Time limits for unfocused discourse threads?

[Nathan_Boyer]

@Nathan_Boyer

Natural discussion in a meandering thread can lead to topics (and PRs) that wouldn’t have been brought up otherwise.

This post actually ended up being a good example.

1. The original topic is thread time limits.
2. The discussion prompted me to think about alternative methods to discourage mega-threads.
3. I replied with one such idea (that would not have occurred to me without participating in this thread).
4. We are now on a tangent about how a similar existing feature works.

Was this an okay reply in this thread or should it have been a new linked thread?

@Nathan_Boyer

Maybe there is some Discourse tool that could nest or link to a new topic from an existing thread bringing the readership with it? Some middle ground between starting an empty new thread from scratch with no followers and continuing to dogpile on the same mega-thread?