Thread derailment

[slowster]

One of the stated aims in the Forum Guidelines is that the forum develops and maintains 'a reputation for friendliness, inclusiveness, helpfulness and knowledge'. When someone joins the forum to ask for help, they should not see their thread quickly become derailed by numerous off-topic posts, something which has happened on two threads very recently.

On such a thread, if someone wants to comment about something which does not directly address the new member's request for help, they can start a new thread, or at least wait till the existing one has run its course and ideally the OP has acknowledged that (which is what has now happened on the thread that Jdsk referred to).

I think it is different for threads started by existing members, and also for threads with opening posts which do not ask specifically for help. If a thread is reported for off-topic posts derailing it, I think more weight would probably be given to it if it were the OP making the report. It's impossible to predict how threads will develop, and usually we all just have to wait and see how the thread evolves. If it becomes very clear that a thread is being adversely affected by off-topic posts derailing it, then if necessary it can be split.

[mjr]

If a thread is reported for off-topic posts derailing it, I think more weight would probably be given to it if it were the OP making the report.

We have had occasional problems with people claiming ownership of topics they started. I urge you not to give in to them.

Can the rules be updated to reflect the prohibition on thread derailing and any limitations on it explicitly, please? I think relying on the stated aims in the current rules seems like a stretch which will cause problems in the future if left unwritten.

[Jdsk]

One of the stated aims in the Forum Guidelines is that the forum develops and maintains 'a reputation for friendliness, inclusiveness, helpfulness and knowledge'. When someone joins the forum to ask for help, they should not see their thread quickly become derailed by numerous off-topic posts, something which has happened on two threads very recently.
...

My enjoyment of the site has recently been lessened by a particular habit. When someone asks for help on fixing something they aren't asking for a review of the entire technological and marketing history. That history is often absolutely fascinating and I love reading it and I'm impressed by the knowledge, but I'd much prefer that it was in a different thread or blog because it gets in the way of understanding the responses to the original cry for help.

Jonathan

[Psamathe]

One of the stated aims in the Forum Guidelines is that the forum develops and maintains 'a reputation for friendliness, inclusiveness, helpfulness and knowledge'. When someone joins the forum to ask for help, they should not see their thread quickly become derailed by numerous off-topic posts, something which has happened on two threads very recently.
...

My enjoyment of the site has recently been lessened by a particular habit. When someone asks for help on fixing something they aren't asking for a review of the entire technological and marketing history. That history is often absolutely fascinating and I love reading it and I'm impressed by the knowledge, but I'd much prefer that it was in a different thread or blog because it gets in the way of understanding the responses to the original cry for help.

Jonathan

But it can be a difficult one. eg "Custom Storage" thread (viewtopic.php?t=160418) where new'ish member was asking about contributors experiences building a storage shed for a bike. But OP also stated why he was wanting to build a shed and many responses (including my own) was to provide solutions to the reason for needing a custom bike shed. I felt the alternative solutions useful but they were not answering the OP's question.

Ian

[Jdsk]

One of the stated aims in the Forum Guidelines is that the forum develops and maintains 'a reputation for friendliness, inclusiveness, helpfulness and knowledge'. When someone joins the forum to ask for help, they should not see their thread quickly become derailed by numerous off-topic posts, something which has happened on two threads very recently.
...

My enjoyment of the site has recently been lessened by a particular habit. When someone asks for help on fixing something they aren't asking for a review of the entire technological and marketing history. That history is often absolutely fascinating and I love reading it and I'm impressed by the knowledge, but I'd much prefer that it was in a different thread or blog because it gets in the way of understanding the responses to the original cry for help.

But it can be a difficult one. eg "Custom Storage" thread (viewtopic.php?t=160418) where new'ish member was asking about contributors experiences building a storage shed for a bike. But OP also stated why he was wanting to build a shed and many responses (including my own) was to provide solutions to the reason for needing a custom bike shed. I felt the alternative solutions useful but they were not answering the OP's question.

Yes, but in that case the responses were still attempting to solve the problem.

And it is often necessary to try and track back beyond the OP's question to identity the real problem!

Jonathan

[Mike Sales]

Inappropriate off-topic posts about clubs' policies on helmet wearing have been removed.

Are we not approaching a situation where opinions which criticise helmet orthodoxy are not allowed. We already have a ghetto to banish such subversion to. Why not put put such posts there?

[Moderator note- post split off from here - viewtopic.php?t=160829, and moved to this existing thread on the subject of thread derailment in 'Using the Forum']

[slowster]

Are we not approaching a situation where opinions which criticise helmet orthodoxy are not allowed. We already have a ghetto to banish such subversion to. Why not put put such posts there?

I dealt with this in exactly the same way that I have done previously when new members' threads were derailed by off-topic posts about subjects other than helmets:

viewtopic.php?p=1826569#p1826569

viewtopic.php?p=1829423#p1829423

As I said above:

One of the stated aims in the Forum Guidelines is that the forum develops and maintains 'a reputation for friendliness, inclusiveness, helpfulness and knowledge'. When someone joins the forum to ask for help, they should not see their thread quickly become derailed by numerous off-topic posts

[mjr]

Are we not approaching a situation where opinions which criticise helmet orthodoxy are not allowed. We already have a ghetto to banish such subversion to. Why not put put such posts there?

I dealt with this in exactly the same way that I have done previously when new members' threads were derailed by off-topic posts about subjects other than helmets:

viewtopic.php?p=1826569#p1826569

viewtopic.php?p=1829423#p1829423

As I said above:

One of the stated aims in the Forum Guidelines is that the forum develops and maintains 'a reputation for friendliness, inclusiveness, helpfulness and knowledge'. When someone joins the forum to ask for help, they should not see their thread quickly become derailed by numerous off-topic posts

Either add it to the rules or stop enforcing unwritten extras, please. No one knows where they stand on this.