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  • Subject: Ignore feature
Subject: Ignore feature

I spend too much time here.. too much time indeed.

I tweet?

Posted by: Hymn

Posted by: dazarobbo
Since it was pretty interesting to read, I'd like to fork the discussion being had in this thread on the topic of "self-moderation" through the use of filtering tools, such as an ignore user feature.


Please Bungie? This should work both ways though. If userA blocks userB than userB can't see UserA's posts either. I Wasn't sure if this was expressed?


No, just no. I have stated my approval in this thread a several times already, but that's where I draw the line. There's no point in blocking other users from seeing your posts, this is a system meant to increase user experience while limiting the impact on other users. What you suggest is moving in the opposite direction.


Posted by: coolmike699
Posted by: Achronos
So far, my opinion is that if it were done, it couldn't be done in isolation, and would have to be very, very, very carefully implemented to avoid creating an "echo chamber" by default... basically to make it so it was a backup device for users, rather than the first thing they hit when annoyed by someone. As to how to do that... well... I guess if it were easy, we would have already done it.


You could have users write a 100 character summary of why they're ignoring the person they want to ignore, and then have them do a CAPTCHA. Both of those would be really annoying, so users wouldn't use them as much. You could also limit the number of peopole a user can ignore.


Hell, I think just a CAPTCHA would be enough. The summary would be the easy part.

[Edited on 12.12.2011 3:26 PM PST]

  • 12.12.2011 3:25 PM PDT

',:|

One could always limit this feature to higher titled members...


I disagree with simply making it a hassle. There's a better way, surely.

[Edited on 12.12.2011 3:28 PM PST]

  • 12.12.2011 3:26 PM PDT

Perhaps a test run is in order. 9 pages of discussion is all well and good, but we have no data. I realize something like this might be hard to implement, but in limited fashion, if it does go wrong, the damage will be limited. Perhaps a 'modified' private group would do the trick.




As far as whether or not it's a good idea: People will understand what they are doing if they ignore somebody and all their posts. I would be very hesitant to do it, but having the option available is good. Those who don't think about what it means to ignore people are not the sort of people we want. It requires very little thought to understand what the ignore function does. But please ignore this paragraph (no pun intended) as it is ancillary to the one above.

  • 12.12.2011 3:36 PM PDT

Oh hey there

Posted by: petarded2
It's a metaphor for the 07s' lack of identity. too old to be newfa­g, yet too new to be oldfa­g, we wander b.net in search of a home, forever trying to be something we are not.

Posted by: spartain ken 15
eh..., This feature has GREAT potential to be useful against spammers but I think it will also be used (alot) for non rule breaking reasons and disagreements. But if it can be done correctly like Achronos said and in a way where it doesn't create a huge division in the forums, I am okay with it. (but that seems like it would be a lot of work and it would be hard to implement it I am assuming).
That is the point that you seem to be missing. Spam has a varying definition. To some users my posts may be spam and they may want to block me because I bother them. That's fine, it's their own choice and it's their own interactive experience with the site. Why should they be forced to read something just because it isn't "against the rules."

You keep talking about a fracturing of the community like it is inevitable if this is implemented but I see it the opposite way. For example, people who read my posts and think I'm a moron block me. But the next day I post in a thread that the user who blocked me is interested in and the entire conversation is turned by one insightful post that I make. The user will have to unblock me to see what I have posted and become involved in the discussion.

If anything it will show users that you should only block people who are actually not worth your time to read. If someone really believes that they are contributing to conversation in a meaningful way then they should have no fear of being blocked by other users because the other users would realize that, while yes most of the things that Spartan1065 posts are idiotic, and his username has to many numbers that mean nothing, and I hate his face, every now and again he might say something useful so I should just put up with the crap to find the true gems.

That way everyone's forum experience is enhanced.

[Edited on 12.12.2011 3:44 PM PST]

  • 12.12.2011 3:41 PM PDT

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Posted by: Specter Wolf
Posted by: Hymn

Posted by: dazarobbo
Since it was pretty interesting to read, I'd like to fork the discussion being had in this thread on the topic of "self-moderation" through the use of filtering tools, such as an ignore user feature.


Please Bungie? This should work both ways though. If userA blocks userB than userB can't see UserA's posts either. I Wasn't sure if this was expressed?


No, just no. I have stated my approval in this thread a several times already, but that's where I draw the line. There's no point in blocking other users from seeing your posts, this is a system meant to increase user experience while limiting the impact on other users. What you suggest is moving in the opposite direction.


Posted by: coolmike699
Posted by: Achronos
So far, my opinion is that if it were done, it couldn't be done in isolation, and would have to be very, very, very carefully implemented to avoid creating an "echo chamber" by default... basically to make it so it was a backup device for users, rather than the first thing they hit when annoyed by someone. As to how to do that... well... I guess if it were easy, we would have already done it.


You could have users write a 100 character summary of why they're ignoring the person they want to ignore, and then have them do a CAPTCHA. Both of those would be really annoying, so users wouldn't use them as much. You could also limit the number of peopole a user can ignore.


Hell, I think just a CAPTCHA would be enough. The summary would be the easy part.

I disagree with the CAPTCHA being enough. If people elaborate on why they're blocking a user, they'll realize if it's right or wrong, and if they're being stupid.

  • 12.12.2011 3:48 PM PDT

I spend too much time here.. too much time indeed.

I tweet?

Posted by: xReconAssassinX

Posted by: Specter Wolf
Hell, I think just a CAPTCHA would be enough. The summary would be the easy part.

I disagree with the CAPTCHA being enough. If people elaborate on why they're blocking a user, they'll realize if it's right or wrong, and if they're being stupid.


That was more or less said in jest by me and I do actually agree, but there's also nothing stopping people from entering 100 random characters as their reason. Though that's not to say it isn't a good idea in general and may even teach other users who find it annoying some self control (that Ken is big on) and teach them to ignore things they don't like (the complaint from others).

  • 12.12.2011 3:55 PM PDT

Posted by: DeeJ
Why don't you just give me ONE SECOND!

I've scanned a majority of this thread, however.....what about deleting? If a ninja finds a post he/she considers to be spam, why not delete the post rather an issue a ban? This leaves some "Major" things up to the moderators discretion, however not silencing that users voice for some period of time. But then again we'd just have them reposting.

Another idea is an improved report button, but i'm not so sure how it'd work.

Say, if a post is spam, all one would need to do is click report, and if theres a % of people reporting it, it's autodeleted, rather than pending moderation? but then we'd just have to get people to use it....

Or what about a "hide Post" button, such as the arrow for displaying a users sig. Each post has an option to be hidden, and the system tracks each user that hides a specific user's post.

Say User A hides poster's B's Posts 10 times. The system would then acknowledge that User A finds poster B's posts as spam, and then keeps them hidden until they're reopened.

idk

Oh, Achronos, i still like the age old idea of nuking the flood.

  • 12.12.2011 4:06 PM PDT

Balancing speed with visual fidelity.

This idea is bad, but of course a great idea in the eyes of anyone who is truly out of touch with this community.

People can already filter out stuff they don't want to see simply by not reading it.

For example, I read through all nine pages of this thread in less than five minutes because I was only reading posts by Mythic members and Achronos, and only skimming them at that.

I would estimate that half of all people who would be ignored would soon be unignored due to simple curiosity.

What about when that person is quoted or replied to by another person, and the reader can only see half the discussion?

What if the ignored person creates a thread? Would the entire thread not appear for them?

This idea is bad and will not work.

EDIT: I would be ignoring you so hard right now, Halochick4ever. What a terrible post.

[Edited on 12.12.2011 4:09 PM PST]

  • 12.12.2011 4:08 PM PDT

@spawn031

"So much of what we do is ephemeral and quickly forgotten, even by ourselves, so it's gratifying to have something you have done linger in people's memories." John Williams

There are some obvious good and bad reasons to this idea. I would actually love for this to be integrated on bnet. As Daz said, it would allow YOU to control YOUR experience on bnet, rather than waiting for a moderator to arrive and save the day.

I post on numerous forum boards and many of them have a block function that is similar to what we're talking about here. First off, someone mentioned the idea of seeing exactly how many users are "blocking" you. I would love this. That way you can tell if you're actually being heard in the community or it you're just being ignored.

The obvious good part of this feature is for blocking out users that create alt account to simply post spam and explicit pictures on these forums. If i find a specific user(s) annoying, for any reason, I can eliminate myself from that discussion. No questions asked. Whether it be collapsing their posts or removing the content from my view all together. This whole filter system is a good way of getting information that you want much quicker to yourself. After all, isn't that what a video game board is about? Getting information to yourself through quicker access?

I see many people discussing how this would "destroy the community." How many people actually come to this website with a major concern about the community itself? Besides the community managers at Bungie Studios, the dedicated members and moderators of the forums, how many people actually care about the community? Or are they here just to find their Halo stats or Weekly Update? Obviously nearly everyone in this thread cares about the community in some way because this topic exists. It would by no means "destroy" the community. I like to think of it as, spring cleaning.

I usually keep a rule of thumb to myself, if I'm not going to remember this 5 years from now off the top of my head, is it really THAT important? We're all on this site because we have nothing better to do right now. Some people have more time than others. Granted, we also like organizing gaming days with each other and holding weekly contest, but nonetheless, the reason we're here is because we're looking for something to do.

Allowing users to filter and moderate for themselves would benefit the community. It would allow users to have quicker access to the information they want without reading the posts of people that they don't like for whatever reason. If our common goal on bnet is to enhance and make the use's experience better, then something like this is a must have function for self-moderation.



[Edited on 12.12.2011 6:27 PM PST]

  • 12.12.2011 4:22 PM PDT
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Talk to the Soul | ~B.B. | Know Your Duardo |  | Hero | ISFJ | 77135 | 94371

"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me."

My opinion is that, even if you aren't a fan of someone, they still have a voice and should still be able to be heard. That is what makes this Community so great: everyone has a voice. Choosing to block users can take away from discussion because now a voice isn't being heard from all channels. Should it? That's the question that needs answering. Do I want a more customizable experience? Definitely! However, I don't feel that simply blocking someone is the right course of action.

I believe the report button can be so much more than it is. Right now it's simply report a post, hope more people report it, and you're done. Nothing else happens, and you feel as though nothing is being done. What should happen is that the post you reported should be immediately collapsed, and all further post and threads from that user should be also (on YOUR SCREEN). If enough people report said post, then it will get reviewed by a ninja and a judgement will be made.

Thinking about it that way, what if instead of completely blocking said user, when you "ignore" them, all of their posts and threads are collapsed ON YOUR SCREEN. That way their voice can still be heard if you wish to read what they have to say, but you still have the option of not looking into it.

Personally, as a ninja I wouldn't feel as though i were doing my job properly if I chose to ignore people. Plus, having various personalities and opinions is what makes discussions awesome, and that why I'm here: to interact with everyone and have a good time.

  • 12.12.2011 4:52 PM PDT

Oh hey there

Posted by: petarded2
It's a metaphor for the 07s' lack of identity. too old to be newfa­g, yet too new to be oldfa­g, we wander b.net in search of a home, forever trying to be something we are not.

Posted by: Duardo
Choosing to block users can take away from discussion because now a voice isn't being heard from all channels.
I refer you to my post earlier on this page for my response to that concern.

I'm not sure you understand the purpose of hiding a user when you consider using the report button to hide their posts. It isn't just because someone is breaking a rule it's that the person blocking no longer wants to see their posts regardless of content. Whether it is a personal vendetta or they just don't like the opinions that person expresses when they post, that doesn't require the action of a mod or a report.

Then again like I've said before blocking people will inevitably lead to more users finding that all view points are necessary to participate constructively in the site.

  • 12.12.2011 4:58 PM PDT

Posted by: AngryBrute1
Oh yeah, since somebody does not believe what YOU believe; that makes us vapid...
I cannot grasp that what you call "Something happened to nothing, and that nothing became something, and it was smaller than than a period."

Posted by: dazarobbo
...but there wasn't anything I could do about it except do my best to ignore it, which is sometimes difficult when it's so prevalent.
YES.
I...*Counts posts*
...Penta-septa-octuple this motion.

  • 12.12.2011 5:03 PM PDT

I am a little unsure about this feature. Trust me, I have disliked the posts by some of the people of the community but it made me a better person in real life and on the internet. Though I still need more learning, I don't want to be ignored or ignore people because of what was said. I have offended users in the past but that has made me a better person by learning my wrong ways. Would you like it if someone was ignoring you at a regular hang-out place?

  • 12.12.2011 5:10 PM PDT
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Posted by: Duardo
My opinion is that, even if you aren't a fan of someone, they still have a voice and should still be able to be heard. That is what makes this Community so great: everyone has a voice. Choosing to block users can take away from discussion because now a voice isn't being heard from all channels. Should it? That's the question that needs answering. Do I want a more customizable experience? Definitely! However, I don't feel that simply blocking someone is the right course of action.

I believe the report button can be so much more than it is. Right now it's simply report a post, hope more people report it, and you're done. Nothing else happens, and you feel as though nothing is being done. What should happen is that the post you reported should be immediately collapsed, and all further post and threads from that user should be also (on YOUR SCREEN). If enough people report said post, then it will get reviewed by a ninja and a judgement will be made.

Thinking about it that way, what if instead of completely blocking said user, when you "ignore" them, all of their posts and threads are collapsed ON YOUR SCREEN. That way their voice can still be heard if you wish to read what they have to say, but you still have the option of not looking into it.

Personally, as a ninja I wouldn't feel as though i were doing my job properly if I chose to ignore people. Plus, having various personalities and opinions is what makes discussions awesome, and that why I'm here: to interact with everyone and have a good time.


I would like to see this addition to the report button.

[Edited on 12.12.2011 7:56 PM PST]

  • 12.12.2011 5:19 PM PDT

yas334229812

Ignoring may have you repeat what another has said, plus some who some time spam may have a valuable input in some topic per say.

This is what makes the community divided as well, we are on this site and for unity we must accept othees view plus it is easier to ignore.

  • 12.12.2011 5:34 PM PDT

Posted by: Gandalf: I'm new. And a wizard.

Sapphire just got even more awesome.

Posted by: mount420: You are late.
Posted by: jaythenerdkid: A wizard is never late.
Posted by: THORSGOD: Nor is he ever early. He arrives precisely when he means to.

Love the idea, hope to see it implemented.

  • 12.12.2011 5:35 PM PDT

So, here is my question regarding Achronos' post:

What does Bungie get out of us becoming "better users"?

  • 12.12.2011 8:36 PM PDT
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  • Fabled Legendary Member

I would love the option and I doubt I'd use it for much. To be honest most of the people on the site I find annoying, I also find funny, so if I blocked them all, it would get pretty boring. There are certain users however, that simply never make a single post worthy of a space on my page.

  • 12.12.2011 9:50 PM PDT

AV=http://avatar.coolclip.ru/albums/Avatars/Avatars%2090x90/A vatars_90x90_022.gif
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Posted by: THE SALTY CHIP

Posted by: ElementalRunner
No, you can ignore them without having an "ignore feature."
Not trolls.

Trolls are sneaky. So many users would be better off if they dealt with a troll ONCE. JUST ONCE. After that ignore button is clicked, they're free! They don't have to keep track of who is a troll and who isn't.


[Edited on 12.12.2011 10:25 PM PST]

  • 12.12.2011 10:24 PM PDT
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  • Fabled Legendary Member

Posted by: r c takedown
Yax is a shining beacon in these dark times. You should all strive to be more like Yax.

Posted by: Achronos
We don't have the manpower to moderate this site as effectively as we want given its population[...]
Can't you always just add new mods? I'm not saying that would work out perfectly, but I just find it hard to believe that "lack of manpower" can be a serious problem on this site considering its (seemingly) easy solution.

  • 12.12.2011 10:42 PM PDT

Posted by: Duardo
My opinion is that, even if you aren't a fan of someone, they still have a voice and should still be able to be heard. That is what makes this Community so great: everyone has a voice. Choosing to block users can take away from discussion because now a voice isn't being heard from all channels. Should it? That's the question that needs answering. Do I want a more customizable experience? Definitely! However, I don't feel that simply blocking someone is the right course of action.
Then why do we blacklist people? Because they've broken the forum rules, right?

What if I - as a regular user - report someone who I thought was being annoying, but not to the extent where they were breaking the forum rules, and the moderator didn't agree with my report? What if the moderator agreed, but didn't hand out a blacklist? I'm still stuck with the user's garbage all over the page.

Why do regular users have to rely on a moderator's interpretation and subsequent decision on a set of rules which they [the user] has next to no input on? Why is it such a bad idea for a user to be able to apply their own set of rules to what they want to be able to "blacklist"? It's not going to affect anyone except themselves. If they lose out on the potential discussion because they've ignored someone, that's their problem.

And again, what's the difference between having the site automatically filter out content from a specific user I don't care to interact with and myself automatically "skipping over" and not responding to content from the same user? I'm still not going to read what they've written and I'm still not going to respond to them, but at least in the latter there's an opportunity to fill the ignored content with other, potentially interesting content that I do want to see from other users.

Now personally, I'll freely admit I've been skipping over what some people (for whatever reason) even in this thread. Obviously I can't ban them, but that's only because they haven't done anything wrong according to the rules of the forum. I still have no possible way to remove people that annoy me, and for a site that's set up to be a place of entertainment, I'm not sure why so many of you are kicking up such a stink about that.

  • 12.12.2011 10:52 PM PDT
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SPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!

I'm still in favor of a system like this. It should of course have a toggle per user. You should be able to view replies and threads made by "ignored" users if you wanted to. I think to temper this, it should also not be permanent. The ignore should reset every time you clear your cache, or at least once a year. That will fix some of the concerns people are raising in this thread.

As far as the "not growing" thing goes; who cares? I'd say that people will become "better users" regardless of whether we have an ignore feature or not. If they can't...well then I don't understand why we'd want them so badly in the first place. If someone is going to "grow" and mature, they will. This won't hold any of them back. This counter is just a red herring.

We wouldn't even be discussing this if people knew how to self censor better. If people could just ignore things that irk them or get them riled, we'd barely even need moderators. Its abundantly obvious that we in general can't ignore anything without some mechanism reminding us that we can ignore things we don't like. This can do that, so I say let's give it a try.

The dent in discussion argument is more than valid. Ignoring any and all who disagree with you so you can soapbox and rant is really not what we want here...but as Tom said people kind of already do that anyway. I'd imagine most people who like those kinds of debates wouldn't ignore that many detractors anyway, as this system wouldn't really be for them. So while a valid concern, I still don't see any reliable rational as to why it should put the kibosh on this idea.

I would though, prefer a bunch of other things over this. Like a, improved search, better group functions, etc. I think we need those things a bit more, and as such they are the only real problem I have with implementing this. That is of course more a question of timing.

Also, I'd never use this. I want to see what everyone is saying. That's the only way I can decide whether or not I like or dislike you. Ignoring would take too much away from how I do things for me to use it.



[Edited on 12.12.2011 11:20 PM PST]

  • 12.12.2011 11:18 PM PDT

if(!now){when();}
Bungie Favorite Author : Iris::1
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Personally I think implementing an ignore feature is a waste of time and resources. A couple of flicks of my mouse wheel and the post is out of my sight.

What would really help me out is if multiple newlines (\n;\r\n) could be condensend into one newline. I really hate the long posts with a bunch of consecutive newlines just so the reader has to scroll down to see some stupid comment.

  • 12.12.2011 11:46 PM PDT