What is "on topic"? Don't conversations evolve?

[Ricky M]

If someone posts a question about BNSF freight trains, and it morphs into discussion about trains in general, have we really gone off topic?

Methinks too many have tunnel vision - a dangerous and all too common problem these days.

 

[HatedByAll]

On this site I have noticed that any discussion topic that goes over two or three pages will get off topic and too many get badly off topic.

The only solution I could see is for monderators to stop the topics when it gets so off topic it is no longer constructive. The question that brings up is, do we want more moderation?

 

[Dave G.]

My SS holds both conductor and engineer licenses with CNX, he runs trains in the NE. This crisis ( virus) has effected many stops, from triple volume in some to others all but closed down. It hasn't effected sanitation too much around controls or train handling since they use alcohol wipes anyway, which is something I didn't know till the virus came along. I don't know about rail switching controls though since those are out in the weather but they are manual. Course then again the guys wear gloves. This is all true but Am I off topic yet having not once mentioned BNSF ?

 

[St_Worm2]

Hello @Ricky M, I believe what you are talking about is referred to as "thread drift", and it happens pretty often around here (and to a certain degree, it is always allowed to happen).

That said, if a member asks a question like, "what do I have to do to be saved", and a battle ensues concerning a hot topic like Calvinism and Arminianism that 1. takes the thread over and 2. doesn't answer the OP's questions, that isn't good (and our mods do step in at times and clean such threads up, by eliminating the thread drift posts, and/or by closing the thread altogether).

If thread drift starts to become a multi-page thing in someone else's thread, I think it best (and polite) to start a new thread that addresses the new topic (that the thread has 'drifted' towards) directly.

--David

 

[Monksailor]

I think different people have different ideas about what a thread is and how it should be managed and and how peripheral it may become. I think some just want to start a conversation for the mere sake of starting dialog and don't care too much where it goes as long as everyone gets along. These should be in fellowship and such forums. Others start one for trying to teach or ask about a very specific question and do not want to "waste time" getting to the answer, conclusion, session's end or such w/all kinds of tangent and irrelevant dialog. The person starting the thread cannot be expected to know anything past what topic they introduce and it protects their ignorance of unknown or inexperienced knowledge. There are many reasons. It is important, I think, to contemplate possible tangents ahead of time and dismiss them in the OP. One thing about starting a thread is that you must maintain vigilance in keeping current with its progress so that you can put a stop to undesirable tangents. Another problem is that when one achieves their goal with the thread they abandon it to wherever it may go instead of having staff put an end to it, which is very easy and usually quickly done.

 

[ewq1938]

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