Ignore/block function

[AutumnRose1]

Good morning MNHQ

I know it’s been suggested by others, but just coming on to say how useful it would be to have an ignore/block option for posters. We’d have fewer sea lions, fewer goady folks and presumably a lot less work for MN mods.

I’m sure a lot of people would love to block my random singing interludes and rants about overpopulation too!

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.

Chic It wouldn't change the debate, because it only hides the text from you and not anyone else

Oh, Milk, sorry, did you think it would hide text from others? It doesn’t.

LOL at Fight Club.

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.

bsc I’ve learned lots from MN, which is good as I’ve got a fair bit of responsibility for the child of a friend- friends husband left so I’m a bit of a “spare mummy”. That’s partly why I joined.

I think there’d be an argument against hiding topics if it was about learning though. There’s civil disagreement and there’s rage and intimidation.

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

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.

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.

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.

Kantastic “Genuinely there isn't a downside.”

thank you.

“Hide poster” isn’t that different from “hide topic” or “ hide thread”.

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.

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.

re the name change

I'm guessing MNHQ have a unique ID for people, no matter how many times they NC?

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

sorry gamer, I can't claim to be an expert but I'm confused by your post.

if each user has a unique identifier, that's what gets blocked. So I could NC three times a day, but you still can't see my posts, which is the whole point.

why does it make "name changing for privacy" defunct? Also, do people use a new button for shits and giggles, and what does it matter if they do?

this "hide poster" is so simple, it's just like "hide thread".

It sounds like that could lead to posters knowing who has namechanged and to what.

Sparkling oh I see! Thanks.

in that case, attach the "hide poster" to the username.

I've had people following me across different threads and posting comments just putting me down - often in the most innocuous threads you could think of.

I would 100% love a block function, as I come here to be helped and to help others, and some posters (even if they're not purposefully trying to troll!) are absolute tits, constantly.

sorry gamer, I can't claim to be an expert but I'm confused by your post

All you'll need is 2 accounts. Someone who is really invested in finding someone will put the time in, like the person not wanting to be found will put in to name changing regularly. All they have to do is use one account to block. Then they can find every single name change.

Course that's extreme but some people are well odd.

in that case, attach the "hide poster" to the username.

this! People aren't going to know they are blocked, so they're not going to consistently namechange to get around it. And if you have to block a poster twice under two different names, that's better than not being able to block the poster at all.

Thanks for these ideas and thoughts.

Do keep them coming and we'll have a think on if there is anything we can/should tweak here.

Thank you Caroline

Does this mean MNHQ would consider this if there was enough support?

Thanks.

I'd also be supportive of a block/hide poster function

It's very hard to ignore/scroll past those posters who are persistent & relentless in their deliberate goading & trying to provoke discord & arguments
(Especially when they insist on @ing you constantly when you are trying your damnedest to ignore them...!)

I would really love this feature. There are some very specific posters on this site, who goad, troll, stalk, gaslight etc... and name change/account change in order to hide from the mods and harrass certain users. Until you have been on the receiving end of it, it’s hard to explain how awful it is. I have been using forums for over 20 years, and even modded on one. All of the ones I have used, have some form of block feature for certain posters and it doesn’t affect conversation at all, in fact It actually promotes quality conversation because the power of a Trolly “sealion” to derail an entire thread and run genuine PP’s off the thread is unparalleled and the block/hide poster feature deters this behaviour, because there is no traction in it if you can’t be seen. I also wish there was an edit feature, to stop fat fingers drawing in the pedants!

Epic yes, the sea lions are astonishing on the Feminist boards in particular. It would definitely promote quality conversation and it’s particularly sad when someone has a personal problem and a poster/s makes it an issue of idealism or politics or something.

I really don’t follow the logic of MN moderation - like when they proposed that user might need to be registered x months before posting in Bereavement. I was in there a lot at the time, there was pretty much universal horror at that idea.

I appreciate the point of MN is profit, but I think this is quite a popular suggestion and I’ve wandered off to other forums again this week so presumably others will too.

Oh for an edit button

Yes, I forgot posters can @ you because I don’t check the email I use for MN. Never understood why that was introduced either. So the block would need to block that as well. Although I think you can turn it off...not sure.