Ignore/block function

That's not my point. You block X name so therefore all you get is the this poster is on your restricted list because assuming the function blocks the main account. what's to stop you asking what name that particular poster is using now? Other people can still see it. It'll make the name changing for privacy defunct. Nobody could hide because everyone will have someone on their block list at first, just for shits and giggles as you do with a new button.

Block the name change alone wont work because people can just name change.

So you can either (in my head) have a block button or name changing. Not both.

Personally I'd do away with name changing completely. It irrationality irritates me

Elsewhere I generally mute trolls, goaders and people who agree with me VERY LOUDLY AND CONTINUOUSLY which is entirely dull, particularly when it's politics. I'd love to see it possible here.

Technical issues I see are all around name changing - either the block has to ignore name changes and work on the account (which would mean you could work out who a namechange was if you tried hard and is a definite no!), or it's bypassable with a namechange. Which enables trolls and sealions to just kick on and keep doing it.

But! It's better than it is without a mute function and totally worth having.

this is about wanting to silence those that have differing opinions

Why do you think that would happen, bsc? A block on a poster wouldn't stop them from posting their opinions at all, just that anyone who had blocked them couldn't see it. They could still post on any thread they like with any opinion they like and been seen by everyone else. Blocking a poster doesn't stop them from posting on a thread you've started or contributed to. It's just a convenient way of skipping over a post rather than scrolling.

On the forums that I've been on which did have a blocking facility, I didn't block people because we didn't share the same views.

I think it would be at least worth a trial, maybe just one forum if it's a lot of programming to implement, then if liked, beta testers can trial.

Maybe call it 'Hide this posters content' rather than 'Block' which sounds negative.

And obviously, you're only hiding the content from your own view.

It could be useful to some posters who know they get 'triggered' by certain posters content; and yes to hide those you believe are not posting in good faith.

Oh I notice some people seemed to have misinterpreted? The idea of a block function isn't for an OP to block someone from responding to their posts, I agree that would be a bad idea!

It's just to hide pointless posters from your own personal view of the forums. Genuinely there isn't a downside.

Yes please, a block function would be fantastic.

There are some posters who simply aren't worth engaging with but aren't actually breaking any rules. I have a particular dislike for posters who strike me as obviously lying about their identity (e.g. men pretending to be women, badly) but if they aren't breaking any rules then there's nothing to be done about them. They're not going to quit their bullshit, but why isn't it possible to at least hide it from view?

I'm sure it would pay off for mods as well as users if people could just hide the repetitive nonsense. I understand that namechanges make the feature less useful, but in the worst case scenario people would just have to hide the namechanged poster again.

I actually don't see what the downside could be, other than for posters who are trying to stir up trouble? People who think they'd be missing out if they block users don't have to use the feature, and everyone else, and the mods, would benefit.

You can do this on other forums I visit, but they don't allow name changing which could make it difficult here.

The strength of MN is that it opens ones eyes and minds to other ways of living. As someone upthread said, this is about wanting to silence those that have differing opinions.

IIRC, when I've blocked people on other forums then you'd see the heading with their name in it, but the text in their post would be hidden, although you could click to view it if you wanted. It wouldn't change the debate, because it only hides the text from you and not anyone else. But that was years ago and you couldn't name change on those forums. I think MN is unusual for their ability to name change frequently AND you can go back to old usernames if you wish.

But no one ever talked about it and we had meetups in real life.

The first rule of Fight Club... 😁

but there are so many examples where you know who the problems are, who the sealions are, and on threads where you "know" the posters well...

This sounds like you just want to, at best, shut out opinions you don't like or even use it to form cliques where people on a thread agree to block someone out.

Not a good idea for an open discussion forum.

MN is not Facebook where you "own" your own FB page and can choose what to put on your own wall etc. MN is a discussion forum with all views welcome. A block function will be abused immediately an OP disagrees with a point of view being aired, irrespective of how reasonable.

What's a sea lion?!

I don't think you can unless you get rid of the name changing bit. Which I wouldn't be sad to see the back of.

No I don't read all posts either, but sometimes someone contributes something significant which gets referred to for the rest of the thread and if you've blocked that person anything you add to the thread could potentially make you look like the one who needs blocking.