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Posted: August 11, 2012

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~ThePoeticPaladin Aug 11, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

I'm not sure if this an issue for others, but since joining DA, I've noticed a rampant abuse of the block feature as a method of "getting the last word in". I'm in the middle of an argument with someone (occasionally, not even an "argument", at least not from my perspective), type up a lengthy response, click to "Add Comment" and then get a pop-up telling me that my time was wasted typing, because I've been blocked.

Ideally, I feel that the block feature should be removed entirely (perhaps leave in a "block and report for spam" feature, with much stricter rules for use/abuse, to allow users to still use the feature to deter spam), or at the least reduced greatly to discourage frivolous blocking (I cannot think that anyone has a true need to block 300 people. This just encourages users to use the feature to block individuals they disagree with, rather than true problem individuals), as suggested elsewhere.

My suggestion, to encourage use of the block feature as a method of deterring contact, rather than "winning" arguments, would be to require that, after replying to someone or commenting on their profile/work, a person be required to wait 24 hours before they can block the user in question. An alternative solution would be to treat doing this as block evasion: It has previously been shown by the admins that using an alternate account to contact someone you have blocked on another account is a form of "block evasion", which qualifies as harassment. I am of the opinion that immediately blocking a person after commenting on their gallery or replying to their comments is equally as evasive and harassing as using an alternate account to contact them. It should be punished similarly.

If none of these solutions is acceptable to the admins, though I fail to see why that would be; at the very least I would suggest that blocking a person remove the notification of any outstanding messages in the blocked individual's inbox. This would also remove the purpose of blocking to "get the last word in", as the blocked user would never see the message in the first place, and would save the problem that I'm sure does not only afflict me, of typing long-winded responses only to be told that the reply is wasted.

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=silvytabitha Aug 22, 2012 Hobbyist Digital Artist

I strongly dis-agree, I had a major spammer who kept spamming me with lengthy comments, And I replied to one saying stop it, Then reported spam, Then blocked. If this option had not been avaliable I would have gotten flooded.

~ThePoeticPaladin Aug 22, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

As I said in the comments below: A "report and block" option supplanting the current one would work just fine. People can still block at a moment's notice... But only if it's something they're willing to report. If they abuse the block feature, they're abusing the report feature, which carries its own punishments. For legitimate needs to block, such as yours, it would save time.

!SuccupireQueen Aug 20, 2012

I have seen the block button get abused so many times, like this girl blocked me, and I never even spoke to her. She made up the reason of "not trusting me" for why she did it.
If that's how it worked many people would be blocked.

~WilderGothica Aug 15, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

NO! It really annoys me whenever I see suggestions that blocking should be removed at all because one, it serves a purpose, and two, there will always be abusers for everything. All it does is punish everyone and those who have good reason to use the feature would have their good time ruined by idiots they can do nothing about.

~ThePoeticPaladin Aug 16, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

>it serves a purpose

Which is?

>punish everyone

Not really. I wouldn't be punished. If someone is doing something that I would block them over (which is exclusively spam, for me), I don't reply. But then again, I'm relatively mature compared to the majority of the DA userbase. I don't think that DA should be catering to immature children, personally. I understand that, economically, those kids' parents are their main source of income, so they have to cater to them. Doesn't mean I have to approve.

I have yet to have someone on here actually give me a valid reason why someone would need to block someone immediately after posting a comment to that person.

~WilderGothica Aug 18, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

Yes they would be though, maybe it's not something needed at the moment for everyone, but if a situation arises and you need to use the feature, and it's not there, you're screwed. I'm not talking petty fights, but nasty trolls can be relentless. Nobody should have to leave DA or put up with it in order to be here, so blocking stupid people is the way to go. If immature people want to hit and run block, let them.

~ThePoeticPaladin Aug 21, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

>nasty trolls can be relentless

Hahawhat.

Explain to me when something is somehow bad enough to necessitate blocking, yet not bad enough to bother reporting. If someone is "relentless" in trolling you (note, the actual definition of "troll": "An e-mail message or posting on the Internet intended to provoke an indignant response in the reader"; note "intended to provoke", not "disagreeing and thus causing"), that would be harassment and something worthy of reporting. If it's not something "relentless" or legitimately harassing... You don't need to block the person. Ignore them.

~WilderGothica Aug 21, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

What I'm saying is falling on deaf ears...and reporting doesn't really do anything even in matters of harassment because it generally goes ignored and the sources of the problems are free to continue, so yes, block comes in handy. Not that I've had big personal problems so far, but still, if you want something to stop ASAP, block. People who just say ignore it/tough it out are just clueless.

~ThePoeticPaladin Aug 21, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

Ah.

So the block feature is useful because the admins are useless?

>People who just say ignore it/tough it out are just clueless.

Or, at least in my case, proud owners of testicles.

~Gemdrop Aug 15, 2012 Hobbyist Photographer

Sure, it's annoying. I still don't see the need to change the block feature in any way. It all depends on the viewer. To you, it's annoying YOU can't get the last word, but the person who blocked you is very satisfied.

You may, too, come across a situation where you just want to block the person you're talking to as soon as possible. Just now some chick was spamming my profile with her nonsense, and she wouldn't listen to me at all when I tried to explain her it was just a misunderstanding. She kept on insulting me and being childish, so I blocked her, yay no more annoying person on my profile. It would really have sucked if I had to WAIT before I could block her.

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