A Petition To Overhaul the Blocking System

[AmandaYVR]

Who's got issues with the blocking system? I definitely do.

Problem 1: Someone posts an anon comment on your own q. Before you have a chance to reply to it, they block you. Now you are blocked from replying on your own topic!

Problem 2: There is no capability to block offensive anon users on someone else's q, on both mobile and desktop. FAQ: "If you want to block an Anonymous user, just click (or tap, for mobile) where it says "Anonymous" on the post and click "Yes" to Block. They will no longer be able to interact with you anonymously on that post and all future posts. This is untrue.

Problem 3: As @Clo917 says, "[I wish] we could hide content by certain users. Like when a user blocks you, you can still see their content and they can see yours. If I can't answer, why do I have to see their questions at all?" FAQ: "If you do not want to see blocked users activity, you can go to your profile settings and check the box that says, "Hide activity from users I blocked" and then click save. This will hide the users activity from your Live Feed as well as the recent questions page, poll page, popular questions page, and myTakes page. You will still see their opinions or replies on individual question pages though." Why?

Problem 4: You don't know someone has blocked you, and is preventing you from making a comment on their question or comment, until you actually hit 'Submit' and by that time, you could hae already wasted time composing something. There should be a visual indicator showing you that you have been blocked.

Problem 5: There is no specification whether it is you or the other person who has blocked. Often, people block in retaliation, so it may have started with you, but then maybe you choose to unblock them later, and now you still cannot communicate with them because now they have blocked you. That is your prerogative, but we need to be able to know which of the two scenarios has occurred.

What else am I missing/forgetting to mention? Feel free to add...

[Agape93]

Here’s what I want

I want to know who blocked me.
I want to not see comments and posts by those I block or have blocked me.
I want to be able to block an anon comment maker and have that person unable to comment on anything else of mine.

[loveslongnails]

At first glance, the simple solution seems to be "if you go anonymous as a RESPONDENT, you lose all rights". Anonymous respondents should not be able block anyone's reply to their post. Anonymous posters can retain the status quo.

[AmandaYVR]

That's clever. That could work.

[iLookUpGirlsSkirts]

If they block you before you reply they are chicken

[AmandaYVR]

Agreed. Pathetic.

[AmandaYVR]

This looks like an incredibly simplistic comment (and I really do not like your username), but I am giving you one MHO because it speaks quickly and to the point - one point which I would like to make clear here. Blocking used in this manner is cowardly.

On the flip side, if the other commenter is being particularly and thoroughly obstinant, or abusive, or degrading or insulting, well then, sure, leave the discussion, but we have to think more carefully about abuse and misuse of blocking. It's more of a philosphical conundrum, than a technical one. (Though I will still continue to advocate for a better structure on which to have it.)

[EpicDweeb]

There needs to be a more specific indicator of who blocked you. For example, when having a conversation on an opinion with multiple people you can be banned from the conversation as a whole through ONE of them blocking you. Being able to silence a person's voice because you don't like their opinion when the conversation is happening on a middle ground should not be possible.

I also think (though this is just personal), when blocking a user you ought to have to give a valid reason for blocking the user which could then be verified by GaG. Being able to simply block all the people who give opinions you don't like (again simply because they disagree with you or make you mildly uncomfortable) seems like just a way of creating an echo chamber for yourself. Considering this is a website where people are meant to answer questions, I feel as though you need to have some valid reason for blocking answers or opinions on a question not simply because you felt like it.

[AmandaYVR]

You're getting into a very complex philosophical discussion now. To block, or not to block? What should the rules and capabilities be? I think what some people miss is that the internet should in many ways be like real life - and in real life we have choice who we associate with (except for family and work associates). Why should all social rules and conventions, decency, civility, and a certain amount of respect not take place online? Because people can get away with something other. And it gets lumped under the guise of 'free speech', self-expression, and then the receiver of these attitudes is raked over the coals for being "a snowflake".

The internet is still growing, and there are not that many laws governing it yet. But that will change, it is changing. Social media companies are starting to take more responsibility with governing their sites, but they have a difficult task ahead of them deciding what is 'right' and 'wrong'.

And p. s. I totally agree with you, about the unfairness of being removed from an entire string of comments, because one person blocked you. That is not right.

cont'd...

[AmandaYVR]

Well I'm not going to make the same mistake this time. I'm saving a copy of these words and "if you dare" as you like to say, Secret, delete this comment as well, or any other of mine, I'm reporting your ass to the site and I will never give up until they take action against you. I said nothing offensive or unreasonable against or to you, and you know it. Your actions are totally uncalled for.

Epic, this is just one small example of the type of bullshit that happens on here. Yes, sometimes blocks were unjustified. And sometimes they are well, well warranted. Epic, this is just one small example of the type of bullshit that happens on here. Yes, sometimes blocks were unjustified. And sometimes they are well, well warranted.

[MrHopper]

I block people all the time, i even use bait questions to get those people to come out. I accept they have things to say, but i find it annoying to hear about how evil black people are, or muslims today or how gay people are destroying the world

I want to exist in my own little bubble which is stress and anger free when i come here, and seeing incendiary posts every time i come on here is not what i enjoy or find relaxing.. so i block... it does seem to stop the topics coming up

I live in a world where i am bombarded with all this nonsense every day, coming on here is something i sort of enjoy for the social aspect and fun... when am having fun i dont want to get angry or insulted... if that happens i won't come back...
"Back when i was a kid there wasn't any internet, people had to walk for miles to call me a cunt"

[WhiteSandBeach]

LMAO 😂😂😂 I laughed out loud at this meme.

[MrHopper]

@WhiteSandBeach... better times i assure you... :) shame you missed them!

[YHL6965]

I would add an Xper penalty for blocking personally so it can't be done and abused so easily. I'm tired of people blocking others at the slightest thing they don't like. I hate being blocked for having a different opinion. I like the stackexchange approach when it comes to negativity : you lose points if you down vote a post there (down votes actually matter there) so it makes you think twice before being negative and I think you get points back if the thing you down voted was actually a bad post.

We could have a similar approach here with blocking : blocking someone would make you lose Xper and then you could report the person for spamming if you blocked a spammer for example. That way, once this user is actually punished, people get their Xper back or get bonus Xper for reporting an actually bad user.

Now, it might look a bit too punishing or extreme to you, but I think it could be a good way for the community to "self-regulate" and be more "responsible".

[AmandaYVR]

An interesting idea. People’s experiences on other sites is relevant. I know the site’s admins are reading this so I’m sure they’ll take that into consideration.
If we want/need change, we need to speak up. It’s better to do that and give them a chance to fix problems than just leave the site altogether and they don’t know why.

[YHL6965]

Yes, I definitely agree. Now I mentioned this whole thing about stackexchange, but the point of this site is very different, it's all about objectively correct answers to precise questions and the quality standards there are much higher. For example, duplicate questions are deleted and you lose XP there for not researching beforehand. On G@G however, even if you can report a question for being a duplicate, not many people care because it's all about opinions, not about precise objective answers.

I wish there was a way to "bump" older questions to give them momentarily attention if you are looking for more opinions instead of reasking the question.

[AmandaYVR]

I agree. I want more depth, not an endless barrage of repeat new. But I’m figuring out how to use the site so I get the best experience for me. You have to make conscious decisions.
You can use the Update field, right? Figure out something to add that is interesting or relevant.

[YHL6965]

Yes, but this might end up having no results and just annoy people who already posted an opinion. Besides, there used to be a feature where you could redeem Xper points to make a question featured.

[hellionthesagereborn]

I am absolutely against blocking, its just in my nature (I don't want to be caught in an echo chamber. Some times the things we need to hear are not the things we want to hear. Also just because I disagree with one thing said doesn't mean I will disagree with that person on another topic (Its frustrating to find out that some one blocked me for a disagreement on one question even as I try to give them a thumbs up for another). That said I do agree with issues three and four, if I am blocked why am I still seeing their stuff and two, I tend to be long winded so I spend a good five minutes writing only to find out that I am blocked, its really infuriating. Also frustrating because so many people get petty with it and use the block option to get the last word in. I would also wish they would implement some mechanism as to explain why a person is blocked because I am blocked by people I didn't even know I talked to or people I thought I got along with prior to finding out I was blocked.

[GirlsAskGuys]

Blocking feature is in the plans of further development. Thanks for the feedback. We'll investigate these points.

[N192K001]

More feedback is given here:
Do you think GAG should punish people who BLOCK you when you did nothing offensive? What would be the punishment? ↗

A requests for transparency seem common, in terms of reason (s) for being blocked, notification of being blocked in the middle of a conversation, and (post-conversation) an identifier on who blocked them, as to avoid time wasted trying to comment or up-/down-vote a post.\

I also post a suggestion that might help bring users closer together in these divided-times by making known commonalities in shared opinion even of people they dismissed as blocked. (Notifications/Authorization-requests for down-votes, though may not be needed. Just for up-votes by the blocked should be enough.)

[wankiam]

my issue with 3 is that as a mod we are here to monitor all comments and if we can't see the people we personally had to block it gives them free reign to be offensive to others or to continue with member posts about you without you knowing though i can see how it is frustrating for regular users

[AmandaYVR]

That makes sense. Up until today I had been generally thinking that there are practical reasons why it is necessary to keep all the comments (I presume without them it would disrupt the flow of conversation, and be very confusing when some commenters are replying to 'ghost' messages. That's just one example I could think of). But overall, there are so many people that leave the site because of the aggression and harrassment, which is really sad but I echo their sentiments. But I am more bothered by the injustice. Now Secret6620 is removing my comments, at her will. I realize that the whole topic of blocking is very very difficult, philosophically and in a social aspect. But certain Editors etc. wielding their 'power' to delete reasonable comments, it's such an abuse. An not being able to reply to people, being blocked while theirs remains, these are just too much to handle.

[wankiam]

its her perogative but she blocked me for no reason i could see so i share your frustration on that one... there's a few askhole here that only allow comments they agree with. as for offence and harrasment i do thing g@g in general could do more to point users in the direction of the rules now and again, especially when they first join the site... it might cut down on the high number of first timers trying to use g@g as a dating site too.

[sawno]

My fight a year ago failed : Why Block button harms the GAG community. ↗
So hopefully this time it will be more succesfull, the block button should prevent PM's and hide content not prevent people from posting or rating.

[talloak]

An excellent list. I would also add that blocking should not allow someone to have the last word. If a person writes an opinion or a response to an opinion and then blocks the other user, that submission should be removed.

As websites go, this one is pretty bare-bones, so I'm not expecting much in the way of improvements. But it sure doesn't hurt to ask.

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

Yes the blocking system needs fixed it's broken
people who come Anonymous to leave a comment
or opinion on one question than blocks you to further
stand your ground yes something needs done about it
thanks for sharing your MyTake with us i been blocked
by people who i do believe have me blocked me and they
unblock me long enough to thumbs down me than they
block me again yes them kind are on here.

[Lliam]

I'll agree with everything you said. #4 is a particular pet peeve for me. You expressed it well. I don't even know why that person or people blocked me in the first place.

[AmandaYVR]

Thank you, Lliam.
I know, it is frustrating to have no idea why. I have at times blocked people and commented at that moment "If you wonder why I am blocking you, this is why". I don't think it should be necessity or requirement, but I have done it out of courtesy to the person, so they know the reaction and results of their comments. In those situation I felt it was completely justified and self-evident.
Unfortunately there is no way to memo this, or a reminder as to why you yourself have decided to block (I have sent a suggestion to the site admins about this).
I have also unblocked people, thinking maybe I was perhaps hasty, but then I have also regretted that. At least it is easy to do and undo.

[EpicDweeb]

I relate to this quite a bit. I've had two times where I commented on female gager's questions and was simply discovered I'd been blocked. Both times they were people I'd started following because they actually asked solid (non-repetitive) questions. I'd speculate that I'd done or said something creepy but as far as I'm aware I'd always avoided antagonizing or saying anything offensive so it was just bizarre and I stopped being able to answer some of the better questions on here.

[EpicDweeb]

If you're wondering, I don't think I PMed either user at any point. If I had I might be able to understand one of them seeing that as a little creepy, that a guy they don't know if private messaging them... buuut I didn't, hence my confusion.

[AmandaYVR]

@EpicDweeb Epic, I can't imagine what you could have said to offend anyone. I have nothing but good things to say about you, and a good impression of you. I think you are a good contributor to the site.
These are troubling times we live in. I know there have always been problems in the world, discord is a part of life. But I feel the world is slipping too quickly down, down into a bucket of muck, and we are slow cooked frogs. (Do you know that idiom?) Anyway, I'm sorry people like you are worrying about appearing "creepy". I've heard this before, also "stalkery" for which I consider to be very normal behaviour and interactions. You keep being you. You are one of the good ones.
(And you, Lliam.)

[EpicDweeb]

I appreciate it, and yes it's a good idiom. A variation I've always liked was "how do you cook a frog alive?" increase the temperature one degree at a time."

[Clo917]

Nice take, definitely agree with #1 and #4. As much as I want them to do something about #3, now that I'm a moderator I need to see all opinions and monitor them. I think it'd be good if they at least added in an option in settings so you could at least have the option to hide everything if you'd like.

[NickiB]

I don't know much about it.
I was only blocked by a white supremacist who kept asking racist questions and inviting me and i think he got pissed at my non anger so he blocked me after calling me a racist against white people. So i was not sad to lose him.

[Exorcist_Rampage]

Make all your questions where anonymous people can't reply like I do.

If people are going to post opinions on my questions, they are going to do so professionally using their username, not like a wuss who goes anonymous.

It's stupid that g@g even allows people the option to go anonymous.

[LordSnuggles]

Blocked me because you disagree with my opinion?

[Daniel012]

there (on most sites) is no checking or qualification for the reason for the block.

person a) I like cheese
person b) your an idiot
*person b) blocks person a), because person b) doesn't like the colour of person a)'s socks, and also doesn't like cheese

in an ideal world, there will be a system which says "disliking cheese/socks is not sufficient reason for a block, request to block denied for 24 hours"

[Daniel012]

[or something]. basically, the software automatically gives the benefit of the doubt to the person pressing the click button

[Daniel012]

assuming someone has been triggered enough to block someone, is there any log file of their (lets called it) "reason" for blocking them? for "further investigation"

I'd never suggest that some influencers create their own echo chamber

[Quidthonian]

Blocking should be the last resort. People should be kicked off if a certain quota of other users block them.

[coachTanthony]

Let's see if GAG agrees with your opinions here. I agree 100%.

[Iron_Man]

That’s fine as long as my account doesn’t get frozen for defending myself against name callers and cut down artist. I don’t have a problem with getting rid of the blocking system

[Likes2drive]

You pretty much covered it all and it would be nice to know somehow before answering their question that you are blocked by them and that it was definitely them and not you

[blondfrog]

You said everything everyone has said but all together in one take. :) yes I agree.