Pirating a forum thread ???

[jimmy cee]

A member posts a question or statement here on SFG forums, also on other sites such as facebook.
People respond to the question asked, then a person other than the originator of the thread asks a question related to or not related to original question. Others then chime in answering.  Would this secondary question and answering be considered pirating a thread ?
I see this happens quite frequently and it's understandable

[Scorpio Rising]

A member posts a question or statement here on SFG forums, also on other sites such as facebook.
People respond to the question asked, then a person other than the originator of the thread asks a question related to or not related to original question. Others then chime in answering.  Would this secondary question and answering be considered pirating a thread ?
I see this happens quite frequently and it's understandable

Like they change the original thread idea? I don't know about pirating, Jimmy!

[sanderson]

We do tend to to get off topic a little bit, sometimes a lot. As long as it comes back to the topic it's forgivable. It's the Mods and my job to watch for that and guide the conversation back. Or, split the topic into 2 topics.

[littlesapphire]

That's tough, Jimmy.  I think it's pirating the topic if the thread never gets back to the original question.  I think it's human nature to just want to chat

[Kelejan]

It is human nature to wander off topic. It can be a little annoying if you have started a thread on a certain topic and come back later to see that we are talking about something completely different.

It is something that I am aware of as of course I wander too  (at my age I'm allowed to? ) but I do my best to get back on track.

It is up to us to be aware and to do our best so that the mods do not have too much work to do. 

I sometimes watch the political discussions on TV and sometimes if the moderator is not too good, you get five people talking at once and for me I just have to switch off as although I listen intently, it is annoying when I cannot  hear the speaker out.  Some mods chip in themselves far too often and I often think I would not like be be there trying to speak and get my point across. A good mod is almost invisible and can guide the conversation, giving everyone the chance to speak and still keep on topic. 

See, I am already a little off topic.

[plantoid]

A member posts a question or statement here on SFG forums, also on other sites such as facebook.
People respond to the question asked, then a person other than the originator of the thread asks a question related to or not related to original question. Others then chime in answering.  Would this secondary question and answering be considered pirating a thread ?
I see this happens quite frequently and it's understandable

If it is a cut and paste thing it might be a copyright infringement issue for the website owners concerned for the original question .
 
I guess it is considered not Internet etiquette by many folk but as the Internet  is reasonably free of suffocating  control  it's bound to happen .    I've often seen it referred to as the hijacking of threads or posts.

Though in some sites I play on it's often a way of bringing new material to the thread that would not otherwise t have been posted  ,so depending on how it pans out  it can be a welcome or an unwanted interruption .
 Usually the original poster ( O/P ) will stand up & give input as to the direction of the thread , as well as site moderators often giving directions for people to get back to  the O/P 's original topic .

One site I occasionally use has an amusing icon of a guy prancing around , steam  blowing out of his ears , he is holding up a big pointed sign post that displays the words " OFF TOPIC " , it gets its fair share of use.

[CitizenKate]

A member posts a question or statement here on SFG forums, also on other sites such as facebook.
People respond to the question asked, then a person other than the originator of the thread asks a question related to or not related to original question. Others then chime in answering.  Would this secondary question and answering be considered pirating a thread ?
I see this happens quite frequently and it's understandable

It's referred to as "hijacking" the thread, and yes, that's a good definition.  Some forums (such as tech forums) respond rather harshly when this happens, because it kind of messes up topic search results later on, and it sometimes results in the original topic never being allowed to run its course.  I can't tell you how many times I've searched for a bit of information in a forum, find numerous topics started on the subject, and spend 15 minutes reading, only to have the topic get hijacked or slowly drift to something else before the original topic was resolved.  It's frustrating and wastes time.

I think staying on-topic is a relatively new human social skill.  Having a topic drift like that in normal everyday conversation is natural.  It's natural for humans to want to explore all aspects of a given topic, even when it drifts in another direction.

So I'm of the opinion that topic drift can be treated with kindness and helpfulness.  Modern web-based forums come with all kinds of handy moderation tools that make hijacked topics a non-issue, but even then, it can be a tough call to make sometimes.

[mschaef]

Glad this was brought up. Now I know a bit more and will strive to be better at stay on the threads topic.

[Kelejan]

It helps when we are aware of what can happen. It just needs a nudge now and then, and the originator of the thread should do their part in keeping things on track.  It does not have to be nasty; as sanderson says, treat with helpfulness and kindness.

[sanderson]

Just a little correction, to give credit where due. CitizenKate was the one who stated treated with kindness and helpfulness.

[Kelejan]

Thanks fopr the correction, sanderson, in your usual kind and heplful fashion.


Apologies to Kate.

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