Sometimes what happens is that people don't know the answer to the question you're asking but still want to contribute to the discussion, so they answer a different question which they know the answer to. In this case the solution is to find someone who knows the answer before you start asking.
Sounds like it might be worthwhile accepting the fact that some answers are just rubbish, and ignoring them when I notice they are not answering the relevant question. This helps; but is a bit harder to do if it happens in person than online.
If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.
Notes for future OT posters:
1. Please add the 'open_thread' tag.
2. Check if there is an active Open Thread before posting a new one. (Immediately before; refresh the list-of-threads page before posting.)
3. Open Threads should be posted in Discussion, and not Main.
4. Open Threads should start on Monday, and end on Sunday.