In the context of , discussion groups, internet forum, , , and a contribution is off-topic if it is not within the bounds of the current discussion, and on-topic if it is.
Even on very specialized forums and lists, off-topic posting is not necessarily frowned upon, "Members of more informal lists may be excited to learn you've had a baby or landed a new job. Others may find such posts annoying and may even flame you. " , Medieval Mailing Lists but a common netiquette convention is to mark a new off-topic posting or email by beginning it with "OT" "It is appreciated if articles that have absolutely nothing to do with Tolkien have subject lines beginning with "OT:" ("Off Topic")." . The Tolkien Newsgroups FAQ - for example in a forum discussing the Linux operating system someone might post: "OT: Did anyone else see that giant goose?".
Posting off-topic messages to deliberately aggravate other members is a form of Internet trolls.
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