Hide Poster (again!)

[UltraBOF]

Hide me, hide me!

I think that it's time to revisit the arguments for this again: the site is much bigger and full of wankers than it used to be, and there is a lot of unnecessary conflict. Given that civilian moderators have been discounted, and that the community team's workload is practically Dickensian, don't you think that anything which will reduce personal attacks and thus the need for deletions would be a good thing?

I understand that Justine is worried that threads "won't make sense", but given that a) people mostly talk shite anyway and fly off-topic (eg Larkers in the face of Po-some OPs etc); and b) the hide button would be individually activated by choice and not compulsory, I don't think this argument really holds water.

There are many posters mature enough to never need to shield themselves from the profoundly irritating, and some folk are naturally imbued with a zen-like calm in the face of fucknuggetry, but for the rest of us, please please please give us the option to simply never have to read the posts of people we know invariably get on our last nerve.

I am convinced that spats will reduce; people will participate more widely and constructively in threads, instead of having to hide them once their nemesis appears; goading will become much less sustained; and the bill to MNHQ for gin at weekends will be slashed to pre-2005 levels.

What's not to like?

I think the 'Po' thing is relevant though because it's deciding that a poster or a few posters are not worth a presence on the site in your eyes. In my view, everyone is equal to MNHQ, on the site and via the namechange facility, to each other. MN is a valuable open debating space.

Do you think it would lead to speculation about who gets hidden on threads?

Hoop- I disagree. I really feel annoyed at having to stick to the most anodyne of topics just because one or two people are drawn to the more interesting ones who make my blood boil. Or, to take a more serious example, the anti-feminist trolls who derail discussion in FWR: yes, I could walk away, but it is their intention to close down debate, and why should I? Yet if I stay, I have to see their continuous just-below-deletion-level goading, which is often deeply upsetting on threads about rape or domestic violence, for example.

I can see it would be useful in that situation Bof.

Yes hoop but on a lot of threads the subject matter is chosen to cause an argument. So instead of actually feeding into that some people chat away about scones or paint or anything really.

Everyone is not always going to agree. Threads go off on tangents sometimes, but that's ok isn't it? Or do we have to have 1000 post sticking to the exact subject?

People have different personalities, some people deliberately try and piss people off, some people are offended by literally any thing, some posters share the same sense of humor.

So just hide the people you think are twats. Easy peasy.

I think you are probably right Ed, that it used to, but since it was outed as a thing that might have happened no-one would really want to be that person, and therefore it died a death.

I know that if anyone sent me a pm calling me in I would most definitely think a lot less of them. And no-one has ever done so btw.

Fenton - worse to get a PM saying 'I thought you should know...they are tearing you apart on facebook'.

Anyway...enough about that. I'm on the fence for this thing now. I wonder if it would be outrageously difficult for them to do a trial period?

If people were stupid enough to just hit Hide willy-nilly, then they'd end up with the equivalent of a Facebook group, or the decidedly dull-sounding moldies group, if it still exists.

I agree that the beauty of MN lies in its diversity, and I think most people think like that. I rather suspect that a Hide button would very rarely be used: it certainly wouldn't be likely to just exclude people who weren't your close mates, I think we are all more sensible than that.

But in the cases where the occasional poster NEVER FAILS to rile and upset you, it would make using the site ten times more enjoyable and user-friendly.

But that example is something that HQ should deal with. Several of the radfems have historically called anyone who doesn't agree with them rape apologists and so on, I've been called that, a troll, an MRA, a handmaiden and so on on there - it's a good example as part of the site that needs all members openly posting to stop one group keeping it on one fixed agenda, iyswim. Trolls - yes, but it's HQ's role to deal with them.

I'd like to have a hide button. I wouldn't use it very often but, you know, just in case it was needed.

They have one on a site DH and I use, it makes the whole site a lot more pleasant, and I do use it (the site) more. However, the downside is, on onee of the sections DH visits there's a chap who hides anyone who disagrees with him - this is almost everyone. So now when he posts people do reply but he can't see them, so posts a long succession of messages asking why everyone is ignoring him

Perhaps it would reassure people that it wouldn't be over-used if you had to log into MyMumsnet and spend a few minutes arsefarting around with your password to put someone on your Blocked/Hidden list?

Have you had that then Ed? or anyone else you know of on here?

I am in favour.

My brother created one for a site he frequents because he was fed up with people being personal instead of discussing the matter in hand. What he found was that having made it available to everyone he hardly ever has to use it: where he wanted to hide Person X and Person Y because they were always getting at each other, what happened was that they hid each other so the rows just didn't happen as much.

I wouldn't want it to go to the extremes of Facebook where you can block people so they can't see you as well as you not seeing them - now that's confusing.

Yes...long time ago though.

I'm pro. In fact, having this facility on FB has revolutionised my life. Annoying person who I don't want to defriend so I don't look like a friendless muppet, I can just hide. So for the people are annoying because they seemingly spend their lives playing bejewelled blitz and sharing posters with pictures of sad puppies GONE. And, for people who really make my blood boil (I'm thinking about someone in particular) GONE unless my blood pressures feeling low, then quick unhide and BOOM! I get angry and annoyed and feel much better for it.

I agree that it's shouldn't be for hiding everyone, willy nilly, just people who really annoy you.

And, once it's on MN, I would like it in RL, thank you very much.

Hmm I just can't think of anyone who upsets me so much I want to hide them. As Shirley said upthread, I'd not be able to help myself wanting to know what they'd posted! The most colourful and extreme characters are who I look forward to reading, whether I agree or not.

I thunk there's an interesting divide between people who namechange and people who want to maintain a persona on here, too. I keep reading 'Mn ain't what it used to be' threads where people say they don't open threads unless they know the OP, or avoid threads by specific posters, and I just think 'really?!' I barely notice names on most threads, I see it as anonymous Internet debate.

No, I don't think people would hide everyone apart from the people they liked.
But there are certain topics and subjects that get way out of control because a specific person posts things that are designed to wind people up. And then the rest of the thread is taken up by someone arguing that point with that poster and the person who wanted genuine advice doesn't get it all because someone wants to go out of their way to start an argument. And not a lighthearted topic.

If you have the option to hide that person, the op might actually end up getting good advice, rather than the question getting lost.

I can see it ending in a bun fight ..

someone gets ignored and someone comes along and says the same thing and they get a reply
original respondent.. I just said that ...
no reply
right so you have me hidden.. lovely .. goes off to hide the person hiding them

Then as someone said earlier there will be comments like .. thats it i'm hiding you so i cant see what you are saying any more

or worse .. when there are 3 aor 4 people vehemently disagreeing with one poster who doesnt want to conceded their point of view .. someone will say at some point .. lets all just hide that poster and let her talk to herself... and when that happens watch the boards go nuts

But in the cases where the occasional poster NEVER FAILS to rile and upset you, it would make using the site ten times more enjoyable and user-friendly.

yes this is exactly how I would use it.

There's a poster for instance that 9 times out of 10 I have polar opposite views too, and whatever I have posted or was about to post is the night to her day. But that doesn't mean I would want to hide her comments because although I don't hardly ever agree with her it doesn't bother or irritate me, - more amuses me at just how different we are.

And then that 1 out of 10 post that we agree on I wouldn't want to miss

I'm probably quite irritating. Just as much on Mumsnet as in real life. Still it is better to read all opinions because what's the point of everybody agreeing. And I'm sure when and if people are very offensive Mumsnet sorts it out.

I read and participated in one of the bi-weekly HORRIBLE threads today and would dearly love to be able to hide several people now. Not due to any actual interaction with them, just because I dont want to ever have to interact with them on any topic, no matter how nice and pleasant it is, in future. I dont want to accidentally exchange pleasantries with a terrible person because my memory is shit.

I also think you should institute 'Hell Bans' for trolls so they carry on posting, oblivious to the fact that nobody can see them.

Well, having been led to the conclusion that I am a widely disliked poster (posts usually ignored or decried, plus accusations such as HoopDePoop mentions), I assume I would be hidden by many.

I don't think 'hide poster' is a good option, but if it happens it'll be interesting to see how much difference it makes (just ignored, perhaps?)

But sometimes it's not that they are offensive or trolling (although I have my suspicions) it's just that some posters are so wrong, so often in such stupid ways that as Tantrums said the whole thread gets derailed by people, to begin calmly, trying to explain their viewpoint and getting shot down by someone who refuses to see what a muppet they are.

I'm sure it happens in all topics, not just the ones I use.

Some posters seem to go out of their way to upset whole groups of people with utter nonsense.

I don't think it would effect MN for the worse, a lot of posters tend to stick to a few topics, so the regulars in FWR would hide their muppets, the people in the doghouse would hide their muppets, the people in SN would hide theirs etc. and posters would be able to enjoy 'their' topics again without it being ruined by just one poster.