About interupting

[Sela]

Hi all:

Is there a rule or board etiquette I'm missing?

I just commented on something one member said to another (mainly because I trust that member to not flip out and because I believe that member trusts my intentions to be other than harmful).  I see people doing this all the time and it doesn't seem to be a problem for some people and seems to be a big problem for others (as if they perceive it as an interuption, especially, if the view is different than their own).

Aren't threads here a kind of group property (meaning...  are all welcome to comment/participate/voice)?
 
Just because I start a thread, does that mean I'm being interupted when another person posts to someone other than me?  Or when someone, other than the person I posted to ....responds?

What is considered a real interuption here?

Thankyou all for helping me with this confusion (on my part). 

Sela

[Healing&Hopeful]

Hi Sela

I'll give you it from my perspective... not sure about board etiquette!

I imagine a thread like a group of people in 3D.... if you're in a group, you are not necessarily talking to the whole group all the time, or talking to the person who started the conversation.  Think how many times a conversation starts, how it changes, and when in a group of people who you talk to, who the others talk to.

"Just because I start a thread, does that mean I'm being interupted when another person posts to someone other than me?  Or when someone, other than the person I posted to ....responds?"

I don't know Sela... I think it's how you feel about it which is important.  If you think you're being interupted, then it's very valid, but if you are happy with the thread then thats good too.

Not sure if I made any sense there!

Love H&H xx

[Hops]

Hi, Sela,
I think you can only get individual responses to your question, 'course.

I think complete consensus would be hard to achieve in an online forum...(my Quaker friend says their meeting-business meetings go on for hours and hours because every single person has to agree on every sub-detail! She adores them all but says that's exhausting!  )

My preference is to think of all threads as open to all.
If someone who started a thread wants it to stay firmly on that subject, that person could request it when they start a thread, or just come back in later and re-introduce the issue they are needing to talk about...
.
Sometimes I'm madly typing away on my 3rd post to a thread, enthused as all heck, and then it dimly occurs to me that what I'm rabbiting on about has nothing to do with the thread's title.

I think requests are the best thing to do. A person can always ask for what they'd like. And then if somebody (such as senile me) forgets what someone had requested...they can be (nicely, hopefully) reminded.

My 2 cents...(I am still eating like a walrus. Better go find that old thread.)

Hops
 

[penelope]

I have a need for threads to stay on topic...

that said, I'm probably one of the worst offenders.   

So, to quote Portia:  no one dies if my thread goes off topic.  But some days it sure would be nice *sigh* ...imagine if we could all FOCUS.  I have this thing about the world becoming more and more ADD, and I'm trying to make my paradigm different, that's all.  But I know it's prolly futile.

OK, I'm off my soap box now.

But yes, I think threads are for ALL.  Even those you've "officially" stopped talking to (if that is the case) can respond, if you start a thread or post a response - if you don't want to read their post, skip over it or read it, but sit on your fingers.    But demanding people not post to or about your threads?  Whew, you can try, but how the heck are ya gonna enforce that one?

Lotta times I think people are afraid to start their own thread so they'll post something to another thread completely off-topic cause maybe that's where people seem to be "at."  Just my observation there.  So when somebody flies in an drops a fly-by turd (or gem) sometimes I think:  well, I guess they needed some attention.  There goes my thread, and my train of thought - OH WELL.

pb

[Sela]

Thankyou H&H, Hops and Pb:

Yes you did make sense H&H and Hops your 2 cents is worth much more to me.
Your train of thought helped me Pb.  As did all of you.

Thanks again.

Sela