# What does "hijacking a thread" mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 22, 2000, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376 "2000-11-22T22:20:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/1 "2000-11-22T22:20:55Z")
I see this term on the SDMB all the time. I have not the merest clue what it means. :o ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/2 "2000-11-22T22:25:19Z")
Y’know I just gotta tell you about the cool concert tonight at Gunther Murphy’s. THere will be three singer songwriters form Ireland- I’ve heard them before and it will be great!! Gunther Murphy’s 1638 W. Belmont Chicago IL 1/2 blk W. of Ashland 9-9:30 p.m. starts ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/3 "2000-11-22T22:28:30Z")
…and I got Andy’s school pics back today. they’re great- he is sitting in front of a chalkboard and smiling- unlike his sister, he hasn’t developed that “fake” smile so it looks really nice.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/4 "2000-11-22T22:31:58Z")
Do I understand aright: These are examples? (a bland “yes” or “no” will suffice, thanks you.) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/5 "2000-11-22T22:37:55Z")
MikeG, yer evil 😃 Yes, dougy\_monty, that’s precisely what a “hijack” is. A poster interjects something completely off-topic. Sometimes they apologize, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes, a hijack can be permanent, and alter the threads course - often to the dismay of the OP. Group Dynamics, SDMB Style. Fascinating stuff, at times. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/6 "2000-11-22T22:38:04Z")
yes, but that reminds me, what’s the origin of the word “bland”? ( :D) ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/7 "2000-11-22T22:38:51Z")
A moose once bit my sis… [sub]ok[/sub] yes "When you start an, or comment upon an entirely unrelated matter in an existing post. I love hijacking threads! (I have to have _some_ ignorance fighting quality to my 300th post don’t I?) Hey, lets make this **my** 300th post party thread!! ::puts out several kegs of Guinness and assorted beverages.:: :: The Thai and Dim Sum buffet is over there, don’t hurt each other getting to the shrimp dumplings!:: ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/8 "2000-11-22T22:42:38Z")
Hey! Did I hear someone mention beer? Yes, please. I’ll have one. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/9 "2000-11-22T22:42:55Z")
Thanks to all. I guess it’s like a carpenter asking his helper for some “nuts” and the helper offers him some pecans, filberts, walnuts… ---
**Author:** ![Cantrip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Cantrip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cantrip)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/10 "2000-11-22T22:44:29Z")
Mind you, moose bites can be pretty nasty. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/11 "2000-11-22T22:45:08Z")
::cracks open a frosty one for **Uncle** :: Here ya go Unc’! ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/12 "2000-11-22T22:49:16Z")
also, IME, the “hijack” is often tangentally connected to the main thread (as in recently a poster asked a “what’s the answer to this riddle” and it spawned into a “what are some fun riddles” and the OP never got answered (To my knowledge) - kind of like what I tried to do. OR, a poster will respond directly to another poster in the thread (like "Hi **Coldfire,** how’s them moderating duties coming along, gee, I’ve really missed you…) and then others respond etc. Also, there’s another type of hyjack which is really frowned upon these days, where a poster will speculate about the troll-type nature of another poster (we’ve been asked really, really nicely to not do that, to bring it to e-mail to a mod) Too much information yet? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/13 "2000-11-22T22:53:37Z")
Hey, wring. How is ya? > [@](#): > > I guess it’s like a carpenter asking his helper for some “nuts” and the helper offers him some pecans, filberts, walnuts… This is a _perfect_ description, Dougie. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2000, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/14 "2000-11-22T22:58:03Z")
Hiya **UncleBeer** oh, I am sooooo in need of a beer. Nuts? why thank you. How’s by you? Isn’t this a nice change of pace? ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/15 "2000-11-23T00:20:27Z")
Mike, ya got champagen for me? ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/16 "2000-11-23T00:27:30Z")
**Champagne?** there’s **Champagne** here?? Where’s my glass??? ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/17 "2000-11-23T00:30:24Z")
Yet another type of hijack: If poster A wishes to say something off-topic to poster B, and poster B’s email is not listed, A may ask B to email her. Usually this hijack comes with an apology, and does not necessarily turn into a whole-thread hijack–but sometimes it unfortunately does. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/18 "2000-11-23T00:39:08Z")
I think the worst kind of hijack comes in chat rooms, when someone logs into the chat room, posts a commercial message (usually it’s for porno videos or stills), and _immediately_ logs out. Talk about guerrilla tactics… ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Pinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dr.Pinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Pinky)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/19 "2000-11-23T00:52:02Z")
And yet, gorrilas only have one inch penii, as we learned in the hot monkey sex thread last night. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2000, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376/20 "2000-11-23T00:52:22Z")
My WinAmp player just started **Johnny Cash** ’s _Chicken in Black_. Hey, I figured it would fit into the discussion 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-hijacking-a-thread-mean/42376.md?page=2)