is there a way to

[chuteless 1]

is it possible for the originator of a thread to end that thread if he/she feels it has been hijacked by others ?

[JohnRich 4]

Sometimes I wish it were so.

Unfortunately, just because you start a thread, doesn't mean that you "own" it. And I'm not sure that this would be a good thing, as everyone would be their own little moderator, and not necessarily in a fair manner..

[NWFlyer 2]

What do you do in real life when discussions take a turn other than the one that you originally intended? Stop talking and demand others stop talking until they take it back the way you "intended"? Or do you let the conversation flow and roll with it? Remember, in person and online, you can also choose not to respond if you're not comfortable with the way the conversation has gone.

Just because you bring up a topic does not mean that you then control 1) what people choose to say about and what their opinions might be or 2) whether they continue to talk about that topic in the way you intended, or at all.

That said, this is taken directly from the forum rules:

Quote

Off Topic Replies and "Thread Hijacking"
"Drifting" threads are subject to locking or deleting. Replies to topics started by another user should remain within the context of the initial post. While we recognize that discussions often diverge and evolve, threads or responses that are completely irrelevant to the initial post will most likely be deleted or split into two different threads.

It has been my experience here that the moderators keep a pretty decent eye on this. Being human, they don't always get it perfect, and depending on the topic or the forum, they may allow more or less thread drift. That's going to happen. They also may not consider something hijacking that you consider hijacking.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke