# The Myth of "Staying On Topic" Exploded



## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

"Staying on topic" is a myth, and a fallacy. If moderators use this principle as a reason for closing a thread, it is only justified if the "off-topic" direction is a negative one.

Otherwise, I have seen threads "blossom" into much more than they were intended to be by the original thead-starter. A good example is the "I Love Lang Lang" thread, which is branching out into the very interesting subject of music vs. performance. Another is the "suffering" thread, which keeps expanding.

Perhaps the key to understanding this is that a thread can have an "underlying principle" which is not immediately apparent, or has to develop naturally into what it ultimately becomes.

"Off-topic" is a restrictive, inflexible way of looking at discussions which should be "organic" in their development, as long as it stays positive.


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

In general I would say we moderators agree. There may be occasions where the OP is unhappy because a thread is diverted too early and the original topic never has a chance to be discussed. That can be a tough call depending on the new topic(s).


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