Just start your own thread.

[Meeting]

If you are coming to a thread to start a whole new debate about a topic that's sort of related to the OP but completely irrelevant and will completely derail it, just start your own thread.

Obviously threads are conversations and go in different directions, but deliberately and constantly commenting on a separate issue and taking over is just so annoying.

I think sausages are nicer than bacon.... AIBU?

You beat me to it, so yes you are being unreasonable!!

It takes all sorts. I like the conversational threads.

Not all men are like that!

It's cycling. It's always cycling.

Once it was Warhammer. That was a red letter day.

Cancel the cheque

YABU, extremely U.

If you want us to guess the nub, please start your own thread, don’t hijack someone else’s.

I don't mind when it's a minor derail briefly but it's really annoying when it takes over the entire thread and 99% of posters aren't responding to the OP but to each other about a side issue

That's what I can't stand!

That's normally when the OP buggers off, not answering any questions. Either the thread changes, or fizzles out.

YANBU. I hate this as well. Usually a small handful of posters boring on and on about some tiny thing that has little or nothing to do with the original post. Even when other posters try to bring the thread back on track they just refuse to give it a rest. I saw it happen on a thread yesterday, an interesting discussion being derailed by a few posters taking it over instead of starting their own thread.

I quite like the unpredictability of the direction of debate. Surely we don't have to be so rigid about everything, it is after all just a free flowing conversation

I don't mind a thread flowing along. But two or three posters obsessively going on and on about some tiny thing, long after it's obvious that other posters aren't interested and want to go back to the original debate, shows a lack of awareness really.

Sausages are nicer but bacon is more versatile so it's not so cut and dry.

Ah, but we're talking about how nice they are,not how useful 🤔

This is how I feel. If we all stuck rigidly to responding only to the OP the threads would be far less interesting.
If people start a tangential side discussion, there's nothing to stop other posters ignoring them and continuing to discuss the OP if they prefer, so I'm never sure why it matters.

Nice sausages are nicer than rubbish bacon. Nice bacon is nicer than rubbish sausages.
Nice bacon is nicer than Nice sausages imo

I agree.

Threads often have a life of their own and no one is forced to engage with the unrelated topic.

@00100001

It's my thread so we're talking about what I say we are talking about.

Sausages.

Actually, fried egg

Nice

Agreed.

Someone should tell the MRA on the current child maintenance thread.

Jam or cream first?

Jam first I think! 😅