ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS - New Feature... Hidden Member List

[petek]

I didn't realize that a person you blocked could still read your postings. When you block someone on Facebook they're gone, you can't read their stuff and they can't read yours.. I think that's better personally.

Say there is someone you really want no more to do with at all and you block them.. Then you create a post and they can still respond to it and you can't see what they're saying and won't even know they are unless someone who you haven't blocked refers to them in the post.. I'd rather they not even see the post nor contribute if the feelings are that harsh. But that's just my thoughts.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Pete, that's why I called it "Hide" and not "Block". I also considered it calling it "Ignore". Actually if someone is being rude, more often than not ignoring them is the quickest way of making them stop. I might consider taking it that far at some point if I feel it is necessary, but at this point I do not.

 

[jeffg]

I agree completely with the last several comments. The simple truth is, nobody would know what they believed unless others disagreed with them. These comments are made in general, and don't necessarily relate at all to AW, but having run discussion boards since the Fidonet days, typically complainers on a site are very small in number but very big on volume. A usually small but always certain percentage of users simply do not wish to have, or can't handle having their opinions challenged, and for this group the best (maybe only) option really is to squelch the offending content. If a better solution exists I'm sure site admins everywhere are all ears, but imo especially here on AW where turnover is small, the new feature will be extremely useful for an extreme minority of AW members, and the major beneficiaries of the change should be the admins.

 

[frigilux]

Thanks, Robert, for continuing to add features to this wonderful website. Although I don't collect or restore vintage appliances, AW is my favorite internet destination. A day rarely passes without a visit or two...or ten.

But this is one feature I probably won't need to use. Having described our motley crew as family on many occasions, I can't imagine 'hiding' anyone--no matter how great our differences might be.

Case in point: I've replied in a pointed fashion to some of Matt's (NYCwriter) posts, but I've enjoyed and been influenced by his posts on organic foods. I shop the organic section of the produce aisle more often and purchase unbleached organic flour at the food co-op.

Ben (washman) and I differ philosophically, but his passion for Speed Queen washers led to one finding a home in my laundry room. While it isn't my daily driver by any stretch of the imagination, it's fun to own a truly vintage-style top-loading washer with a spin-drain.

All of us have something to offer this community, despite core differences that sometimes lead us to call each other out when necessary. Sounds like family to me.

[this post was last edited: 3/21/2014-22:04]

 

[jeffg]

"Sounds like family to me."

And not a bad one imo. As a kid I would have killed to have this family.

I do everything possible to avoid personal attacks, and even when it looks and feels like one it's really not. I think the last time was to call out a user for untargeted negative comments, which ime is usually the major cause of erroneous hard feelings in discussion forums. Always ALWAYS address your comments specifically, and if you don't direct a public comment to anyone, you're addressing it to everyone. The world has never had a shortage of people who mistakenly take things personally and this is where problems often start.

 

[imperial70]

Blocking?

I feel offended. Not sure why but I just do.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Please don't feel offended Paul, this isn't blocking. Blocking means that you force another member to not see your posts. This doesn't go anywhere near as far. The way it was explained to me by a few members who were asking for this feature is they generally don't read and respond to a small minority of members. When they see a user who they don't read they scroll right on by never reading what that member wrote. Since they aren't reading it in the first place they wish we had a way of hiding those posts as a time saver. Many other major forums have this "hiding" feature in place and I figured it might be a good idea to implement something similar. Personally if I wasn't an admin this is a feature that I wouldn't use, I would feel like I'm missing something. But to each his own, after thinking about it for a while I came to the conclusion of who am I to force someone to read something they don't want to and that is when I decided to implement this feature.

Again this isn't blocking and blocking wouldn't work here anyways because as soon as you log out you see all the postings anyway.

 

[foraloysius]

I wouldn't miss for the world some posts here...! lol!

 

[112561]

Well, I haven't had any problem not reading the one or two member's comments that I wish to ignore, but then that's me. In the event I'm ever attacked again, it will come in very handy. The two people who did the most damage to me are gone, one is guaranteed to never be back, and the other is never likely, from my having seen their past entries and exits. 

 

[washman]

112561

my dad lives there! small world!

 

[ozzie908]

I have to agree with the statements above..

and now its been spelt out in black and white I can see it will have its uses and maybe some will not even bother with it but hey its called choice!

Austin

 

[ozzie908]

Robert one thing I want to ask is.....

when writing a reply etc I want to know how difficult would it be to have the choice of preview message or just " Post " if we are happy with it ?

Austin

 

[Unimatic1140]

when writing a reply etc I want to know how difficult would it be to have the choice of preview message or just " Post " if we are happy with it ?

Hi Austin, oh maybe two to three hours worth of work, so not too bad. I'll add that to my to-do list for sometime in the future if that is something you think would beneficial.

 

[DADoES]

 
<blockquote>The way it was explained to me by a few members who were asking for this feature is they generally don't read and respond to a small minority of members. When they see a user who they don't read they scroll right on by never reading what that member wrote.</blockquote> That explains a lot ...

 

[paulg]

Question:

If you accidentally hide yourself, do you go into an "AW black hole" ??

 

[rp2813]

Stop with the hand wringing already!

If you find the "hide" option immoral, nobody is forcing it on you.  If you don't like the feature, don't use it.  Simple.

 

Count me among those who are pro-choice, and again, thank you Robert for providing the option.

 

 

[dustin92]

I very much appreciate the new feature, I just now put it to use, and even prior to me "hiding" a certain person, they hadn't posted on this thread. I would imagine most of us have a member (or more than one, for me it's just one) that annoys the living crap out of you, whether it is because of needless or just plain pointless posts, or very poor spelling/grammar, that you would rather not see posting. I think it is a great feature for a great forum, and it might even help keep the peace a little more around here.

 

[alr2903]

I appreciate everyone's contribution to any discussion.  I think it is wonderful that when a thread goes "south" you have the option of not being exposed to negative energy.  I doubt if I would "hide" someone forever, just till the dust settles.  All of us have posted things that can be understood 2 different ways.... and it is an election year sometimes we go from Brady Bunch to the Manson family in a heartbeat.  Hot button issues  are most always a sliding scale opinion.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

I am not going to use it for any reasons, simply I don't feel that someone deserves really to be hidden or ignored in here, everyone's precious to me.....even the bitchiest, uneducated and ungrammatical ( me
??? LOL) member on here will bring something good....
Also....I think this feature whenever will be used will bring discontinuity in posts that may have the potential to lead in unconvenient misunderstandings.
Without mentioning that for how much a member could be "hated" there will be always those occasions when he will start a thread/discussion and interesting aspects from other contributors will be discussed and shared in that thread, but since the author is hidden, the entire discussion and so aspects from other contributors will be, since automatically all the thread will not be showed...right?
Interesting info will be missed.
Actually all this fact of hiding makes me laugh.....
But as long as some are happy with it, I am happy for them....
[this post was last edited: 3/23/2014-20:24]

 

[Unimatic1140]

Look guys nothing is set in stone here. Please let's just take a wait and see attitude with all this. Trust me, if I feel that this new feature is somehow detrimental overall to the website, I will remove it. If one of you guys notice something seems odd and you think it might have to do with the hiding feature, please send me a note and let me know. I will take an unbiased look for sure, that last thing I want to do is bring on something that might cause any discourse. There is a chance that with some exceptions, there is a generational difference in opinions on something like this as well.

But personally I suspect that eventually this will go unnoticed to the majority who wont use it, but again let's wait and see how it goes.

I would really appreciate that.