[Lord RawK]

it's called context. and if i were to even try to maneuver around that one right there i could say yes, i am adding to something preexisting; my actual post with the topic being introduced. one would have to introduce a subject before getting to the actual body or content of it.

also i'd be careful what you quote. wikipedia isn't a source that would be academically acceptable. sure you may quote clichesite, but there is no true authenticity behind it or fact. that being said, i went to the link. it said what you quoted and i agree with their definition, for the most part. there was no mention of the words"preexisting discussion." those were your words and your interpretation.

example:
if i walked in to a lecture dealing with psychology and said let me shed some light on the topic of cognitive dissonance then there wouldn't necessarily have to be a preexisting conversation going on before i arrived for my remark to make sense.