[Tutor] Hijacking a Thread (Re: Type Conversion)

[Kent Johnson]

Rikard Bosnjakovic wrote:
> On 5/9/07, Alan Gauld <alan.gauld at btinternet.com> wrote:
> 
>> Please don;t hijack a thread to ask something unrelkated.
>> Start a new threead it helps keep things clear and makkes
>> it easier to find responses later.
> 
> What do you mean by hijack a thread?
> 
> Her subject "Type conversion" is the only occurence in this list,
> hence it's an original post.

When you start a new thread by posting a message with an unrelated topic 
as a reply to a message on an existing thread, that is called hijacking 
the thread. The Type Conversion message was posted in this way as you 
can see if you look at the message headers; it is a reply to one of 
Teresa Stanton's messages.

When you hijack a thread, threaded newsreaders will show the new message 
and its replies in the original thread. This is disruptive to the flow 
of the original thread. Also anyone who has stopped reading the original 
thread will miss the new one.

The correct way to start a new thread is with a new email that is not a 
reply to another.

Kent