What happens when discussions go off-topic, and how do I avoid doing it?
Taking discussions off-topic from the original question can create confusion and generally make conversations less consumable by others in the Community.
Your engagement in the community is primary! We encourage you to post your questions, discussions, and replies. Your inquiry and conversation are among the primary way our community grows and thrives.
Making sure that conversations remain on-topic is also very important. This standard helps the next person who reads the post follow the conversation—hopefully toward a solution.
When discussions go off-topic
Sometimes, someone will ask a new question as a reply to their own post, effectively organizing the discussion by their own thought process rather than by subject matter. Or they may engage in another person's discussion thread with a topically unrelated comment.
Old posts may also spring to life this way—perfectly fine unless the conversational logic is disrupted to the point of confusion. Replies that don't follow a logical flow through the thread are less likely to grab the community's attention compared to a new post.
However it happens, the result is a confusing thread.
Be patient
This is a peer-to-peer community. Not every question will attract an answer right away.
What can you do? Be sure to provide as much information as you can, and make sure your questions are clear so people can chime in and help out. Be sure to check out our How to create meaningful posts article.
Additional Resources
