Roger Irrelevant
This is a slightly tricky issue, as it depends to some extent on the character of the forum you’re hanging out on.
Some fora allow their members to be as chatty as they like. Some ask their members to stay “on topic” – in other words, not to stray off the subject under discussion. Some have separate areas for chat and for on-topic postings.
If the forum asks you to stay “on topic”, that means that whatever you post should always be relevant to the subject of the first posting in the thread. That holds true particularly when the person who’s posted has asked for help or advice on a particular issue. And it holds true even if you were the person who originally asked the question!
Remember, other people may well be searching the forum later on for the same information. It’s harder for them to find that information if it’s buried under a mass of irrelevant postings – or if it’s been posted in reply to a completely different question.
To see what this looks like in practice, let’s imagine someone has posted on a forum with the title “What’s the best route from Glasgow to Doncaster?”
These responses would be OK:
- A direct answer to the question, which could be anything from a simple outline of your suggested route to an in-depth presentation of the ins and outs of various routes – as long as they go from Glasgow to Doncaster.
- A request for supplementary information which affects the answer. For instance, the original poster may not have said what time of day they intend to travel (or what form of transport they’re using!).
- An alternative answer to one that’s already been given – again, as long as it goes from Glasgow to Doncaster.
- A query to an answer that’s already been given – for instance, if the answer recommends a road that’s temporarily closed.
- A further question that’s genuinely a sub-division of the original one. So, for instance, if there are roadworks along the best route, you could post asking when the roadworks are likely to be completed; or if the route goes through a particular city, you might want to ask when the rush hours are and how heavy the traffic gets.
These responses would NOT be OK:
- Flippant answers – for instance, “Who’d want to go to Doncaster anyway?”
- Supplementary questions that are prompted by the original question but for which the answers don’t answer the original question – for instance, “What’s the best route from Glasgow to Chester?” or “What are the pubs like in Doncaster?”
(New questions should be addressed in a different topic – if the question hasn’t been asked already, then start a new topic.) - Personal information that doesn’t actually help answer the question – for instance, reminiscences about breakdowns on the M74.
- Requests for the original poster to provide supplementary information that doesn’t have any bearing on the answer – for instance, “Are you going to do any shopping while you’re in Doncaster?”
Even though some fora may let you off with a certain amount of chat even in information-oriented discussions, it’s best to err on the side of caution unless you’re absolutely sure of your ground. After all, you’d think it was pretty odd if you were discussing the price of fish with your pals and someone interrupted with a story of how they once caught an old boot in the canal, wouldn’t you?
Remember – keep it relevant, not hatstand.
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