We really need the option to block users

[AnnaNotherOne]

I know MNHQ for some reason are adamant that this isn’t something that’s necessary but I strongly disagree.

There are so many posters who never ever add anything to a conversation and I would appreciate being able to screen their comments out completely. One poster in particular has been getting right on my tits lately, constantly calling every poster “girl”. It’s irritating and patronising and I don’t want to see it.

When will this be revisited and implemented?

Except the answer is always provided in these threads

The 'girl' thing gets on my nerves as well but as a fully grown woman, I'm more than capable of rolling my eyes and scrolling past that poster, or any other that annoys me.

Too many people are giving up personal responsibility in favour of forum functions and more bloody rules.

If you find someone irritates you online, move to another thread or better still just roll your eyes and deal with it.

Just attach the block to the account not the username.

Personally I don’t think that what I have to say is so important that everyone must see it. If someone wants to block me, fine

Yes but like that poster who you quoted, just said, then you could use the block button strategically to figure out if two different usernames are the same account

If you genuinely want to sit and do that, you need to get a hobby!

You can't do that without potentially exposing all usernames that accounts had.

This has been explained repeatedly on many many threads, over and over again. I'm not sure if people genuinely don't understand or just don't read it.

I think someone hit on 'why' people want this on another thread.

Forums have been around since the dawn of the internet, and a thread tended to be a discussion, started by the opening post.

Lately people are more used to social media, so treat an OP like a single post that is then just followed by a stream of disconnected comments.

Having everyone in the thread only able to see partial posts in the thread would make this even worse and make the forum more like a social media post. If that's what you want, there are tons of social media platforms out there. If you don't want the discussion nature of a forum, then perhaps a forum isn't for you.

And of course report posts that aren't in keeping with Talk guidelines. If more people did that (and didn't feed trolls) it would be a nicer experience for all!

I'll give an example for those who haven't thought about the username/account link.
Say an abusive partner suspects his wife is seeking help on MN. He finds an old thread he knows she's posted on, maybe asking for holiday tips. Clocks her username.
Finds another thread about wanting to leave a coercive partner. Different username.
Blocks 'holiday thread' username and clicks onto coercive partner thread - sees that OP is now blocked. Well done, he's just confirmed she's trying to leave in secret.

'Needing a hobby' is probably the least of her worries.

I've definitely seen threads on here before both by people scared their partners will be able to find their usernames, and by partners seeking confirmation about usernames not being able to be reused (so they've been looking at everything the partner has posted and want to make sure it's the same person).

I agree. There are known agitators on this board who flame, bully and harass as a hobby. They do not add anything constructive and derail threads with their abuse. I would love the block function.

I don't think it's worth losing the ability to change username. Can be life-changing for some. Far better to report or scroll past.

@AromanticSpices I thought we were far past the days that this place was used to help with stuff like that

However, if it still is, then fair enough - attach the block to only that particular username.

The chances of this happening are vanishingly slim.

If they block all the annoying posters how many will users will be left?!

I don't think you've understood what this actually means

It would be lovely. The arguments against it have never for me outweighed the extent to which it would make using the site nicer.

Different view points don't irritate me at all.
However I'd like to block the sneery one liners who are provocative without adding anything to a discussion.

I've got been on MN long enough yet to just scroll past them, so I feel my hackles rise reading their posts.

More used to social media where comments can be curated into an echo chamber. Less willing to engage in discussion and risk seeing comments they don’t agree with.

I don’t think its just the passing of threaded newsreaders which is the problem (although I miss them), its a willingness to enter a debate and accept that other points of view exist, even if I think they are crap.

It’s not that.

There are posters on here who I’m just not interested in seeing.

Then scroll past them. Its really easy to just ignore them if you are simply not interested in them and you can even hide the thread or entire topics if too much wrongthink is happening on them. You don’t have to curate your own little echo chamber to enjoy a discussion group. I find it interesting that you dismiss the risk of identification as trivial compared to your own desire to simply not have to scroll past boring posts.

As I said to you upthread - the block function as implemented on reddit (oneo of the models you commended) has been responsible for destroying or completely changing a lot of small to medium subs on reddit, it doesn’t only change the experience of the blocker but affects the whole group and is easily misused.

Then people will complain people have just changed username for each thread to avoid a block.

Threads often do look baffling though, as messages are often deleted for breaking talk guidelines, so if someone has already replied to it, it looks confusing to what they are replying about.

When you post, part of that is direct to the OP! You are responding to the OP along with everyone else! Or what is the point of joining the thread in the first place?

Scenario:

OP: AIBU to think red is the best colour in the world?

Poster A: YABVVU The best colour is Magenta Everyone knows that surely?

OP: But Magenta is quite close to red, so I'm still right.

Poster A: No you're not right. Magenta is a complete world away from Red. Unless you're getting confused with Burgundy?

OP: "I cannot be arsed with this poster. I am clearly not BU. Why is she even mentioning burgundy? She's totally derailing the thread Going to mute replies from her" <mutes>

OP: Well red is the best because it's also the colour of passion.

Poster A: <Still on the thread which is now a complete waste of their time> Actually, did you know historically purple and even orange were considered the colours of passion? <OP does not see response because poster is muted>

OP: <carrying on and completely missing the previous point> So because Red was historically the colour of passion, that's why red is also the colour of love today. Think Valentine's. Of course our blood is red and that's why when hearts are drawn they are red too!

Poster A: <further wasting their time> blood is not red, it only appears red because when exposed to air. And I just told you historically purple or orange were associated with passion, at least in Europe anyway. In terms of actual love, Yellow has been shown in psychological experiments to promote bonding between partners.

Poster Z to Poster A: That's a fair point. My partner and I do have a living room that colour and I do notice we have less arguments in that room. OP try incorporating that in your life.

OP: misses thread of conversation because muting A, so is clueless to what Poster Z is talking about. <Other posters think OP is up-to-date on the conversation but she isn't>

Poster J to OP: It works for me too

OP: Exactly!! Red works for everybody.....

.

It's not about random chance of it passively happening, it's about opening up the possibility, which takes away the current setup of changing usernames without linking back to one account.

It's a fundamental change to how the site works.

If a post is deleted for breaking the guidelines then its deleted for everyone and everyone still sees the same discussion/thread so all the responses still make the same degree of sense (or not!) to everyone.

I agree some threads ending up like swiss cheese can be confusing but at least everyone following the thread sees the same and so sees the same gaps and everyone can make the same sense of the remaining posts.