# Why do so many posters have trouble staying on topic? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 28, 2026, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125 "2026-01-28T17:13:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/161 "2026-04-04T08:51:48Z")
Does the Discourse software allow nested posting? That would clear all of this up, wouldn’t it? People could then reply to hijacks all they want but those replies would all stay hidden under the hijack they were responding to. Only folks interested in the hijack need to see the hijack conversation. And this would avoid the need to start a whole new thread just to ask a simple side question and would allow discussion of side topics which can sometimes be more interesting than the OP. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/162 "2026-04-04T08:59:57Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Does the Discourse software allow nested posting? No, it does not. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/163 "2026-04-04T09:00:49Z")
Thanks for the answer. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/164 "2026-04-04T14:09:05Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Does the Discourse software allow nested posting? That would clear all of this up, wouldn’t it? People could then reply to hijacks all they want but those replies would all stay hidden under the hijack they were responding to. Only folks interested in the hijack need to see the hijack conversation. And this would avoid the need to start a whole new thread just to ask a simple side question and would allow discussion of side topics which can sometimes be more interesting than the OP. And would cause massive confusion, because people would post on-topic things as a reply and wind up getting them nested, causing the thread to in effect devolve into a mess of hidden subthreads; replies to some of which would pop up unpredictably in the main thread whenever somebody replied to the thread instead, but would make no sense without the hidden posts. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/165 "2026-04-04T16:42:31Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Does the Discourse software allow nested posting? They are working on it … > **[Nested Replies Testing](https://meta.discourse.org/c/nested-replies-testing/213)** > > Category used to test the very experimental plugin https://github.com/discourse/discourse-nested-replies/ ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/166 "2026-04-04T16:44:17Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Maybe it’s because I’m a mod, but i get DMs all the time. Some are moderation-adjacent, but a lot aren’t. Same for me. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/167 "2026-04-12T17:44:09Z")
Don’t say I didn’t do anything for you… here’s an AI assisted tool I created to analyze whether or not your reply is considered on-topic based upon the OP. And since I get charged for AI use, I limited this to 50 uses per day, 5 per IP. And yes, I’m sure many here can break past these limits with little effort, but be kind. > **[SDMB On-Topic Analyzer](https://script.google.com/a/macros/bookkeepersa.com/s/AKfycbyi-mdi9ctHrwWWGIpwjdd41WQZkiNiyZdc7eUtsyrxg2XAOc-IoPrKkDabYZKvTkYk/exec)** ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/168 "2026-04-12T23:23:09Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > here’s an AI assisted tool I created to analyze whether or not your reply is considered on-topic based upon the OP. I had a reply to the _United States and Israel are bombing Iran_ thread this morning, but I held off when I saw @What_Exit was posting a mod note. According to your bot, my instincts were right. To be honest, Sarcastic Jesus was pretty nice about the whole thing: > Therefore, My child, though thy thoughts be deep and thy understanding vast, thy reply hath indeed taken a wide turn from the narrow path prescribed. It hath become a commentary upon the _whys_ and the _wherefores_ and the _what-nexts_, when the initial scripture merely announced the _what_ and the _who_. Beware, lest by expanding the scope, thou risketh to overshadow the original message with a new sermon entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/169 "2026-04-21T20:49:44Z")
Haven’t read thread (nah - not gonna slog through 168 posts - scrolling up 25 posts sufficed, tyvm) - but surely it’s been mentioned (well, along with the post directly above mine) here about how the ‘US and Israel Bombing Iran’ thread must be setting a Dope record for most mod notes in a thread. Poor mods - I’d hate to deal with trying to cat-herd that thread. I mean, there _are_ other threads where one can opine and speculate, and such, over the issue. Shrug. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/170 "2026-04-21T21:25:19Z")
That’s what happens when you create rules for a thread that make it impossible to have a real conversation in. People either don’t post or they violate the rules by doing so. The laws of physics don’t work like that, the past, present and future are all intertwined. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/171 "2026-04-21T21:30:33Z")
When I was a fairly new mod and was managing a fast-running P&E thread, I was trying to work out my comfort level with hijacks. I decided to let it run to see how long it took before someone noticed they were completely off topic. It was over 200 posts and counting before I finally stepped in. I felt bad for that OP. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/172 "2026-04-21T21:32:55Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > That’s what happens when you create rules for a thread that make it impossible to have a real conversation in. Isn’t it nice that you now have an option to start your own Iran thread with no mod interference whatever on hijacks? No need to continue complaining about it. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/173 "2026-04-21T21:34:46Z")
It’s also clearly untrue that the rules are to blame, otherwise _every_ P&E thread would be like that, and they simply are not. It’s the **subject matter** that makes it difficult to carry that conversation in that category. It’s not like there are special rules that only apply to that thread and no other thread in P&E. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/174 "2026-04-21T21:56:08Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > It’s not like there are special rules that only apply to that thread and no other thread in P&E. Yes there are. “Don’t talk about the past or future” is a special rule that is unworkable because the universe doesn’t work like that. We don’t live in some timeless Eternal Now. Which is why the constant “hijacking”, they made the subject of the thread largely impossible to talk about without “hijacks”. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/175 "2026-04-21T22:01:32Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Yes there are. “Don’t talk about the past or future” is a special rule that is unworkable because the universe doesn’t work like that. …That particular rule is a difficult one to either follow or enforce, true. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/176 "2026-04-22T02:28:10Z")
I’ll point you to the specific moderation for the split in the Iran thread which had already had a ton of extremely off topic posts and long segues of Trump bashing. > [@United States and Israel are bombing Iran {for current/ongoing events, past/future have specific threads}](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran-for-current-ongoing-events-past-future-have-specific-threads/1028071/582): > > First, I apologize, @iiandyiiii, for giving confusing and contrary moderator instructions. It is understandable why you got confused, and that’s on me. Second, after discussion among P&E moderators, the following is directed to all posters: The subject conflict is likely to be protracted and branch off into many different lines of potential discussion. The current thread has already become unruly. For these reasons, as well as our rules against having omnibus threads, we’ve decided a better… In a perfect world, the original thread would have been _breaking news_ with a follow along P&E thread, as is most frequently the case. Posters chose not too, and so all the discussion was in the P&E thread - no real, workable way to put the genie back in the bottle. Thus, as stated in the link above: > The current thread is to discuss actual actions being taken. It’s not a Breaking News thread, but let’s keep the discussion confined to what is actually happening and the immediate, direct repercussions. Therefore, an effort to try to make a Breaking-News-style P&E thread. It was a kludge, but note the many, Many hijacks that had occurred long before we tried to fix it. Given that Speculation was normally not allowed in a Breaking News thread, we split off past and future to explicitly allow freedom of speculation. Was it a perfect fix? Apparently not. Was it well received at the time we rolled it out: > [@I object to my warning in "United States and Israel are bombing Iran"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-my-warning-in-united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran/1028106/46): > > Thanks mods. Great answer. Yes, pretty much! But with perfect 20/20 hindsight, we could probably done better. If I had a time machine and all… well, perfect knowledge from the future would fix a LOT of problems, no? So, and back to the _Present_, we’ve rolled out the HT option, which also will not be a perfect fix but it’s _another_ option. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2026, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/177 "2026-08-15T18:08:09Z")
My interpretation of this phenomenon is less related to how old many of us have become, but rather how many new and social media infected people we have. The responses, and I’m pretty much referring to GQ, used to seem a lot more informed, courteous, and if there was a disagreement it would be in the context of debate. What I see here now is more like the comment sections after pretty much every article or post or whatever. Not flaming, but irrelevant comments or even criticisms, often regarding vocabulary or terminology. Some can be clarifying, of course, but some of the posters seem simply obtuse and intent upon stamping their feet over pretty much nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2026, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/178 "2026-08-15T23:54:01Z")
None of that seems especially new (to me). Nitpickers and contrarians seem to occupy a huge niche on this board, and have since I’ve been here. And for the record, I have been guilty of both of those, but these days I just try to steer clear of the most contentious or wide-ranging threads, for the most part. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/179 "2026-08-16T01:45:37Z")
I’ll tell you why I do it. I’ve gotten caught up in posting a seemingly off topic post a few times. I never realize I’m doing it til it’s pointed out. I often think an anecdote would be a perfect enhancement to a thread that has floated out alittle. My brain flits around a bit. I try very hard to keep it going the right way. Sometimes I lose the battle if I’m over tired or cranky. Or even in a silly mood. I think the jumping up and flagging someone for a slight in any thread is out of hand. A few sneaky snakes watching for a chance to catch someone out. Awfully discouraging to someone wanting to converse on s subject. Now if a person is completely off the rails, yes say a thing. Only right. But if it is pleasant, a bit entertaining why not let it ride? I’ve been mod noted in one of my own threads for going off topic. I found that strange, indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2026, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/180 "2026-08-17T02:17:36Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > But if it is pleasant, a bit entertaining why not let it ride? One way to judge your own behavior in public is to ask yourself: what if everyone (or maybe even just a lot of people) were to do the same thing I’m doing? How would that change the nature of the place? If you can truly answer that by concluding that it wouldn’t change anything for the worse, then by all means carry on. If you can’t answer that way, then you are engaging in special pleading for your own behavior to be tolerated in a way that is not supportable for everyone’s behavior. There is a flavor of “tragedy of the commons” about this, but we are saved from the depths of that condition by our moderators. In my opinion, if lots of people were to make off-topic comments in lots of threads, it would make it very difficult to have any kind of sensible discussions. Fortunately, most people don’t, and because occurrences are not overwhelming, most people are willing to let such minor comments slide most of the time. I don’t think it’s fair to count on that tolerance all the time. I don’t think it’s fair to name-call people whose tolerance has run out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125.md?page=10)