Hijacking threads... OK, we are all guilty?

[Scargo]

I love this forum, the sharing of information that comes out of it and the camaraderie. I am against tight moderator control or censorship.
I would categorize the builders and the followers as (for the most part) mature, respectful and experienced. I love the technical aspect of it.

What I've seen that is bothering me is the hijacking, or derailing, of threads by a few that, in my view, diminish the quality of the threads and show disrespect for the person who started the thread, especially if it is someone else's build thread!

Without getting too verbose, I'd like to see people start their own threads (with helpful titles) rather that asking a question unrelated to the main topic that promotes answers that create a life of their own and go on and on; sidetracking the topic and sucking all the oxygen out of the thread owner's room.
As I said, I really value the information shared here and don't like to see it watered down. Am I asking too much? Is it common for threads to become free-for-alls nowadays?

[David Hodgkins]

If any threads go off on a tangent, I can always break it out into it's own thread. I don't read all the 818 threads though so someone would have to report it.

BTW reporting a post for this reason is fine; not every reported post needs to end in an infraction.

[flynntuna]

Yea, I'm guilty of that, and your right a lot of these hijacks do deserve their own thread. It would make it a lot easier to search for that topic that's buried in some thread that you know is out there some were and just don't remember we're it is..

[Scargo]

THAT is one of my biggest gripes. I forgot to mention that. You know Bubba posted his magic wheel/tire combo somewhere but it's not in his thread; it is lost in a different, sometimes trivial thread. Meanwhile the "Ultimate Wheel/Tire Thread" goes lacking. There are forums like IWSTI and NASIOC and others that actually ask you if you really need to start a new thread. They suggest places you could be posting to. None stop you from posting anywhere you want.
I recognize it is sometimes difficult to decide where to put your comments. It's work to go look and search and then abandon the reflex impulse to add your info at the place where you first made the connection. It is a community and I hope others will see it as a way of sharing what they know rather than sticking it in an obscure location where finding it is difficult. Regardless of your due diligence and search skills how many of you have resorted to asking for help? How many times have you seen a post asking "who said that...?".