Posted by Solstice on February 27, 2012, at 9:19:45
In reply to Re: Scott's response to Solstice - Hijacking Threads, posted by Dinah on February 27, 2012, at 7:57:04
> I'd hate to see a policy about hijacking threads.
>
> I've seen website where any deviation from concentration on the originating poster is considered a hijacking. Where originating posters jealously guard their thread like a mama bird with just one chick. Where threads aren't allowed to develop as conversations, and the site doesn't feel much like a community at all.
>
> I don't like it.
There is a big difference between a thread developing and morphing into things other than the original subject, and hijacking. A thread that evolves into other things happens fairly naturally, and is participated in by the group of people involved in the discussion. The thread originator may or may not be participating as well, but their original purpose has run its course. Hijacking is all about the hijacker. That's where it is rude and uncivil. The hijacker is focused on substituting the original subject with their own agenda, which is usually in opposition to the original poster's subject. People can increase their power by just overwhelming the original poster.I don't think being assertive about not wanting a thread I initiated where I am earnestly seeking information due to a medical crisis in my family is the equivalent of a mama bird jealously guarding a thread. I just didn't want my need to be sidelined by outrageous claims that imply I am killing my daughter. A poster with the characteristics of that mama bird would need to be reigned in just like a hijacker needs to be reigned in.
My therapist told me once about what she called "Sharpeners and Levelers." Fascinating way to look at group dynamics. Anyway, she said I am a 'Sharpener.' Dinah, you seem to be a 'Leveler.' It's characteristic of a 'Sharpener' to see clear distinctions between things, whereas 'Levelers' tend to be more focused on the common ground between things. People are not necessarily one or the other - they just tend to lean more toward being a 'Sharpener' or a 'Leveler.' The world functions best with both :-) One is not more important than the other - and they both keep each other in balance. You keep my sharpening in check, but I have learned to be comfortable with the value of my sharpening, and I see danger in allowing a hijacker to become dominant in threads. That's not a 'conversation'... it's someone who has taken control and has sidelined the person who started a thread to get help on a mental health board.
Solstice
poster:Solstice
thread:1011298
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20110117/msgs/1011748.html