What do you think of the new 'Block Replies To Me' function?

After thinking about it, and dreaming about how nice it would be to muzzle those I don't want replying to my posts, I woke up in a cold sweat. Personally, I think policing the postings of DU'ers is the exclusive domain of the moderators/owners of this site. It's sort of like inviting someone over to dinner and then saying "Hey, if my kids start to get on your nerves, feel free to give them a slap!" I don't think so. I'll be happy to alert you if they are getting so much on my nerves that I just can't stand it. But I'm not about to discipline your children for you. That's your job.

on edit: It's also been my experience that when I have alerted mods in the past about certain posters (which I can count on one hand), my pleadings have largely gone unheeded. Not entirely, but largely. I'm not saying I was right in my beefs and they were wrong in their assessment of my beefs, but I do think too many cooks can spoil the dinner (...or whatever that saying is!)

I have never even used ignore, I can ignore on my own. And blocking does not seem to be something I would use. But to each their own. My ways are not the ways of others.

There is one poster who goes out of its way to chime in after my posts, no matter the topic. Putting a stop to that saves me the temptation of getting into yet another nasty (and ultimately stupid and pointless) flame war.

I literally use it for just one poster; don't imagine I'll use it beyond that.

There are so many childish freakazoids here who will follow a person around and harass them, regardless of the issue being discussed, simply because they disagreed with that person on another thread. There aren't enough moderators on God's green Earth to police all that rubbish.

Generally, I don't use ignore because I like to learn from fools and from sages. But I can think of at least one person I would have used it on several years ago.

I see it happen to some people and feel for them.

and if anyone deserves a break in this life it's our wonderful mods......

It's like saying, my home is open to anyone. But if somebody in my home annoys you, you are free to leave or ignore them. You are not free to chase them from room to room, annoying them endlessly, and then expect me to chastise them when they gave you a well-deserved verbal smackdown. This empowers people to control their own DU experience. Ignore is your friend.

Opposing opinion thread wars.

When you exclude people from opposing you in a thread that doesn't stop them from starting one of an opposite opinion disagreeing with your premise.

This already takes place here when someone doesn't feel their side is getting the attention it deserves in a thread; we'll just be seeing more of it in the future.

and some people have difficulty hearing things they don't agree with, so they may NEED to control their environment more than the rest of us. It's all part of the human condition.

Please forgive me if this has already been answered, but I have been busy this week and haven't had a lot of time to spend here.

When you decide to block someone from replying to you, are they notified? If someone blocks me, will I be notified?

Thanks for answering.

......is the 'reply' button at the bottom of their post will say 'cannot reply'

If they originate the thread, all posts in that thread will say 'cannot reply'

At least there is some method for notification.

I thought it was a done deal but I can't find it. :shrug:

or here is a direct link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=manage_ignore

A person started a thread on a topic, and someone started a flame war, basically hijacking the thread. The OP person therefore blocked the flame thrower, stopped the flamefest in its tracks, and got the post back on track, with a good discussion ensuing. I think if it had been handled the old way, the flamefest might have gone on longer before a moderator could intervene.

I hope that's how things work the vast majority of the time. That's good to hear.

(In case I decide to start being inflammatory +/or excessively controversial . . Or if I suddenly find myself at the odd end of an otherwise popular argument)

but we will see.

Don't act like a jerk and you won't get put on ignore. Seems pretty simple to me.

not from the PMs I have been getting

Before or after the upgrade, so I can't vote.

For GD, the one-issue axe-grinders will (and have already, it seems) use it to silence any opinions differing from their own; in the specialized forums, it's already being used to block any kind of opposing viewpoints from their own across the forum itself. Very authoritarian, and in the end, will silence rather foster dialog, IMO.

I don't think Skinner, Elad, and Earl had any nefarious purposes for doing this, but I disagree with it nonetheless..

Seriesly

I don't get it. But I really haven't been here long enough to make a judgement I guess. Some people really feel strongly about being able to block others, so I guess it's a good thing for them. I've never even used the ignore function. I don't mind when others disagree, even vehemently, with me. And if someone is abusive, I just go away.

I have read a lot of posts lately though, where some feel very strongly about being able to block people. My first thought is that is kind of cowardly. But then again, perhaps I haven't walked in their shoes. I just wish we could see on a thread where others had been blocked. Not their names necessarily, just that posters were blocked. I think that might make me ignore that thread myself.

and people who can't act like grown-ups.

Now the posters can do some of that themselves.



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this is bullshit

The stuff that MIHOPers come up with ("no-planes" "death rays" etc) is off the wall and deserves to be scrutinised. However some are looking for the echo-chamber experience and are blocking non-MIHOPers en masse.

the wacky aunt in the basement at DU. :eyes:

The day none of us can respond to any of the rest of us. :)

I am DISGUSTED

Who can now post here without having to be bothered with defending their statements. They just block the pesky challenger and VOILA, they can post all the bs they want without interference.

Did you ever have a situation were you read a post that you felt compelled to reply to, but having seen arguments with that poster before, you know whatever you post will just result in getting called names, a circular argument, or the nonsensical statement followed up by the old "If you don’t know, I’m not going explain it to you."? I'm just wondering if there's any way I can take away the temptation and just block myself from responding. Sometimes I just can't help myself, I respond, and end up exactly where I thought I would.

I replied to Skinner's sticky announcement here.

Unlike the OP, my experience with the Mods handling alerts has been very satisfactory. They have almost always responded the way I wanted them too: certainly on the most egregious cases. On the receiving end, I have only had two of my posts on one thread deleted (that I recall) and they were right to do so, as I was being an ass.

I just checked my ignore list and was surprised to find three entries there from long ago. Two were because of abusive PMs (not posts) and I now see that the senders earned tombstones at some point. The third was DU Grovelbot :blush: I've removed them all.

the way the mods handled the alterts was fine to all but the most whiniest little shits on the DU and I am disgusted they are being catered to

but blocking replies to entire threads based on who the OP happens to be goes WAY beyond permitting each of us to control our experience.

(I don't agree with either - but I can see some justification for the former, based on the reports I have seen of stalking, but NONE for the latter)

my DU experience is diminished by the choking off of debate and interaction that results from this. Hell, I can't even find out who is engaging in blocking and who is being blocked! It amounts to suppression of debate without any transparency.

I've been trying to think of a way to express my feelings on this and I could never have come up with anything better than the OP's first paragraph. I thought he gave a perfect analogy.