Thread derailment

[Jdsk]

From another thread, both posted by Moderators:

Moderator note - A large number of off-topic posts which derailled the thread have been removed. The OP is a new member seeking advice, and it is especially inappropriate for individual posters to use such a thread to repeatedly post off-topic comments. The fact that the OP made a brief passing comment in one sentence about the impact of Brexit on their buying options is not a valid excuse to derail their thread.

There is no ban on discussing or criticising Brexit. The OPs thread was being derailed for a Brexit discussion that did not contribute to the topic under discussion.

Thread derailment is a major factor limiting my enjoyment of this forum at the moment. It's good to see the principle clearly stated that moderation can be appropriate.

Jonathan

Thanks to all of the Moderators and others who make the forum work.

[rjb]

Going off at a tangent can throw up lots of interesting ideas. It's what I like about this forum.

[Paulatic]

Thread derailment is a major factor liming my enjoyment of this forum at the moment. others who make the forum work.

Can you clarify, for me certainly, what you mean by liming?
My understanding of liming is how it sweetens acidic ground and yet I’m guessing you mean the opposite?

[mjr]

Thread derailment is a major factor liming my enjoyment of this forum at the moment. It's good to see the principle clearly stated that moderation can be appropriate.

Yes, moderators stopping derailment is a good improvement, but it is extremely surprising that this rule change first appeared in a moderation explanation post, rather than, for example, in the board rules. Will the rules be updated now?

Does this means that I won't have so many "off topic" reports closed in future with the moderator reminding me that topic drift doesn't break any current rules?

[Jdsk]

Thread derailment is a major factor liming my enjoyment of this forum at the moment.

Can you clarify, for me certainly, what you mean by liming?
My understanding of liming is how it sweetens acidic ground and yet I’m guessing you mean the opposite?

Thanks for spotting the typo: I meant limiting, and I've corrected it.

Jonathan

[mattheus]

Going off at a tangent can throw up lots of interesting ideas. It's what I like about this forum.

INTERESTING being a key word - dragging up long-standing, much-debated issues hardly qualifies.[I have quite strong views on Br**it, but they are not relevant to this thread!]

[Psamathe]

Going off at a tangent can throw up lots of interesting ideas. It's what I like about this forum. :D

I both agree and disagree - much depend son the nature of the thread. So maybe a very factual thread eg "What torque should I set my squander bolt to?" is specific, (probably short) and probably needs to stay on-topic. Whereas eg "UK Politics" is by its nature rambling diverse heads in all sorts of directions (often at the same time) but it's the nature of that type of thread.

And different people place different degrees of specificity on different topics/trreads - so to me there is no "answer", just a continuum with a cutt-off subject to personal opinion.

But at then end of the day, it's a chat area forum, exchange of ideas, information, views.

nb To me off-topic is completely different from mis-information (and I don't think anybody is confusing the two).

Ian

[rjb]

What annoys me the most are links posted with no reference to what they are about.

[Psamathe]

What annoys me the most are links posted with no reference to what they are about. :(

Even worse when appended with "Discuss"

(But we might be going off-topic here ...)

Ian

[Pebble]

Going off at a tangent can throw up lots of interesting ideas. It's what I like about this forum.

Yes, completely different thoughts from completely different angles are what make forums interesting - the likes of ChatGBPT+4 will never say something like "you have asked the wrong question" then go on a mad but interesting tangent.

But also 'yes' to not wanting threads to disappear down Helmet or Brexit rabbit holes.

[drossall]

A thread can easily provoke a discussion on an unrelated topic. But what I've seen done, and would prefer, is that people announce in the original thread that they have taken up that topic in a new thread, with a link. Then the original topic, which was probably interesting in its own right, can continue too.

Start a new thread with a title relevant to the new topic and heavens, you might even attract others who want to discuss that. Far more likely to get interesting posts about politics if the thread claims to be about Brexit than if it claims to be about pedal bearings, surely? How would people even find it in the latter case?

[irc]

What annoys me the most are links posted with no reference to what they are about.

Especially if the ink is a video.

[mattheus]

What annoys me the most are links posted with no reference to what they are about.

Especially if the ink is a video.

Those ones are easy - I simply never open them.

[irc]

What annoys me the most are links posted with no reference to what they are about.

Especially if the ink is a video.

Those ones are easy - I simply never open them.

Exactly. There is no point posting a video link without a couple of sentences saying what it is. Nobody will look at it.

[Psamathe]

Especially if the ink is a video.

Those ones are easy - I simply never open them.

Exactly. There is no point posting a video link without a couple of sentences saying what it is. Nobody will look at it.

Particularly as the forum has a short code and links in the post edit bat to embed the video as in

Takes seconds!

Ian