Except, that is the exact problem I am talking about it.
If it's not on your checklist then let discussions flow. If it is then we should understand it.
Having it based on the mood of the day makes for a very difficult forum life.
Is today the day that Mod A or Mod C are looking for off-topic posts ? Or is it tomorrow ? Do I need to watch what I say ? Or don't I ?
Why is topic A allowed to go off the rails and topic B doesn't ?
Again, ignore racism, sexism, etc. Everyone sensible understands these things should not be part of the discussions.
Just focus on off-topic discussions.
Again, you do NOT need to watch what you are saying, topics are allowed to go off-topic.
Like closure of a thread, a direction given by a mod is used as a tool.
Thanks to giving a direction a discussion was made possible that imo would have otherwise been about Pixar vs. Horror thread/forum, Nereida, antique PBophiles, childish weeaboo, poor tastes, Pathfinder, et cetera, and after a few posts probably calls for moderation to do something about silly, irrelevant or unrespectful posts coming from people who, to my surprise and disappointment, apparently have little trouble setting aside others in a non respectful way but make a hell of noise, including unfriendly PMs to a moderator, when targeted themselves.
We have seen that happening. We know how that ended. Not in a good discussion where everybody now seems to be so fond of. (But hey, refrain from moderation and behold.)
You can't have it both ways.
I directed the discussion back to the topic. But yes, that means that anything else than the topic will be deleted AFTER my warning.
Or I do not step in, which some of you now seem to prefer. But then, when I or other moderators do step in, a thread will be closed, like in the good ol' days. When again, threads were closed because no one added something worthwhile according to a moderator, because, according to a moderator, the thread turned into a boring tete-a-tete, or an equally boring, but rather destructive, mud throwing party.
Really, not one of the mods/admins, no one, is going to micromanage a mess of posts, where some posts or parts of posts are okay and others are not.
Warnings, making sure warnings are heeded, deleting posts, closing threads, those are all tools of moderation, to get a moderate reaction.
Not to go off topic warnings simply have been a tool to steer away from cliffs where members have shown to gather like lemmings to get in a turbulent flow to meet the bottom.
Goal: to make an interesting discussion possible.
When to step in is a question that is on the mind of every moderator. Sometimes things solve themselves out. Sometimes no flow but a wave of personal attacks coming from all sides, one after the other.
Ergo, you have been free to wander in whatever thread, until you stumbled on a sign-board that from that point on told you not to wander anymore: one way street. Or, in the past (maybe also the future?), you stumbled on a roadblock.