I don't know, it depends on whether or not you think it hurts conversation. I think it's easier to have those kinds of philosophical conversations if you feel like you can do it in a relaxed way though. But I don't like the internet much, so I'm not really as immersed in nettiquette culture to know. Obviously if someone said, "please don't deviate at any time from the topic I'm creating," I'd try to respect that, but most of the time I figure it doesn't matter if the conversation goes off for a bit and comes back again. I just assumed it was up to the people most invested in it (if anyone was), like the person who created it, to set it straight again. Although, if a topic goes off in a really unsavory way, like we're talking about philosophy and some lunatic comes in out of nowhere ranting and raving about how evil GitS is and the subliminal messaging it contains and starts causing fights with everyone in the topic, then it's probably a good idea to whip it back in line again... fast. So no "how do I find GitS in the shops?" or "how do I download this?" in the "what is the meaning of life" section...
I don't know, perhaps we should put it to popular vote or something... Although, the final decision is Jeff's, and I'm not sure if he really gives it much thought. Sorry Jeni, you're working with a pair of laid-back tortoises here... it must get kind of frustrating... sheepish grin