How to handle loud-mouthed and aggressive players - use the 'Ignore' button

[Jackluyt]

Most of the contributors to the Forum are polite and have good manners; it is sad that a few loud-mouth know-it-alls spoil the experience for many of us - to the extent that some players have stopped coming here for that reason.
Did you know that there is an 'Ignore' button that appears when you click on a player's name? I have 'ignored' several people who have a habit of posting nasty comments and nit-picky personal attacks - and have to report that my forum visits are now a lot more pleasant.

 

[Silly Bubbles]

I haven't blocked anyone so far as I rather face it but I agree that personal attacks are not on. Unfortunately, there can be a fine line between attack and questioning someone's statements that can be considered by others as true while they are misleading. It has happened that some strategies/statements on the forum gained popularity in the game while they weren't correct and even damaging to the game and to the players enjoyment of the game.
The nature of any forum is a discussion and comparing each others views so to expect that everyone will agree with everyone might not be realistic. Nobody likes to be proved publicly wrong but that's the risk of making public statements.
Also, I do feel that there are couple of members here that don't really agree with or like much on this forum so it does make me wonder what their intentions are.
Anyways, we're all different and clashes are bound to happen.

 

[SkyRider99]

....my forum visits are now a lot more pleasant.

Mine also Jackluyt !!

The 'Ignore' button is a haven of sanity.

Also, I do feel that there are couple of members here that don't really agree with or like much on this forum so it does make me wonder what their intentions are.
Anyways, we're all different and clashes are bound to happen.

I agree in principle to your posting Silly Bubbles. I enjoy the questions, answers and discussions. However, a difference of opinion in the forum needn't be delivered spitefully. A tiny number of forum members seem to enjoy ridicule and pomposity. They go into my Ignore bucket

As with any discussion, it's more civilised and respectful to attack the issue and not the person.

 

[Alcaro]

I just did that couple days ago, for the first time in my 5 years of playing.
Indeed, it's a more pleasant experience after that.

 

[Laurelin]

I must say that there is precisely nothing offensive/rude/annoying which any stranger on the Internet could say to me (well, could cause to appear on my monitor screen) which would trouble me to the extent that I'd feel impelled to block them - much as there's likewise nothing offensive which a stranger in the street could say to me which would cause me to do anything other than walk away from them. Why would I be disturbed by the opinion of a stranger, after all - or even a passing acquaintance, for that matter? I've been on the Internet since before even the most simple Internet Relay Chat (IRC) was released to the general public, meaning that the only way to 'talk' to anyone online was to use email and/or static BBSs (Bulletin Boards, i.e. the far more basic and text-only forerunners - often hosted on UseNet - of more complicated and more controlled Forums like this one).

And although almost none of those old BBSs had any 'moderators', as such, in all of my 35+ years online I've never once felt the need to block (let alone report to a 'higher authority') any other person I've encountered via the Net, whether within or outside of online games... even though some of them have certainly been far from polite and friendly. I genuinely can't understand why anyone cares about the opinions, criticisms, and/or abusive remarks of what amounts to text strings on a screen... which is all that ANY Internet stranger actually is. Just some alphabetical characters on a screen, sometimes plus/minus some very frequently inaccurate pictorial representation of themselves. To me, that's such a non-existent and impotent 'threat' that I can't even be bothered to block them... I just leave them shouting away all by themselves, until they (rapidly) get bored and simply go away.

Whatever happened to the good old Net philosophy - again, originating from the days when BBSs/Forums rarely even had 'moderators' - of 'Don't Feed The Troll'...? It worked just brilliantly, for years, although it's largely neglected nowadays, it seems, in favour of the "Just block them!" solution.

 

[Silly Bubbles]

I must say that there is precisely nothing offensive/rude/annoying which any stranger on the Internet could say to me (well, could cause to appear on my monitor screen) which would trouble me to the extent that I'd feel impelled to block them - much as there's likewise nothing offensive which a stranger in the street could say to me which would cause me to do anything other than walk away from them. Why would I be disturbed by the opinion of a stranger, after all - or even a passing acquaintance, for that matter? I've been on the Internet since before even the most simple Internet Relay Chat (IRC) was released to the general public, meaning that the only way to 'talk' to anyone online was to use email and/or static BBSs (Bulletin Boards, i.e. the far more basic and text-only forerunners - often hosted on UseNet - of more complicated and more controlled Forums like this one).

And although almost none of those old BBSs had any 'moderators', as such, in all of my 35+ years online I've never once felt the need to block (let alone report to a 'higher authority') any other person I've encountered via the Net, whether within or outside of online games... even though some of them have certainly been far from polite and friendly. I genuinely can't understand why anyone cares about the opinions, criticisms, and/or abusive remarks of what amounts to text strings on a screen... which is all that ANY Internet stranger actually is. Just some alphabetical characters on a screen, sometimes plus/minus some very frequently inaccurate pictorial representation of themselves. To me, that's such a non-existent and impotent 'threat' that I can't even be bothered to block them... I just leave them shouting away all by themselves, until they (rapidly) get bored and simply go away.

Whatever happened to the good old Net philosophy - again, originating from the days when BBSs/Forums rarely even had 'moderators' - of 'Don't Feed The Troll'...? It worked just brilliantly, for years, although it's largely neglected nowadays, it seems, in favour of the "Just block them!" solution.

I’m not sure whether I’d like the world that this would create if we all just ignored abuse. These things breed, spread and infect others. Have you ever noticed how many angry people one angry person can make? Also, we have seen what it has done in the US when we let one person manipulate the public. I also noticed that more and more decent people avoid the internet to keep their calm and happy life, they don’t want to deal with the annoyance as they don’t have to and have better things to do. That doesn’t make the internet any better place either.

Ok, I might be overreacting and I do respect your choice. But I believe that bad behaviour needs to be stopped before it does more damage. Not everyone has to do it but someone does.

 

[Jackluyt]

I must say that there is precisely nothing offensive/rude/annoying which any stranger on the Internet could say to me (well, could cause to appear on my monitor screen) which would trouble me to the extent that I'd feel impelled to block them - much as there's likewise nothing offensive which a stranger in the street could say to me which would cause me to do anything other than walk away from them. Why would I be disturbed by the opinion of a stranger, after all - or even a passing acquaintance, for that matter? I've been on the Internet since before even the most simple Internet Relay Chat (IRC) was released to the general public, meaning that the only way to 'talk' to anyone online was to use email and/or static BBSs (Bulletin Boards, i.e. the far more basic and text-only forerunners - often hosted on UseNet - of more complicated and more controlled Forums like this one).

And although almost none of those old BBSs had any 'moderators', as such, in all of my 35+ years online I've never once felt the need to block (let alone report to a 'higher authority') any other person I've encountered via the Net, whether within or outside of online games... even though some of them have certainly been far from polite and friendly. I genuinely can't understand why anyone cares about the opinions, criticisms, and/or abusive remarks of what amounts to text strings on a screen... which is all that ANY Internet stranger actually is. Just some alphabetical characters on a screen, sometimes plus/minus some very frequently inaccurate pictorial representation of themselves. To me, that's such a non-existent and impotent 'threat' that I can't even be bothered to block them... I just leave them shouting away all by themselves, until they (rapidly) get bored and simply go away.

Whatever happened to the good old Net philosophy - again, originating from the days when BBSs/Forums rarely even had 'moderators' - of 'Don't Feed The Troll'...? It worked just brilliantly, for years, although it's largely neglected nowadays, it seems, in favour of the "Just block them!" solution.

I agree!
But, to repeat, I have to come here daily to get all the news for my Facebook group and there was a time when I dreaded my visits because of the petty nastiness and arrogant pomposity of a few know-it-all loud-mouths. Blocking them has made my daily visits a pleasure rather than an ordeal.
I just thought I would share that with everyone; it was a few years before I discovered the 'Ignore' button, and I am sure that plenty of Forum users and avoiders do not know it exists!

 

[Silly Bubbles]

I agree!
But, to repeat, I have to come here daily to get all the news for my Facebook group and there was a time when I dreaded my visits because of the petty nastiness and arrogant pomposity of a few know-it-all loud-mouths. Blocking them has made my daily visits a pleasure rather than an ordeal.
I just thought I would share that with everyone; it was a few years before I discovered the 'Ignore' button, and I am sure that plenty of Forum users and avoiders do not know it exists!

Yep, the ignore options works great when you're log in. Unfortunately, for people that aren't logged in, it doesn't make the forum very attractive. Anyways, as I said I respect everyone's choices, I'm just looking at the bigger picture, probably too big of a picture

 

[Alcaro]

I must say that there is precisely nothing offensive/rude/annoying which any stranger on the Internet could say to me (well, could cause to appear on my monitor screen) which would trouble me to the extent that I'd feel impelled to block them - much as there's likewise nothing offensive which a stranger in the street could say to me which would cause me to do anything other than walk away from them. Why would I be disturbed by the opinion of a stranger, after all - or even a passing acquaintance, for that matter? I've been on the Internet since before even the most simple Internet Relay Chat (IRC) was released to the general public, meaning that the only way to 'talk' to anyone online was to use email and/or static BBSs (Bulletin Boards, i.e. the far more basic and text-only forerunners - often hosted on UseNet - of more complicated and more controlled Forums like this one).

And although almost none of those old BBSs had any 'moderators', as such, in all of my 35+ years online I've never once felt the need to block (let alone report to a 'higher authority') any other person I've encountered via the Net, whether within or outside of online games... even though some of them have certainly been far from polite and friendly. I genuinely can't understand why anyone cares about the opinions, criticisms, and/or abusive remarks of what amounts to text strings on a screen... which is all that ANY Internet stranger actually is. Just some alphabetical characters on a screen, sometimes plus/minus some very frequently inaccurate pictorial representation of themselves. To me, that's such a non-existent and impotent 'threat' that I can't even be bothered to block them... I just leave them shouting away all by themselves, until they (rapidly) get bored and simply go away.

Whatever happened to the good old Net philosophy - again, originating from the days when BBSs/Forums rarely even had 'moderators' - of 'Don't Feed The Troll'...? It worked just brilliantly, for years, although it's largely neglected nowadays, it seems, in favour of the "Just block them!" solution.

I'm sorry, but this time I do not agree with you except with the "Don't feed the troll" which many of us are doing it involuntary.

I will just put here a quote of the philosopher John Stuart Mill, to express my point of view:
" Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name, and with the means which he helps to supply, because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject."

or a short version:
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

 

[Gargon667]

or a short version:
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

And as long as everybody thinks they are the good guy and the other guy is the bad guy we will keep having lively discussions