The Ethics of Two Way Ignore

[Belen]

Any social dynamic seen in the real world can, and generally does, happen here, at least occasionally. I can name some historical, and a few current things that probably count, but the people involved would probably not like if if I did that.

At one time, we had a "like"-based reputation system. Clique behavior was seen within it. Circles of people who always liked each other's posts drove their reputation up above the masses because of the focused shared behavior.



When you have persistent users, people get to know each other. Knowing each other "in real life" isn't required.

Well, a large group of ENWorlders did get together IRL at GenCon and other "ENworld" gamedays back in the day. I liked the old rep system but it was better on CM than here.

 

[FrogReaver]

I'm quite similar, not sure I've interacted with any of the people on my ignore list, but they are there because I don't like either how they are treating others, or their posts are often triggering a not great reaction on my part, and so I'm better off just not seeing the posts than getting angry / pouring fuel on to the fire as such.
And similar to others I don't have two way ignore on, as it is just for me to not see their posts, not worried if they see mine as such. Every now and then I do review the list, but so far only one person has moved from out of ignore for me.

Question for you and others that use it this way. How often do you block/ignore the person raising points you mostly agree with when compared to those you don’t?

 

[Cadence]

Question for you and others that use it this way. How often do you block/ignore the person raising points you mostly agree with when compared to those you don’t?

I find it much easier to just skim past posts I find at least vaguely plausible than the ones I think are wholly ill-conceived. And even those don't bother me tons if it is just once in a while. But when it feels like it is thread after thread after thread of things that make me go WTF... especially when it feels they are often phrased rudely or condescendingly and when it feels like there are rarely any I find edifying. Well, that's one of the reasons I use the button.

(My current block total for all reasons is under 15 - not including people who were then permanently removed from the site. And for most of the ones blocked for the reason above it was months before I finally pulled the trigger. I do revisit the ones I blocked just for annoying me and sometimes unblock them since it makes me feel a bit guilty sometimes having put people on the list.)

 

[Umbran]

Well, a large group of ENWorlders did get together IRL at GenCon and other "ENworld" gamedays back in the day.

While true (I went to some of the Boston Gamedays way back when), that's not really the point.

I have never been in the same physical space as Morrus and Danny. Never even been on a voice call with either of them. Is anyone going to be so presumptuous as to assert that I don't know these people? No? Then, clearly, you can get to know people through online interaction as well as meeting physically.

 

[Belen]

While true (I went to some of the Boston Gamedays way back when), that's not really the point.

I have never been in the same physical space as Morrus and Danny. Never even been on a voice call with either of them. Is anyone going to be so presumptuous as to assert that I don't know these people? No? Then, clearly, you can get to know people through online interaction as well as meeting physically.

I agree. People can form bonds here without meeting physically. Obviously, there was a strong enough bonds that people did choose to meet although that was never required. I mean, I do not know you well, but I have interacted with you 20 years or more.

I do think it is super weird that I have hung out with Morrus in person and you have not considering your long service to the site.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Question for you and others that use it this way. How often do you block/ignore the person raising points you mostly agree with when compared to those you don’t?

Usually, if I'm using ignore, it's because someone's said something that I feel is offensive or deeply unkind (and, once, because I felt their posts verged on spam). The nature of the rest of their post doesn't enter into it, and I don't usually bother interrogating that in these circumstances. I can't think of a time where I've put someone on ignore because of a gaming-based disagreement they're having. It's always because someone's said something beyond the pale.

 

[CleverNickName]

I think some folks are confusing being Ignored with being disagreed with.

I imagine if there were dozens of people ignoring me, I'd be looking for ways to tell myself that it's because they couldn't handle all my Hot Takes, and certainly not because I've been behaving poorly and need to do better.

 

[Umbran]

Which means using blocks as a metric for who has the most head-butting sessions would be highly inaccurate.

I feel like you are arguing against some internal image of what we do, irrelevant of what I say.

I already told you, more than once now, that we don't generally use number of a blocks as a metric in day-to-day operations.

So, why are you trying to school me on how to not use it?

So I have a question - what is your evidence and proof for your alternative?

My evidence and proof for... what exactly? Justifying our use of a metric that (again) we don't use?

 

[Gradine]

My block list tends to be populated by people who are clearly anti-inclusive and have a bone to pick about it but are clever enough to avoid drawing the attention of the mods by using dog-whistles and innuendo and sealioning. The sort of folks who always pop in threads with even a whiff of diversity or inclusion to decry it as being woke (pejorative) without actually calling it "woke" (pejorative).

I used to use block a lot more liberally than I do now, years ago when moderation was lighter (and don't get me started on some of the transphobia that used to fly here a decade or so ago). These days it's not very many people and most of them find themselves unwelcome in a hurry.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Speaking only for myself? I don't want people I've blocked to know that I've blocked them, or when I did it. I want them to think I vanished from the site, never to be seen again, without so much as a wave goodbye. (It takes a LOT to get me to block someone.) This is true across all social media, from Reddit to FaceBook to ENWorld.

If that ever changes--if I ever want someone to know that I've blocked them--I can send them a DM first.

I suspect you're a frequent enough poster that if they're curious, they can figure it out anyway. Infrequent posters its more likely to pass on.