How can I block someone so I don't see their posts?

The title is pretty self-explanatory I think, but basically there's a handful of people who annoy the shit out of me who I would just like to block so I don't have to see anything they post anymore. There is a thread I found that it nearly 2 years old that discusses the topic, and it claims that there wasn't one back then, so I'm holding out a very thin hope that there's something implemented like that now, but I can't find it in user profiles or a tutorial on how to do it on Google, so... Well, am I just shit outta luck or is there an actual way to do this?

When you see a name you don't like don't read that post.

Just shit out of luck I'm afraid. It's a long overdue feature if you ask me.

I'm not sure that this would be a desirable feature to implement either. Being exposed to other peoples' points of view, especially if they annoy you or are contrary to your own, allows you to grow and evolve as a person. Isn't that what we try to foster in this community to some extent? Discussions and conversations between people of all types? Being able to filter out specific people leads to people participating in discussions where they haven't seen everyone's points, resulting in incomplete and difficult discourse. Additionally it leads to "preaching to the choir" where you only partake in discussions with those who are of a like mind which happens all too often on the internet anyway.

Of course none of this is relevant if you're referring to troll posts but hopefully moderation already takes care of that problem.

Close your eyes and rapidly scroll down until it's probably safe again.

You can't. And no, there are currently no plans to implement such a feature on Giant Bomb.

I imagine the problem is the nature of the forums and the way they work. If you block someone, but you are in a thread where that person is conversing with someone else, the line of conversation will get very complicated and not make any sense. People replying to nothing, etc. Blocking people doesnt really work on forums. I do wish it was in the gb/chat though. That would be nice.

Pity. This is actually standard functionality on many many forums.

As much as some people on these forums piss me off sometimes, I also think it's important that this doesn't actually become a feature. Personally, it feels like nine times out of ten, the people I probably would have blocked because of my many asinine, kneejerk reactions also say stuff that makes me go, "I'm really glad I can't hide this person's posts because then I would've probably missed out on this smart/funny/[insert adjective here] post." Also, something something something discussion 'n shit, yo

I mean... depending on how much work you want to put in you could always attach custom CSS to the page probably. I didn't do too much research on how the forum HTML is structured but something like:

[data-user-slug="random45"] + div {display: none;} hides the topic poster's message. Not sure about the particulars about getting it to consistently attach through a browser and it seems like a bit of work just to mute people, but I mean I guess you could do it.

Do you have full control of your eyes? If so, I would recommend you avert said eyes.

It's the first I've heard of it. Would you be so kind as to point me towards those forums? I'd love to become more entrenched in my current mindset.

Now I'm paranoid that there are people that don't like me or anything I post.

Awesome.

I have never seen it either. I would also like to see how this works though. I imagine that it would just become a complete mess with weird illegible conversations happening in the same threads between different groups of people.

You could write a greasemonkey script to do it pretty easily.

vBulletin based forums come standard with the ignore function. Any forum using vBulletin has it unless the administrator of the site specifically makes a point of disabling it. In my experience it keeps the peace and takes some of the load off the moderators. As for disjointed conversations, you still see a notation in the thread that a person on your ignore list has posted, it's just hidden in much the same way the spoiler function works on this site (the block spoiler, not the highlight one). It will say something along the lines of "this user is on your ignore list, click to view".

In the age of trying to expose people to more important topics and challenging conversations, it would be a bummer if this site ever created such a feature.

I mentioned this potential feature recently while discussing Twitter blocking, and while I was being a bit facetious about it, I could see it being helpful to some extent. Unfortunately, it may be difficult to get right. Usually, the focus is on moderation over a choice like that, and I can understand why there's not much of an interest in implementing it.

Regardless, I can understand your concern. I would also say there are a handful of people who often comment just within the bounds of the rules and thus get away with representing the worst within the community without repercussion, and I wouldn't mind not seeing posts from them anymore. These are people who may be given a dozen chances, but they continue to be a shame upon this awesome community. Their presence remains detrimental to enjoying and discussing many things on the site, and I can almost guess when and how they will ruin threads. So, an option to better ignore such people and allow regulars to not be distracted by them in threads where they often muck things up could be nice.

Obviously, we can just attempt to ignore them like usual, but it can be difficult to always ignore them when they reply to you or to someone else you are talking to. It can be especially hard when they post something horrible or insulting but they've been around long enough to know how to avoid moderation. If you could get a decent number of people to block that person, they could still post without ruining things for everyone else. Fortunately, people like that tend to eventually go against the rules one too many times and finally find the door, but that can still take months or even years depending on how determined they are.

It isn't a matter of anyone representing different opinions and thus contributing to the site's diversity; it's a matter of some being rather ignorant, reprehensible people who get by on technicalities and pretense. Plenty of cool duders around here have different opinions, but some people are also ones none of us should have to put up with here or anywhere else. A block feature could help with that a bit, but it's certainly not ideal.

Pretty sure if this feature existed I would be blocked by like half the site.

Pretty much this right now. In reality no one reads my posts. Both sides of depression!

You do, do you?

*hovers finger over imaginary block button*

mwahaha...

heh. Nah, we can be blocked together. <>

If this site ever got an ignore feature, it's usage should be given only to moderators and staff as punishment more lenient than any temporary ban. Giving average members the option would be a terrible idea for a variety of reasons.

I'd always be afraid that they would say something I'd want to hear and I'd miss it if I blocked them. Glad to hear this isn't a planned feature. It kinda destroys the "community" aspect when you aren't sure if members of the community are hearing you. We all say dumb shit. Give them a chance to redeem themselves rather than writing them off forever.

Yeah, there's really nothing good that would come from letting users have access to such a feature.

Just because other forums do have such a feature doesn't mean that it's actually a good idea.

Who do you want to block? I won't say nothin ;)

@

I do hate dislike you and your posts. But I cannot turn my eyes away. Some kind of affliction. Beware though, there will be many more like me if I can create new accounts. Then there will be many eyes that cannot turn away. I hope this matters to you when you post, Viciousbearmauling!

I do think it would have limited use. In my opinion, it would be an unideal answer to some of the worst posters. Obviously, moderation taking care of it would be best, because if someone isn't moderated, their comments should be seen like anyone else's.

I empathize with someone desiring such a feature though. It can get very frustrating to see certain people, especially if they always seem to avoid moderation. Still, while there will always be people like that, it's not a lot of people. So, a feature simply to manage that problem would probably just be more abused than useful.

Use a permanent marker on your monitor to block out all the comments you dislike.

Put yr fingers in yr ears and shout "LALALALALALALA IM NOT LISTENING".

It works, trust me.

Uh, yeah, I'll agree with those above and say that feature would be awful. Just ignore their posts when you see their avatar or username. (And really, if posts from internet strangers gets under your skin you're thinking way too much into it. Relax braaah.)

The last thing we need is for the internet to become an echo chamber of endlessly reverberating confirmation bias. Which is what would happen in a site with this function.

I understand the appeal of this function to block out truly hateful and psychologically abusive people, but I think people would basically end up misusing the feature by just blocking anyone they don't like. The temptation to do so would be too great.

I don't have an answer for this problem and I wish I did.

There isn't one.

If someone is making posts that are offensive or against the forum rules contact the moderation team and they will decide if the post should be removed/locked. If they don't remove/lock it then it may not be the problem.

IMDB has a block feature that I have to constantly use for the trolls on that site.

Nope. Can't agree with you there.

It is possible for a post to be both offensive to you, AND within the forum rules. I don't get why people are acting like this would kill reasonable discussions. It doesn't for a ton of other sites, and it's not like you're censoring anyone, you're just choosing to not engage with them.

Think about it this way, if you want to use an ignore feature on a user, you've already gone passed the point of reasonable discussion. You won't be losing anything by removing their general posts from your view.

Surprised to see so many people so passionate about restricting others in how they wish to interact with the site. There should always be a choice.

Or you just wish to live in an echo chamber in which no one challenges what you have to say.

Yup, my thoughts exactly. And if someone is being hateful or abusive, the mods will surely make quick work of the user.

I thought we were mostly agreeing. ha. I mean, I think it could have limited use with the worst of the worst(we've certainly seen some terrible folks who have skirted the rules) but would probably, in practice, mostly be used to just shut out folks some people disagree with. The real answer is more proactive moderation, not an idea like this.

Yeah I would never want this feature. If someone's bad enough to be worth blocking, then they should just be banned. If they manage to be that awful within the rules, then the rules shouldn't let them be so awful. If the rules are reasonable, they follow the rules, and I still think they're so awful that I can't stand to even see what they post, then that sounds more like my problem.

However if this feature is implemented, I hope it's displayed, right along with the number of people you follow and who follow you. Then at least I'll know if everyone secretly hates me, instead of just being suspicious about it. You're all scheming behind my back. I know it.

Ah, I misread your post. The first time I read it, I just glanced and thought you were saying such a feature was all right. :P

I think the frustration leading to thoughts about something like this are rooted in that idea. I don't think it's absurd for some people to worry that either the rules don't cover such posters being awful or the rules are being applied in that manner. So, some may slip through moderation and concerned members might like an alternative if moderation isn't seen as enough. I may believe in our moderating, but I wouldn't deny that it seems flawed or inadequate at times. As is frankly true of any kind of moderation. It makes sense that it might frustrate some users.

Regardless of that feeling, I would agree with the sentiment that a block feature would probably have limited appropriate use, and the real solution lies in what your comment highlights: concern over rules and moderation.

Also, in the interest of transparency, I can confirm that I am secretly scheming behind your back. Watch yo step, duder.

Just kidding! :)

I see! That's what I get for trying to be a bit nuanced in my response. heh.

Well that's a pretty bold (and incorrect) assumption, but let's assume it's accurate anyway. What if I do? Why shouldn't I at least have that choice?

I can't respond to the replies I am getting on my comment in this thread, as I don't want to insult people (my opinion of it would be- I can tell), but I have read your replies.

I stand by my original response.

[just screaming forever into the faceless, boundless void]

The issue with a block feature is two fold. Firstly it means that rather than reporting disruptive behaviour to us, people will just block users and then not see anything they post. If people don't report disruptive behaviour to us, we can't deal with it. If we don't deal with it, the forums go downhill. You may not be able to see that because you've blocked everyone acting like an asshat, but they're there and they're ruining the experience for newer users who haven't blocked people.

Secondly, it leads to disjointed conversations. If someone replies to a guy you've blocked, you've missed half the conversation, which isn't a great forum experience. It can also lead to unnecessary repetition, since someone you've blocked might have already made a point that you're making. A block function just doesn't particularly suit a linear forum like this, it is far more suited to a threaded layout.