Where's the line for off-topic posts in a hobby forum?

[MadisonET]

So I’ve been helping moderate a small hobby group for about a year now, and I keep running into this one awkward situation. A long-time, generally well-meaning member consistently posts content that’s just barely off-topic—it’s not rule-breaking, but it definitely derails the thread every single time. I’m starting to second-guess where the line is between guiding the community vibe and being too rigid. How do you all handle that subtle, persistent misalignment without making it a big deal?

[Layla70]

I hear you the group vibe matters and moderation is a living practice not a rigid rule book you pull out at every post

[Oliver79]

Think of misalignment as a signal not a failure it shows there is energy in the thread and a gentle nudge can steer it without crushing the mood

[Layla.G]

Some folks read the pipeline of posts through a different lens they want to contribute so they test the edge of the topic and you end up with a drift that feels personal not ideological

[StellaET]

What if the real task is not policing every post but about designing expectations so folks know what counts as value in a thread

[Logan3]

Derailment can be overstated and the urge to police tone can hollow out the fun of the group you might lose the messy energy that keeps it lively

[Justin_D]

Try a simple prompt after a off topic post something like thanks for the share this thread stays on topic here so we can capture what we want to learn and then gently steer back to the theme

[Dennis17]

Not every reader will tolerate the same pace or depth and moderation may need to bend differently for each voice if you lower the heat a bit you may keep more people engaged