Reddit Launches New Block Tools To Help Temper Harassment (mashable.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Reddit users can now use the new "block user" feature to better deal with harassment. The new feature was announced Wednesday and while the site has had [a "block user"] feature for quite some time now, the new tool allows users to block other users from replies and comments in addition to private messages, which was what the old tool was limited to previously. If users click the "Block User" button when viewing a reply in their inbox, it will remove replies, comments, messages and posts from that user from your view. Admins will however still see all the messages and replies, and if you're a moderator, you can still see content from users who are blocked on the subreddits you moderate.

Comments

Re:Good

[AmiMoJo]

You know, you can use the Slashdot friend/foe system to do something similar. Just mark someone as your foe, set foes to -6 here and you won't even see them unless you browse at -1.

It's a pretty basic feature for discussion forums. Personally I don't use it though. Imagine if someone doxed you but you had them on the ignore list, you wouldn't even know it happened. I'd prefer to know so I can do something about it.

Re:Typical Response from Mental Midgets

[Jason Levine]

It's possible to hold dissenting opinions and to discuss any topic without being offensive. It's possible to have a conversation that remains civil, regardless of the positions held. I know this is true, I do it nearly every single day. In fact, you might say that my current post is contrarian. I have held meaningful, civil, discussions - even debates, with all sorts of people. Some of those people were the least favored folks on the planet. Some of them have held beliefs that are truly ignorant but the conversations remained civil throughout.

Exactly. The block feature wouldn't be for "I disagree with you and here are my reasons why." It would be for "you're an idiot if you believe X and just to reinforce this I'll track down every post of yours and make and insulting reply." There's a small, but vocal, group in pretty much any forum who thinks that the way to win an argument is to make threats and insults until the other side is driven out of the forum. Then they win. The best tactic against these people is to ignore them. This tool simply makes ignoring them easier.