h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Topic drift is just one of those things that happens. Conversations would be pretty tiresome if they stayed on course. They are naturally organic beasts that go where they want and do what they want depending on the people partaking.

Most of the time we benefit from the fact that nothing is written down when we chat - probably just as well, seeing as most of what I have to say is little more than verbal flatulence - but with on-line chat like this, people can always refer back to the original question and what people have said previously.

As I said, topic drift just happens. I don't think people do it deliberately, but when you've got potentially thousands of people all partaking in the same conversation, there are bound to be people who see things from other angles, or misread what someone has said, or even answer a question that was glazed over in the dim and distant past.

Admittedly there are times when a posting is more of a bookmark than a worthwhile contribution to the subject but they only tend to come around in the less specific threads where people are literally just chatting and not discussing the plight of the Tibetan people.

Does that make sense - the words just sort of spewed from my fingers with the dexterity of an arthritic okapi.

Thanks, that sounds pretty fine to me . I'll stop being a miserable git now, I promise!

"Store in a dry place and keep away from children."

It's on the side of a box of matches, but is worth adopting as a personal motto I feel.