to get irrationally annoyed when people hijack threads to have conversations between themselves completely ignoring the OP

[notalone]

This has only happenned to me once but I see it happen on other threads too and it really gets my teeth gnashing. Someone starts a thread then two or three others give the OP a one word answer before launching into a conversation between themselves with injokes etc and then the whole thread end up being about them and not about the subject the OP originally brought up. I am a bit pre menstrual and probably a teeny bit irrational but I just think it is rude and wouldn't happen in RL.

OK, will go now after having my rant

Actually, there was time not so long ago when if you wanted to talk to someone you would go ans start another thread and put a link where the other person could see it.

Failing that a hijack alert was also welcome.

I feel sometimes irritated when it looks as the chatting incomers are doing the chat just to annoy an already annoyed OP. Or making feel more ignored. IMO that's rude, here or in real life.

i agree with F&Z

YABU

F&Z- exactly, just as a RL conversation does not "belong" to the person who originally started. To insist on continuing on and on on the same topic that started the conversation is what people with limited social skills do at parties.

Having said that, if someone has a genuine problem or a very interesting and compelling thing to discuss, things tend to deviate far less.

It doesn't bother me and anyway it means the thread gets bumped....
In fact I like the in convos as I am inherently nosey and know much more about posters from those little exchanges than from posts sometimes. Sorry.

Has anyone seen Custardo? I want to thank her for a campsite tip she posted on another thread.

I've managed to book a holiday to Lake Garda for three, flights included, for £281.00.

she was on last night, des.

MeMySonandI, I have started threads like that or been on them and people come on and say "how cliquey, why not use email?"

some people just don't seem to like chatting, full stop

I also agree with VPumpkin
I find it interesting as am nosy

Cappy don't drag me into it

I still find it rude, sorry

Soooo, how are you doing, expat? I haven't engaged with you in a while .. we seem to keep missing each other.

In fact, I'm really glad to have found you on this thread. Pull up a chair, pour me a wine. Let's have a chat ...

Too right, Des! That's why I'm glad we've found each other on this thread.

I'll be around tonight, however, as DH wants to watch 'Million Dollar Baby' but I found it awfully depressing.

Snap!

Tonight's frozen pizza for tea night, too.

And wine night.

I am guessing I have done this previously...but having a chat with mners you haven't seen for a while and whom you like isn't such a deal, is it? IT doesn't stop the course of the thread if others wish to stick to the OP's theme. And as Franny notes, threads are organic and not the 'property' of anyone.

My first thread went this way, and when I gently objected, someone pointed out this fact to me, equally gently.

oh op, you are wasting your wrath. Save it up for something really worthwhile.

I find that if a couple of cronies take over a thread to chat about private things, then the thread soon dies because no one wants to listen to them witter on.

Now, you might feel this is Bad because you wanted your topic to continue.

But this is Good. Everyone has stopped listening to the witterers and you can just go and start another thread, or start your one again a day or two later, re-word it slightly and off it goes again.

Or if you are attached to your thread, tell witteres to bog off so that you can discuss the matter at hand.

just read thread. Look at all the cronies you have made witter

Of course, only tell people to bog off if you want to liven up a dull Friday night and are fully prepared for energetic banter which will follow

Ah, well this is my night of gainful employment, pulling pints for the plonkers of this parish. I shall be back around 11.30, so I'll catch up with you then.

This thread seems as cosy as any other.

helloo fox

(I wouldn't tell Des to bog off. Unless you;re feeling feisty)

Too true, Pointy.

Am back now. Sorry was not ignoring everyone or sulking lol.

I know the OP doesn't own a thread and its not the "oooh hello such and such, how are you and little ones?" interuptions I dislike. The ones I hate are the ones where loads of posters cram onto a thread without even acknowleging the OP or the subject matter and start posting private in jokes that no-one else has a hope of understanding. To me it could be abstractedly (is there such a word as abstractedly??!!) compared to perhaps inviting a friend out for a drink and the friend turning up with loads of their friends, turning their back on the person who invited them and spending all night with the other people giggling about things the first friend doesn't have a clue about. Maybe I am extra sensitive about this, but it is one of my bug bears on here. Other than that Mumsnet is amazing - honest