invitation only threads

[DMB]

Originally Posted by Billi

Sorry to play the naive once more: but wouldn't it then be the right order to first meet these demands oneself and only afterwards demand them from all the others here?

Which demands do you mean?

I can't see any logic in ignoring another user for something one does oneself all the time.

It's not clear to me what you're referring to. If this is directed at me, I don't give a stuff if you put me on ignore.

[Billi]

DMB, I was not in the least bit referring to you. I was referring to Poppaea's post about endlessly repeating the same things, sorry that I didn't do it with a quote.
And I don't have any reason to start my not existing ignore-list with you!!!

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by Billi

DMB, I was not in the least bit referring to you. I was referring to Poppaea's post about endlessly repeating the same things, sorry that I didn't do it with a quote.
And I don't have any reason to start my not existing ignore-list with you!!!

Like I said: Ignore me. No problem.

But it seems you have not noticed whom this whole thread is about. The name is given in this thread and it looks like a whole bunch of people is not too keen to hear their theory once again.

So what do you suggest? A ban?

If this applies to me too, in your eyes, just feel free to not read my posts/ignore me.

Edit: The more I think about it, the better I like this idea. It would spare me the twist you give to what I wrote and answering to things I never said, like you did in the past.

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Being ignored is cool

How do you know

[Worldwalker]

Originally Posted by Billi

But in my mind the idea of ignoring certain users contradicts the core sense of a forum. A forum works fine when you have many posts and when you have many lively discussions, that means many different or opposite opinions. And with the ignore function you reduce both for yourself. Is it really such an interesting thing to read only posts with your opinion from members you like?

Bluntly put, there are in any forum dicks. It's a fact of life. This has nothing to do with what opinions they present -- in fact, there are a couple here on MobileRead who agree with me, and make me wish they didn't. It has everything to do with their actions and their style: they're dicks.

I enjoy having many posts, I enjoy lively discussions, and I enjoy different or opposite opinions. For the love of God, look at who I am! Have you ever seen me back down from an argument, or indeed not wade directly into one, words swinging? I don't want to read only posts with my opinion nor from members I like. But that doesn't mean I want to deal with the dicks. MobileRead is my leisure, not my vocation, and it should not be a source of suffering.

My personal choice is just to not read the threads that have attracted such people. Ignore doesn't work very well (the quote issue) and, being the insatiably curious person I am, I keep wondering what I'm missing; after all, the dicks aren't dicks all the time, or they'd be banned. I have to ask you, though, is my non-participation in a thread an improvement? Does it make a thread better if I abandon it to save my blood pressure? Dicks or me -- pick one. Which do you prefer? (if you think I am a dick, please don't answer!)

I am not going to read posts that leave me wailing and gnashing my teeth, and trying to get my blood pressure down into a mere three figures. I participate in MobileRead because I enjoy it, and dicks destroy that enjoyment (as, in many cases, they intend to do). So I avoid the threads that such people infest. Does that really improve the threads? What is the alternative -- that I be forced to read blood-pressure-spiking posts from people who are only trying to get a rise out of others? Would that make this forum a better place?

If you would use a good ignore function to "read only posts with your opinion from people you like" that says more about you than it says about us. Anyone who would do that probably isn't contributing much anyway. And as for the rest of us, we'd really just rather not have to deal with the dicks.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by Billi

No problem with trusting you in general and I can see that this function might help some people to calm down or not to become too angry.
But in my mind the idea of ignoring certain users contradicts the core sense of a forum. A forum works fine when you have many posts and when you have many lively discussions, that means many different or opposite opinions. And with the ignore function you reduce both for yourself. Is it really such an interesting thing to read only posts with your opinion from members you like?



Thank you very much, Ea.

there are some people that are just plain liars and like to stir the pot, that is one set of users that deserve "ignore". there are other people that for whatever reason take a dislike to other people and will find an issue that will get a rise out of someone and push those buttons deliberately, they deserve an ignore. there are some people who are just ignorant trolls and deserve an ignore.... many reasons, good reasons to keep your blood pressure down, keep yourself from being banned, and so on

[astra]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

trust me on this one... it is necessary and useful to ignore some people that might otherwise result in wars and banning

Originally Posted by orlok

Originally Posted by CRussel

Yes, using ignore, even though it is far from perfect, has improved my online attitude significantly. But honestly, I wish that ignore hid the user completely, instead of the partial hiding.

Multiple

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why do you hate Tux?

Dunno. I have no clue who this Tux is. Just dislike them. You change thye avatars all the time and it is annoying. I am getting used to one face per user. Sometimes I don't have to look at the nick, I see avatar and know who it is.

Originally Posted by Ea

deliberately choose to exercise patience and self control

I am here to have fun, am I not? Why do I have to exercise anything? It ruins the relaxing atmosphere of fun. It becomes a belligerent environment. Then what is a point to come here?
I have no problem with anger management. I had no warning over this issue on any of the forums I have ever visited. It doesn't mean I must endure pricks and their attitude.

Originally Posted by Billi

I dare to disagree. I don't want the programmers behind this site investing their energy, time and wisdom in improving such a negative and destructive function as "ignore user" actually is.

Rising blood pressure when reading some posts is a destructive energy. It is a lot healthier for both sides if they can ignore each other.

Originally Posted by Billi

But in my mind the idea of ignoring certain users contradicts the core sense of a forum. A forum works fine when you have many posts and when you have many lively discussions, that means many different or opposite opinions. And with the ignore function you reduce both for yourself. Is it really such an interesting thing to read only posts with your opinion from members you like?

Unfortunately, every forum has its measure of idiots. Ignore function helps to avoid conflicts. Yes, it is interesting to read opinion of people I either like or indifferent to and have no wish to read posts of people I cannot stand. I am not interested in their opinion, I don't value their posts. So, what is a point of reading their posts and often feel angry? I skip the posts anyway, but it makes the reading of a topic jerky, when if the idiots were ignored the reading would be smooth and enjoyable.

Originally Posted by DMB

I think this is a somewhat naive view of how discussion boards work. I doubt that anyone here would have a problem with reading opinions that contradict their own. The problem arises not from opinions per se but from behaviour

Originally Posted by orlok

with interest. When people are deliberately provacative (or plain immature), why would you want to even be exposed to their input?

Could not agree more

[Ea]

By letting other people get a rise out of you, you ultimately let them in control of you and your reactions. I find it mildly immature to blame one's temper/reactions on other people. I think using an ignore functionality is a band-aid type of solution, I've found it much more efficient to learn to do it on my own. And I get to read all posts I should care to do so

[orlok]

Originally Posted by Ea

By letting other people get a rise out of you, you ultimately let them in control of you and your reactions. I find it mildly immature to blame one's temper/reactions on other people. I think using an ignore functionality is a band-aid type of solution, I've found it much more efficient to learn to do it on my own. And I get to read all posts I should care to do so

I think you are missing the point. It is by ignoring them that you are avoiding letting them control your emotions, as you are not getting exposed to the rubbish they frequently spout. Unless you are some kind of saint, or a doormat, the insensitive things some people say are bound to affect you, so it's better to just click that ignore button.

[astra]

Originally Posted by Ea

By letting other people get a rise out of you, you ultimately let them in control of you and your reactions. I find it mildly immature to blame one's temper/reactions on other people. I think using an ignore functionality is a band-aid type of solution, I've found it much more efficient to learn to do it on my own. And I get to read all posts I should care to do so

I see your attitude to be exactly the same

you ultimately let them in control of you and your reactions

You had to coach yourself to ignore this sort of things.
You had to spend time to learn no to get angry.
You still have to activate those techniques you have learned whenever you encounter a foul post.
In my book, they still control you. You just behave differently.
Telling yourself that you don't care or feel calm, absolutely calm and don't give the tiniest rat ass about what the fellow moron utters, mind you, actually feeling absolutely no negative motion, truly experience it, not just telling yourself what you feel is a remarkable achievement.

The question is why should I attempt to achieve anything? By attempting to achieve this state, I surrender control to the freaks by default, when I can easily ignore them with a few clicks of a mouse?

[Ea]

You simply don't get it, but if you are happy with using technological band-aids I certainly won't stop you

[astra]

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by Ea

By letting other people get a rise out of you, you ultimately let them in control of you and your reactions. I find it mildly immature to blame one's temper/reactions on other people. I think using an ignore functionality is a band-aid type of solution, I've found it much more efficient to learn to do it on my own. And I get to read all posts I should care to do so

Originally Posted by Ea

You simply don't get it, but if you are happy with using technological band-aids I certainly won't stop you

no, we all *get it*. just as in real life there are people you would just as soon no longer walk the earth, and you know it is wiser, saner, more rational for you to not only not interact with them, but even leave an establishment should they happen to arrive, these people exist in cyber land as well. it is smart, sane, rational etc to define the people that annoy the stuffing out of you and just walk away from them. this includes ignoring them

[netseeker]

Functional principle of "ignore user" imho:



It doesn't work for me in real life (boss, colleagues, customers, administrative bodies, family, ..) and it doesn't work on the internet as well.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by Ea

By letting other people get a rise out of you, you ultimately let them in control of you and your reactions. I find it mildly immature to blame one's temper/reactions on other people. I think using an ignore functionality is a band-aid type of solution, I've found it much more efficient to learn to do it on my own. And I get to read all posts I should care to do so

I use ignore on people who:
1) Never (or almost never) say anything I didn't already know,
2) Don't make meaningful contributions to the discussions but seek, consciously or not, to refocus attention on them,
3) Don't inspire me to write responses that I believe are meaningful contributions to the discussions.

It's a very small list. I don't ignore people who annoy me, or who I think are just trolling; I ignore the ones who do nothing but distract me from content I want to read, from discussions I want to take part in.

If I'm not interested in seeing what they say, and I have nothing I want to say to them, I'll put them on ignore. This does cause a "swiss cheese" effect in some threads--but I find that if they said something vaguely interesting, other people will quote them. (But I'd rather other people just ignored them so we could get on with the *interesting* discussions.)