Ability to Block individual users
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Carried over from a discussion in another thread, this is a request to let a user block an individual other user, which would prevent them from PM'ing you, and hide their posts.
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Is it that difficult to ignore people? If somebody spams you with PMs, isn't that harassment and cause for moderator action in and of itself?
I don't think we need Vintage safe spaces so that we only have to hear the opinions of people who agree with us.
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Someone mentioned that part of being a community is hearing things you don't like. I tend to agree.
I'd imagine severe issues are within the realm of moderation.
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If you want the feature, upvote it, if you don't want the feature, don't upvote it!
Personally I'm not planning on using it myself, but I don't have any problem implementing it if there's interest.
If you think it's going to be actively harmful to the site, please post why - but if you just don't think it should be prioritized over other work, show that by upvoting the features you're more interested in.
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I will again request this feature does not block community thread visability, but instead stops PMs, tagging, and notifications of any sort from the person ignored.
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Note that no implementation we've talked about would involve people other than the Blocker (who opted-in) hiding any posts. I'm really not seeing the benefit in forcing someone to read posts from someone they would rather block.
Realistically, if someone has Blocked another user, they're not going to post responses to that users posts anyway.
I'm still missing: What's the negative impact to the site if we implement this? I haven't heard any compelling arguments
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I think this is useful for people that tend to get into long arguments frequently and I think it makes sense. In an open forum, there are a lot of voices. A user shouldn't be forced to constantly hear from a person they aren't interested in. Same as the radio in my opinion. If a song comes on that I don't like, I can mute it. I am not silencing anyone's right to free speech. That said, I doubt I would use it.
I would like the ability to block certain threads from the "unread" screen. There are plenty of topics I know I would never be interested in, and would love the ability to NOT see updates on them.
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@joshuabrooks I totally agree that the unread screen is a little overzealous, but I want to keep discussion of blocking users and stopping unread notifications in different threads, so people can vote and comment on them differently (they're very different concepts)
can you make a new thread for the "unread" part of this idea?
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@Brass-Man said:
@joshuabrooks I totally agree that the unread screen is a little overzealous, but I want to keep discussion of blocking users and stopping unread notifications in different threads, so people can vote and comment on them differently (they're very different concepts)
can you make a new thread for the "unread" part of this idea?
I just did that.
http://themanadrain.com/topic/61/the-ability-to-unfollow-threads
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I think the most important concern would be something like tourney postings. Let's say user X tends to go on lengthy tirades about how Ancestral Recall is so much better than Mox Sapphire. What happens user X also organizes a tourney and posts an announcement? Alternatively, Steel Mox is printed in the new set and user X makes the thread where it's discussed. Suddenly, you don't know that you've made a duplicate thread.
I don't think anyone starts enough threads that blocking whole threads is necessary. What's the average? 2-5 threads made on the whole forum in a typical day?
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I think it would be possible to block posts from a user, but still be able to see other posts in threads that they've started. Maybe see the thread title, but not the initial post
I'm not too worried about the Tournament Announcement issue - if you feel the need to block a user, chances are pretty good you wouldn't want to go to that tournament anyway. (and you can unblock a user temporarily if you see that they've posted an event)
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If a person is incapable of ignoring someone's posts isn't that just a lesson they're going to have to eventually learn anyway? I don't see the advantage to blocking posts. I definately see the disadvantages though. I can understand wanting to block private messages but blocking posts seems like it's not worth the time it would take to implment the feature..
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@Brass-Man said:
I'm still missing: What's the negative impact to the site if we implement this? I haven't heard any compelling arguments
This may be a minor thing that never becomes relevant, but from experience with people on FB blocking each other, threads can sometimes get gummed up with X and Y (who've blocked each other) both responding to the OP, sometimes even with the same opinion, the OP responding to both, then having to explain that X also said that, and Y saying, "Yes, well I blocked X." Or a poster referencing something Y said when responding to X, then needing to elaborate, and basically just creating a lot of redundancy/awkwardness for those of us who are watching it all. Especially in the type of threads that provoke lengthy and thoughtful conversations, this can be a lot to filter through.
That said, I won't oppose this feature due to how strongly some people feel they need it, but I wouldn't advocate it for the reason above and for the genuine hope that open discourse can at the very least create a respectful "agree to disagree" situation.
"Immolation is the sincerest form of flattery."
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@SamwiseKimchi I could see that being annoying, but I'm doubting it would end up a consistent serious problem on the site ... if it did end up being a problem though, we would definitely have to reconsider whatever policy led to it - no arguments there
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I posted in the other thread, but basically: you can't make me read things I don't want to read. You can try to force my by not building features, but then I'll either skip over stuff manually, or I'll make a chrome extensions or something to delete the text. Either way, there is no world where I have to engage with people I don't want to engage with.
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Have posts be hidden/collapsed rather than completely omitted. Works for reddit with downvoted posts.
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@LHC you'd waste time building a Chrome Extention to delete text from a specific user? How do you actively sensor that person when you have to interact with them in person? Did you build Chrome Extentions in the past to ignore people?
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@Soly Walk away? If I absolutely have to interact with them, I do it like a mature adult but this is a website regarding a recreational activity. If I become inundated by things that rub me the wrong way, I will simply stop using it and turn back to Facebook for my Vintage-related information.
That said, Andy has been very patient with this line of conversation and I imagine he's getting a tad bit exasperated. If you want to talk about this further, hit me up on Facebook or using the new chat feature.
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@Soly Me not wanting to listen to someone is not censorship. I'm not obligated to listen to what anyone else says. That's not what censorship means or is.
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@ChubbyRain said:
If I become inundated by things that >rub me the wrong way, I will simply >stop using it
The best reason for a block feature is harassment and trolling.
But "being rubbed the wrong way" is exactly the reason a block function shouldn't be permitted. If the slightest discomfort is cause for blocking, how can meaningful discussion be expected around areas of disagreement, let alone sharp disagreement?
Blocking undermines the potential for dialogue, and destroys community in the process.
