The Ethics of Two Way Ignore

[Umbran]

The one thing I wonder, what happens if a DM takes you on board with a PbP game together with someone on your ignore list. It might get pretty confusing if there's an invisible PC playing in the game such that you can't read their actions but they are having an effect on the story nonetheless...

Why are you playing in a PBP with someone who you don't want to talk to?

 

[billd91]

Why are you playing in a PBP with someone who you don't want to talk to?

Because you may not know what other players are all coming on board when you are initially accepted into the game?
Because playing a game with someone isn't the same as discussing other RPG topics?

 

[Umbran]

Because you may not know what other players are all coming on board when you are initially accepted into the game?

It would seem to me that the major issue here is not the functionality of the ignore list, but the interpersonal dynamics that led to the ignore list getting invoked, and would require a discussion with the GM anyway. If the GM can broker a peace, the ignore could be lifted. If not, the dynamic would likely have a negative effect on the game, such that one of you should back out anyway.

Because playing a game with someone isn't the same as discussing other RPG topics?

"You annoy me so much I never want to see your posts, but I'll play a game with you for months on end," seems solidly in the "edge case" bucket.

 

[Nikosandros]

Because you may not know what other players are all coming on board when you are initially accepted into the game?
Because playing a game with someone isn't the same as discussing other RPG topics?

This. Some time ago, I considered joining a game here. I desisted because I realized I did not have the actual time, but I perused the recruitment thread. Through what I assume was a technical glitch, I realized that one of the posters that had joined was ignoring me. Until that point, I was not even aware that I was on that person ignore list.

 

[Nikosandros]

In any event, if I had actually joined the game, I guess that I would have dropped out of it. No sense in stalking someone, even if involuntarily.

 

[Thomas Shey]

You are ignoring UserX. You have enabled 2-way ignore (hiding posts both ways) .

You start a thread in the D&D forum. UserX will see that thread when they view the D&D forum as if it were a normal thread. UserX will see your first post in the thread. They can respond to it, and other people in the thread. They will not see subsequent posts by you in the thread.

UserX starts a thread in the D&D forum. You will not see that thread when you view the D&D forum, and it is likely you don't know the thread exists. You will still see that thread if it becomes the most recent post on the Forum List, and a few other places. You can still post in that thread if you navigate to it. You will still get notifications about that thread if you follow it or someone mentions you in it. UserX will not see your posts in that thread. You will not see posts by UserX in that thread (including the first post).

With this form, no one is completely blocked out of a thread and unable to respond to it due to ignore settings. This is the way things work with the current forum software, but it's not how it has always worked in the past.

Hope this clears things up.

Ah, its not symmetrical. That was the missing piece. Thank you.

FWIW, I prefer using 2-way ignore. Some people are on my ignore list just because I find them annoying, or for the mental health reasons mentioned above. It wouldn't be a big deal if they could see my posts. But there is also a (very) short list that I believe are straight up trolls that have just learned to be polite enough to skirt the rules here. I absolutely do not want those people able to see my posts. There are definitely a couple of bad seeds that would take advantage of that and intentionally misrepresent what people ignoring them say, knowing that their target couldn't respond.

Its possible my one remaining Ignore would do that, but I find I just can't care.

 

[AnotherGuy]

Because you may not know what other players are all coming on board when you are initially accepted into the game?
Because playing a game with someone isn't the same as discussing other RPG topics?

Don't you think that most disputes which rise to the level of ignore on this site, are less about RPGs and more about non-RPG content? Hence the no political commentary rule. I mean sure we got edition wars but I dunno, I feel the non-rpg stuff is far more polarising amongst posters.

 

[Reynard]

Don't you think that most disputes which rise to the level of ignore on this site, are less about RPGs and more about non-RPG content? Hence the no political commentary rule. I mean sure we got edition wars but I dunno, I feel the non-rpg stuff is far more polarising amongst posters.

I don't think so, at least for me personally. in fact, it really isn't usually about what people believe, but how they express those beliefs and their overall demeanor (as perceived through a text only medium, of course). And, as I stated, my own ability to comport myself in relation to them.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Don't you think that most disputes which rise to the level of ignore on this site, are less about RPGs and more about non-RPG content? Hence the no political commentary rule. I mean sure we got edition wars but I dunno, I feel the non-rpg stuff is far more polarising amongst posters.

My experience suggests you're an incredible optimist. I've seen people just rip into people about gaming topics, and in some cases trot out all the worst argumentative styles to do it.

 

[billd91]

Don't you think that most disputes which rise to the level of ignore on this site, are less about RPGs and more about non-RPG content? Hence the no political commentary rule. I mean sure we got edition wars but I dunno, I feel the non-rpg stuff is far more polarising amongst posters.

I think it's more of a toss-up. There are a lot of people on this board who can be really one-note on certain RPG topics to the point that I can see a lot of people who don't agree with that one note putting them on ignore. And it's not so much because they're politically incompatible with the site or much of its community - I figure most people who can't dummy up on political their political views, while they might get ignored a lot, they're going to find themselves migrating away from here anyway due to general hostility with the board's politics of inclusion. The one-note RPG posters probably aren't that level of incompatible with board policies - they just keep saying the same annoying things or presenting the same annoying attitude.