects. One of the most obvious has its own dungeon.

Be even more aware of introducing contentious subjects in a contentious way. Many people will see it as an attempt to stir up controversy.

Some subjects provoke the ranters, of whom we have very few.

Avoid religion and politics unless you are prepared to see the thread go anywhere.

Accept that there are few cases of deliberate hijacking if that means to take over a thread. Somebody taking a different line / viewing things from a different angle, can bring enlightenment. Planting spam in a thread is rarely achieved and usually zapped PDQ when it is.

[landsurfer]

The fact that we are on page 2 shows the art of hijack is well and truly flourishing ....

HiJack ... a greeting or "Halloo" shouted out to men by the Press Gang before they where taken for service in the Navy .....

Simple as that ....

[pedals2slowly]

Despite obvious attempts and a p**s take or two we seem well on track actually.

Thirdcrank makes some very sensible points.

[Mick F]

You can't hijack a thread, because they all eventually have a mind of their own.

Ask a direct question, get an answer or two, and that's that. First page, or maybe the second, and that's definitely that.
If you don't like the way a thread is going, stop accessing it. There are many threads I don't look at now other than some alerts for moderation and stuff.

Meanwhile, people like me ....... and many others ........ will digress a bit to put another slant on the answers, plus maybe an anecdote or two for illustration purposes. Before you know it, we're discussing all sorts of interesting things.

Conversation.

[pedals2slowly]

Ask a direct question, get an answer or two, and that's that.

I almost accept that, the problem is when posters divert from the topic immediately and there are no relevant comments. Once that is done there seems to be no way back to the original post which must be so disheartening to the OP.

Imagine you are with a group of people and you say 'I need a new waterproof, what shall I get?' and the first person to reply (who you've never met before) says ' You just need to go cycling when it's dry'. You'd think what a p*****k that person was, yet here on the forum that sort of comment to somebody you don't know seems common place.

Interesting piece on TV am today where an 'expert' said that everything starts unregulated but as it becomes more sophisticated regulations and rules come into place. How long before we can only comment with our real, verified names and social media is 'properly controlled' . IMHO that would improve life considerably, whether it's here or facebook. (He said anonymously)

[thirdcrank]

Something I forgot, which can happen quite quickly is a title which includes an unproven or demonstrably wrong assumption. I'm not talking about any sort of trolling (unless it's forum cricket) but eg a query about cycling to lose weight will inevitably bring comments along the lines that on its own, it won't. To the extent that this is unintentional (unless it's a forum cricketer) then it seems unavoidable.

[Cunobelin]

While we're not on the subject, did you see how he government messed up the A levels?

Did they hijack the process?

[Cunobelin]

Sometimes there is a "friendly hijack"

There is one gentleman who had an affiliation for the hygiene of textile floor coverings.

Quite often it is possible to discourage or tone down his more extreme views with a hijack away from that area