# Ignored user threads causing confusion



## Copyright

If you ignore someone who is a thread-starter, their post is not displayed, so it appears that the second poster is the thread starter.

When you search for previous threads to post in response to someone’s question – and a possible thread was started by someone on your Ignore list – you can't tell if that person's question is actually relevant unless you Unignore the person in order to read their message.

Being able to "Click to peek" would be nice.

Also, there is a message in small type under the subject line that says who started the thread and when (which I’ve only now noticed). This appears on my computer and my iPad, but not on my iPhone.

_Edited to simplify. 

Edited again to add that Swift pointed out that there is a "Show Ignored Content" link below the last post in the thread. Thanks!_


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## swift

Hello, Copyright. 

I added you to my ignore list for an experiment. I'm using Chrome on an iPhone 6 plus.

1. Click on your username. Click on “Ignore”.
2. Go back to C&S main page to check the latest threads. Yours (this one) won't appear on that list when I use either the vertical and the landscape view.
3. Scroll down and click on “Show Ignored Content”. Your thread now appears on the list.
4. Search for “Safari” in this very forum. Your post won't appear in the results, even though it's the most recent mention of “Safari” within this forum.
5. Go to the bottom of the results (first page) and click on “Show Ignored Content”. Your post becomes visible in that results page. 
6. I will post this message now and go back to this forum's main page to find out whether the forum software behaves as it did in Step 2. Then I'll come back here to share my findings.


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## swift

I'm back! 

7. Even though my previous post (#3) was the most recent activity in this forum, the forum won't show your thread on top of the recent threads list. I had to click on “Show Ignored Content” again in order to make your thread visible.
8. P.S. I stopped ignoring you.  
9. Bonus. I guess that you were able to see some posts to that thread started by one of the persons you chose to ignore because they were visible in your “News Feed”—I suppose that you are following one of the participants.


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## Copyright

Speaking as one cat to another, it's my bedtime now ... but I'll try this tomorrow. Thanks. 

Thank you for not ignoring me. 

I wasn't aware of the "Show Ignored Content" link below the last post in the thread, which solves everything.* Thanks so much. 

_*Of course if there are 95 messages in the thread, you have to go to the bottom of the second page and click it before returning to the top of the first page. It would be nice to have this link at the top of posts, but I'm just happy it exists._

Thanks again, Swift.


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## velisarius

I find the "ignore" function very useful, and certainly beneficial to my blood pressure, but in practice it can cause problems. 

In a thread there's no indication that a member you are ignoring has posted, so you run the risk of talking at cross purposes or misunderstanding what's going on in the thread. The only indication that an 'ignored' member has posted something is that the post numbers will jump from, say, #8 to #10 because said member has posted #9 and you can't see it. 

Correction - it isn't the only indication: there is the "Show ignored content" over on the right hand side, but it always fails to catch my eye.

I think it would be really helpful if there were a line of text indicating that an ignored member has posted something. I seem to remember there was one with the previous system.


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## Copyright

I think that something more obvious would be a great help. I just Unignored someone and checked a thread that he/she started and ended and then put them on the Ignore list again and checked the thread again – totally confused, even though I knew what to expect. So when I don't remember to look for ignored content, it's even more confusing. 

Any help, Mike?


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## Kelly B

I don't know whether the software here will support it, but on another forum I visit from time to time, there's another option in addition to ignoring users you prefer to avoid - you can change the look of their avatars. We'll call it the avoid function. For users we select individually, the software will display AVOID with a red field, or a plain red field, or a red warning circle, or whatever, to replace the cat picture or blue question mark or whatever we usually see for that user. This reminds me not to interact with you, but I can still see what you said.

Is something like that possible here, Mike? Or can the regular ignore feature be set to work this way?


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## JamesM

Copyright said:


> I think that something more obvious would be a great help. I just Unignored someone and checked a thread that he/she started and ended and then put them on the Ignore list again and checked the thread again – totally confused, even though I knew what to expect. So when I don't remember to look for ignored content, it's even more confusing.
> 
> Any help, Mike?



If you want to ignore someone, don't you want to ignore their posts?  I don't quite understand.  Of course it's confusing to see only part of a conversation but aren't you the one who asked to suppress the posts of that particular person?

Looking at it from a programmer's point of view it seems like a strange reaction, as if someone said, "I said to hide all posts from Lisa on Facebook and now I don't see her replies on other people's posts, either.  I don't want to see her posts but I don't want to miss out on the contents of her posts, either."   It's either one or the other, isn't it?

I suppose you could have a placeholder that showed an empty post with a message saying, "Content suppressed per your Ignore settings" but that seems a little clunky to me.  That might make it clearer, at least.  You'd know that something had been posted and why you're not seeing it.


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## Kelly B

JamesM said:
			
		

> If you want to ignore someone, don't you want to ignore their posts?


I've had one person irritate me enough that I do not want to answer any question he asks. Ignoring him would be one way to ensure that I don't. The problem with that, though, is that he does ask interesting questions.  I don't want to miss out on the equally interesting responses that people I _*do *_like and respect will offer in those threads. So I don't want to ignore what he says, I just want a reminder that I should not get involved. I hope that makes sense (not that I'm the person you asked, anyway. )


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## Copyright

As I recall, the "Ignored User Content" – or whatever the message is – is in the same color as all the other text ... and i'ts at the bottom of the post. If it were in Red and positioned at the top of the thread, I would immediately be alerted. Instead, I am completely baffled, especially if the Ignored User was the thread-starter, until I get to the _Ah-ha! _moment at the bottom of the thread. (And frankly, until swift told me about that in this thread, I wasn't even aware of it.)

Not the best placement I've ever seen for a warning label.


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## Copyright

I still have the same problems above with Ignored users. 

Yes, I want to ignore them, but I also want to understand the continuity of a thread. I sent a Conversation to a moderator the other day suggesting that an answer didn't make sense and maybe it was misposted. Instead, I learned the mod was replying to someone on my Ignore list. 

Having the "Show Ignored Content" at the bottom of a thread, and in the same blue color as everything else, is problematic. What would be great is to have the Ignored person's post appear as just a slim bar with a name and no content – or just a slim bar that said "Ignored member." And then we could click it if we wanted to see the post. That would be the best way to maintain visual continuity, although the Xenforo software may not allow that. 

Alternatively, a "Show Ignored Content" in red at the top of a thread would help. I would never go to the bottom of a thread to see if the "Show Ignored Content" link was there ... on the off chance that someone I was ignoring had posted in that thread. As it is now, I have to read the entire thread, which suddenly doesn't make sense at some point, and then remember, "Oh, there may be an Ignored member in this thread."


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## Loob

I second Copyright's request. I'm frequently misled by the present arrangements.


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## machadinho

I don't second Copyright's request, at least not as it is.

On the one hand, I for one would rather not relax how ignored members are currently ignored. Psychologically, emotionally, it works much better not to see them at all. It is as if they were not there. And I remember quite well not finding it very helpful back then, when ignored people and content were only partially hidden. I couldn't help have a look just to get annoyed.

I think it would be even more helpful if an ignored member's reply to someone else's thread didn't show up in the forum list at all, not even as by some "Ignored Member" as it currently is.

On the other, I see how misleading this can be, and that there are users we want to ignore to some extent but not completely. So, perhaps, a more appropriate request would be to *split* the category of ignored member in two: say, *completely ignored members* (hidden everywhere) and *partially ignored members* (click and peek), or else to allow us to ignore some members' _replies_ but still be able to read any OP whatever, etc.

What we need is to be able to decide how we want to ignore them.

Maybe a table with ignored users in the first column, and check boxes with what to ignore in the other columns?


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## Loob

Another mistake on my part this evening because of the way posts by "ignored posters" are handled.  Can we please - pretty please - go back to something resembling the previous system?


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## velisarius

Loob said:


> Another mistake on my part this evening because of the way posts by "ignored posters" are handled.  Can we please - pretty please - go back to something resembling the previous system?




What Loob says, and possibly more so. 



Spoiler


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## machadinho

We shouldn't go back to the previous system. What we need is an improved system that allows us to sort ignored users into 2 categories: completely or partially ignored users.


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## velisarius

Yet again I get told off in a thread for ignoring someone's post. 

What are you suppose to do when you are ignoring someone because of their annoying habit of telling people off for ignoring their posts, and then you get told off for ignoring their post?


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## Kelly B

In my Other Favorite Forum, there's a feature that allows me to identify users I don't want to interact with by marking their avatars. For example, your avatar (or the empty box where an avatar would be) might be covered with a wash of a certain color, or have a Do Not Enter bar across it. I wonder whether Xenforo allows something like that. The post content could be greyed out, but still left in place for continuity's sake, leaving the reader the option of reading it or not. I don't mind seeing the responses, I simply don't want to answer certain people. (this is essentially a way to implement the two-level suggestion.)


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## Copyright

I just discovered the new in-line way of displaying Ignored Users – it's the best approach yet. Thanks, Mike.


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## Loob

Copyright said:


> I just discovered the new in-line way of displaying Ignored Users – it's the best approach yet. Thanks, Mike.


What's the new in-line way of displaying Ignored Users, MrC?


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## Copyright

It shows a normal message by that person, but there’s no content. You can click to see the post.


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## Loob

How do I find it?


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## Copyright

You'll stumble across it like I did when one of your Ignored Users is in a thread.

Or you can go to your Ignored Users list, click on one of the members, go to Profile so you can see their posts (you'll have to click Show Ignored Content), and then click one of the posts to go to that thread – unfortunately, when I just did that to make sure it worked, I saw the old system of displaying Ignored Users – which doesn't display at all. It's just the usual "Show Ignored Content" at the end of a thread. 

So then I tried to find the thread where I saw the new display, thinking it was one I was subscribed to ... but it wasn't. So I don't know what to tell you now. When I run across one again, I'll let you know.


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## Loob

I had a similar experience a few weeks ago: I stumbled on something that looked just like the previous system, then couldn't reproduce it.


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## Copyright

Here you go – this is what appears in the thread. And if the user has an avatar, you’ll see that too. I’ve blocked out this member’s name, but it all appears as normal, readable text in real life.


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## Loob

I only seem to get that message if
- the front page of the forum lists "Ignored member" as the latest poster in a thread started by someone else
- I click on that latest post.

_Edit_
_I've since realised that I also get that message if I go via the ignored person's profile, and hit "Show Ignored Content" as in your post 23._​
If the ignored person's post is in the middle of a thread, I don't see an equivalent message: the only clue is that the post numbers jump from, say, #1 to #3.


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## mkellogg

Copyright said:


> Thanks, Mike.


Thank the makers of Xenforo. They did it, not me!  I don't even know how it works, but you might find some threads in xenfro's forum explaining it all.


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## Loob

My conclusion is .... if we still have problems with the way the system deals with "ignored members", then we're just going to have to live with those problems.


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## Copyright

We're back to the "Show Ignored Content" after the last post in the thread – no more in-line indication that an Ignored User is taking up space there, and rendering someone's response to that Ignored User totally confusing. That's the same confusion that prompted this thread. Too bad.


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## swift

Apparently, the behavior Mr. Copyright reported is normal with XenForo. The reason people see a partially hidden post could be a) that they clicked on a link to the latest unread post and said post was sent by Ignored User or b) they clicked on a direct link to one of Ignored User’s posts. If the landing page is refreshed, the reminder that you are ignoring that person will disappear altogether, and you’ll have to scroll down until you see the _Show Ignored Content_ link if you still want to read what you’d previously told the system you’d like it to prevent you from seeing.


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## L'irlandais

Well on my iPad I don’t see any Show ignored content link when I scroll down.
I do know the link exists as when I log in on my PC I have seen it, and occasionally too the inline indication that there is an ignored post.  I think I can live with it, after all we choose to ignore certain members for a reason.


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## Copyright

L'irlandais said:


> Well on my iPad I don’t see any Show ignored content link when I scroll down.


Interesting ... I just tested it on my iPad Pro 12.9-inch and my iPad Mini and "Show Ignored Content" appears at the bottom of both in the same thread where an Ignored User has posted.


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## L'irlandais

Perhaps because mine is such an old model of the mini iPad.


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## Copyright

L'irlandais said:


> Perhaps because mine is such an old model of the mini iPad.


Hmm, I wouldn't think so. It's just a display device. I have the iPad Mini 2, for what it's worth – I bought an early model last year (even though the Mini 4 was for sale right beside it) simply to use as a Kindle device, no other purpose really.


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## L'irlandais

This is a first-generation mini iPad, circa 2010, certainly has its limitations.


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## Copyright

Have you tried landscape mode to see if that makes a difference in what's displayed? I know it makes a difference on the iPhone.


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## L'irlandais

I have one of those flip stand cases which supports the iPad in a Landscape orientation.
I have noticed, on other websites, that lots of confirmation pop-ups which appear on my PC without any problem, are not visible/supported on this mini iPad.


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## Copyright

L'irlandais said:


> I have one of those flip stand cases which supports the iPad in a Landscape orientation.


Then I think my work here is done.


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## L'irlandais

Yeah, thanks for your suggestions.  I am personally fine about not even being aware of the ignored content.  It ensures I make a considered choice about why I would ignore somebody’s posts.  That done, I am comfortable that any potential confusion has been minimised.  Up to now, those who I have added to the ignore list have generally been subsequently banned from the forum.  I just use it to spare myself the heartache of their provocations in the meantime.


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## Copyright

For years my Ignore list was ignored – no one on it – but in the last couple of years I've seen its value in maintaining a normal blood pressure and removing the temptation to respond to people I'm better off, well, ignoring. 

The problem for me is not seeing any indication that there is a missing message, so I'm left puzzled at reading at message that seems to have no relevancy to the thread. And here's the reason that I will always be momentarily puzzle: I'm not sent an email notification when an Ignored member posts, but only when someone else replies to that post. 

So when I receive a notification and click over to read the reply and it doesn't make logical or chronological sense, It's only after a while that I think, "Oh, yes, one of my Ignored members may have posted and is being replied to." Then I go down to the bottom and turn on the "Show Ignored Content" to see if I'm correct. 

If there were some sort of "Ignored member" indication in-line, then I wouldn't be confused and I wouldn't have to click "Show Ignored Content" just to see the progression of posts – an operation that invariably reminds me why that person is on my Ignored list.


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## swift

I’m not quite sure things were better with the old inline display. Some moderators basically discourage ignoring people for a long period of time. I remember an Ignored User who got offended by the fact that I wasn’t replying to their comments. My decision was to stop interacting with that person and, since their behavior was very predictable in terms of grammar topics and forums, it was pretty easy to manage to avoid them. However, I was sometimes invited to comment on a thread where Ignored User had been participating, and some of the information I contributed either was repetitive or partially contradicted what they had previously said (sometimes more than two times in the same thread). When that happened, Ignored User quoted my post and tried to engage and have me—and everyone else involved in that thread—confirm they were right.  It was a nightmare.

What I do is put people on the Ignore list temporarily. If Ignored User’s behavior is harmful to the forum’s atmosphere, try to engage one of the moderators and explain why you think they should step in. That has worked in the past, and I don’t see a reason for it not working now.

If the reason you are ignoring that person is that you don’t like them (for whatever reason: their style, the kind of questions they ask, their avatar, their signature, their misleading answers...), I think you will have to live with the confusion.


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## Copyright

I'm not complaining so much as discussing.  I like the forum enough that I will put up with whatever foibles it has. So my comments are really related to the software – it seems to me that a single discreet line, not much bigger than the full-width blue line at the top of each post, saying "Ignored user post" as a marker would save a lot of confusion. That's all. I don't want to see their name or their avatar – just a footprint. 

Fortunately, the moderators of the English Only forum don't discourage our ignoring people. Once upon a time, I didn't ignore anyone, but times change and tolerance changes, so I see the value in it now. I did have one Ignored member write me and ask why I was no longer answering his questions and I told him. He assured me that he was a changed person, so I reinstated him, and he's still "live." 

Great cat, by the way.


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## mkellogg

Would it help to change the formatting of "Show Ignored Content"?  I could put it in red or bold and left-justify it to make it quite hard to miss.


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## L'irlandais

Hi Mike,
I am not sure the problem is strictly one of visibility.  Perhaps my case is untypical, but I only see the Show ignored context, if the ignored member happens to have been the last one to post in the discussion.  Nine times out of ten there simply is no indication that a member on my ignore list has contributed to the discussion.


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## L'irlandais

Same discussion thread, a couple of moments later.


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## L'irlandais

The only indication being that the Post numbers jump to #453

Presumably changing it to red will only aid visibility in the image in my #44.  Unless this change might make the thin blue line ( in images in #45 & #46) between posts red, in which case that would solve it.


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## swift

L'irlandais said:


> Perhaps my case is untypical, but I only see the Show ignored context, if the ignored member happens to have been the last one to post in the discussion.


As explained above, that is the expected behavior. XenForo will show the inline indication when you click on the timestamp, for instance, or on the thread title, and the link pointing to the latest unread message is a post by Ignored User.


mkellogg said:


> Would it help to change the formatting of "Show Ignored Content"?  I could put it in red or bold and left-justify it to make it quite hard to miss.


Hi, Mike.  Perhaps moving it on top of the page and use red boldface? That would only solve part of the problem, though. If it’s a long thread (say, 20-30 posts on a page), and you click on the latest unread post, and there are 10-15 more posts after that, you won’t see any indication whatsoever unless you scroll down.


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## L'irlandais

But as you can see from my #45, even when I scroll down, there is zero indication that the ignored member has posted dozens of times since I last visited the discussion.


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## swift

Let me do an experiment. I’ll post my findings to this thread.


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## swift

OK, @L'irlandais. Do you confirm there are posts by Ignored User in the specific page you’re looking at? I just did an experiment. I added one of the multiple contributors to the Palintropes thread, to my Ignored list. Then I clicked on page 157 and noticed there is no indication of the Ignored Content because Ignored User has no recent posts on the latest page. If you’re navigating a long thread, you will only see the Ignored Content indication when/if there are posts by Ignored User on that specific page.


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## L'irlandais

Yes, dozens of posts on that specific page by the *ignored member. I unignored them in order to count how many.  The idea of recent doesn’t wash, since they had just posted minutes before Eno added his contribution; even as recent as that was no longer visible.
*(Very prolific member, partly why they figure on my list.)

Here is the inline version of ignored posts on another website (using vBulletin software) which I frequent.


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## Loob

mkellogg said:


> Would it help to change the formatting of "Show Ignored Content"?  I could put it in red or bold and left-justify it to make it quite hard to miss.


I'm grateful for your interest,  Mike. But I don't think the colouration or placing of the end-of-thread  "Show Ignored Content" is the issue here. What I'm looking for - and what I think Copyright is also looking for - is a statement at the appropriate point in the thread indicating that a post has been rendered invisible because the poster is on my 'ignore list'. Nothing particularly interesting or sexy: just an indication that there's a post which is not visible.


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## mkellogg

I see now that Xenforo allows me to set it up so that it will show "You are ignoring content by this member" where the post would be.  Is this what everybody wants?  I can change it.


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## swift

mkellogg said:


> Is this what everybody wants?


Yes!  (Please?)


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## mkellogg

swift said:


> Yes!


Can you remind me why it changed before? Was it due to the switch from vBulletin to Xenforo?  I am wondering if there was a good reason why it changed.


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## swift

From what I found browsing XenForo-powered forums, this is all their fault. They implemented an add-on at some point, but you had to pay for it to be available. I suppose with the latest update they decided to reinstate the code for this. Lots of unhappy users all over the place.


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## Loob

mkellogg said:


> I see now that Xenforo allows me to set it up so that it will show "You are ignoring content by this member" where the post would be.  Is this what everybody wants?  I can change it.


Yes - yes - yes - yes - _yessss_! Thank you, Mike!


mkellogg said:


> Can you remind me why it changed before? Was it due to the switch from vBulletin to Xenforo?  I am wondering if there was a good reason why it changed.


Yes, it was the switch. With vBulletin we always had in-thread messages about invisible posts - just like the one in post 51.

I'm so glad you can do this!


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## Copyright

mkellogg said:


> I see now that Xenforo allows me to set it up so that it will show "You are ignoring content by this member" where the post would be.  Is this what everybody wants?  I can change it.


Yes, please. Something subtle would be nice, too. And I don't even have to know someone's name (who wants to be reminded?), but if it's necessary, I can live with it. 

Just some sort of marker in-line in place of the missing post. 

(I knew there was a reason I woke up at 04:30.)


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## mkellogg

I made some changes.  What do you think?

 - Now you get a placeholder for the message.
 - The username shows, but not the avatar.  I figured that if you didn't much care for somebody, you probably didn't want to see their avatar.  I could get rid of the name, too, if you want!


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## swift

Sweet! It works!  Thanks, Mike!


mkellogg said:


> I figured that if you didn't much care for somebody, you probably didn't want to see their avatar. I could get rid of the name, too, if you want!


That would be great too!


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## Loob

Mike, that's great  - thank you *so* much!

I'm happy to see no avatar, but unlike Swifty, I'd like to carry on seeing the username. I ignore people for a range of reasons: the username is a useful pointer to whether, on a particular occasion, I should "click" and see the post content.

That said, I won't die in a ditch either way. I'm just delighted to see these notifications reinstated!


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## siares

Wasn't quoted content by an ignored person visible fully just a second ago or am I going crazy?
Now when someone quotes a post by an ignored member, the whole of the quote is again invisible to the ignorer.
A ignores X, numbering could go..

3 - post by X
4 - post by A
5 - my post: I quote X and say: You are wrong.
7 - post by A: How dare you tell me I am wrong!


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## Loob

siares said:


> Wasn't quoted content by an ignored person visible fully just a second ago ...?


No, it wasn't visible,  siares.


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## siares

I thought maybe Mike twiddled with it in that short time span.

In that case, the teachers can still be a bit lost if the leaner quotes two pieces of advice, one unignored and the second ignored - both the learner's follow up questions will appear to react to the unignored quoted post and be confusing.


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## Loob

I'm sorry, siares, you've lost me.

I'm still over the moon about Mike's change.


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## swift

Loob said:


> I'm sorry, siares, you've lost me.


I think I understand, but it think it all comes down to what we’ve said before—ignoring people can and will create confusion however their messages are displayed.


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## Loob

swift said:


> .. it all comes down to what we’ve said before—ignoring people can and will create confusion however their messages are displayed.


I don't think that's true, Don Swifty. The "standard" Xenforo arrangement has enormous potential for confusion. But the change Mike has just made will reduce that to zero.


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## L'irlandais

mkellogg said:


> I made some changes.  What do you think?
> 
> - Now you get a placeholder for the message.
> - The username shows, but not the avatar.  I figured that if you didn't much care for somebody, you probably didn't want to see their avatar.  I could get rid of the name, too, if you want!



Problem solved, in my opinion.


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## pointvirgule

Yes, to me it's perfect the way it is at this time.
... Except for one wee thing: attached files posted by ignored users still show up.


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## Copyright

I’ll say up front that I’m happy with the solution. I like not seeing avatars, and while I would prefer not to see names, it’s no big deal to see them.

I had imagined that you would be able to click on individual Ignored messages to show the content of just that particular message, but I quickly learned that if you click “Show Ignored Content” in a message, it reveals all Ignored Content in the thread ... for all Ignored members, not just that one person.

Again, I can live with that – and appreciate that we now have in-line markers. I just thought it might be a little more specific to a particular message. Since it’s not, I’ll find something else in life to be concerned about. 

Thanks, Mike!


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## Loob

siares said:


> I thought maybe Mike twiddled with it in that short time span.
> 
> In that case, the teachers can still be a bit lost if the leaner quotes two pieces of advice, one unignored and the second ignored - both the learner's follow up questions will appear to react to the unignored quoted post and be confusing.


I'm sorry for not understanding before, siares. I've just seen an example, where *A* misunderstood a question from *B* because* B *had quoted a post from *C* and that quote wasn't visible to *A*, evidently because* C *was on *A*'s ignore list.

I don't know if there's anything that can be done about that: Mike, would it be possible to have a placeholder when an ignored member's post is quoted?

(I'm still delighted about the general change!)


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## Copyright

One thing I just discovered is that if your Ignored Member starts a thread, you'll never know.


swift said:


> Some moderators basically discourage ignoring people for a long period of time.


I took swift's comment to heart and thought I would keep a better eye on who I'm ignoring and consider unignoring them. But if I'm evaluating their ongoing posting style, I won't know what sort of threads they're starting without a marker for thread-starters. 

Just an observation.


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## Loob

Copyright said:


> One thing I just discovered is that if your Ignored Member starts a thread, you'll never know.


I find that useful.


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## Copyright

Loob said:


> I find that useful.


This is the Nascent New Me. I’m trying to be kinder. I’ll let you know how that works out.


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## velisarius

Copyright said:


> One thing I just discovered is that if your Ignored Member starts a thread, you'll never know.
> [...]



Right at the bottom of each page of thread titles there is a link: "show ignored content". 

If you hover the mouse over it, it shows which (if any) ignored members have posted in that page of threads, and if you click on it you can see any new threads they may have posted. 

(I'm delighted with Mike's new solution to the problem.)


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## Copyright

velisarius said:


> Right at the bottom of each page of thread titles there is a link: "show ignored content".
> 
> If you hover the mouse over it, it shows which (if any) ignored members have posted in that page of threads, and if you click on it you can see any new threads they may have posted.


As usual, I hadn't seen it, nor did I realize that there was a "hover" feature – thanks, vel. 

I guess one of the problems I've always had is that "Show Ignored Content" is at the bottom of the page. So I have to scroll to the bottom, check to see which Ignored members have posted on that page, decide to click it to display those threads, and then scroll to the top of the page to read the posts the way I like to read them – beginning with the latest first.

It seems that if "Show Ignored Content" were at the top , it would be a lot simpler and more obvious – perhaps to the left of "Moderators" and "Watch Forum." And in red would be nice (for me, anyway), but bold is not necessary. Even red isn't required – just a shift to the top of the page.

I just checked the current behavior, by the way, for anyone who hasn't:

On the main page: hover over "Show Ignored Content" at the bottom of the page and you will see who has started a thread on that page.
Click that "Show Ignored Content" like and all threads by all Ignored members on that page will be displayed.
Click on an individual thread by an Ignored member and you will enter the thread, but the posts by that member will remain hidden.
Click "Show Ignored Content" in that thread and all posts by all Ignored members in that thread will be displayed.

I'm beginning to think I might just Unignore everyone and develop some self-control.


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## Copyright

A little while ago, I released all 15 of my detainees from the damp cellar where I was holding them into the light of day. Soon after that, I answered a question from one of my formerly Ignored members and received this in reply ...

 Thanks.

So far, so good.


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## mkellogg

Loob said:


> Mike, would it be possible to have a placeholder when an ignored member's post is quoted?


I don't see a way to do that without a lot of work.  I might try again after we move to Xenforo 2.0 in a few months.


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## swift

mkellogg said:


> I don't see a way to do that without a lot of work.  I might try again after we move to Xenforo 2.0 in a few months.


Thanks, Mike. Meanwhile, would it be possible to add the _Show Ignored Content_ link on top of the forum page, as @Copyright suggested?


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## Loob

mkellogg said:


> I don't see a way to do that without a lot of work.  I might try again after we move to Xenforo 2.0 in a few months.


Thank you for looking into it, Mike. And thank you again for the change you've already made!


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## Englishmypassion

I've noticed that a member I'm ignoring can see a thread posted by me and is posting in that. Does it work like that?
Thanks.


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## Loob

Englishmypassion said:


> I've noticed that a member I'm ignoring can see a thread posted by me and is posting in that. Does it work like that?
> Thanks.


Yes, a member you're ignoring can still see things posted by you.


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## Englishmypassion

Loob said:


> Yes, a member you're ignoring can still see things posted by you.



Thanks. In that case, the best option is I stop using the forum.


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## swift

Englishmypassion said:


> I've noticed that a member I'm ignoring can see a thread posted by me and is posting in that. Does it work like that?


These are language forums, not social media. Social media provide you with the decision rights to block accounts you dislike. A forum is a space for open discussions where anyone is welcome to chime in and contribute their ideas. If you dislike someone so much that, after putting them on your ignore list, you still can’t help but display their posts, I’m afraid the issue is not the person you’re trying to ignore, since they are not notified of the fact that someone has decided to put them on their ignore list.


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## velisarius

Englishmypassion said:


> I've noticed that a member I'm ignoring can see a thread posted by me and is posting in that. Does it work like that?
> Thanks.


Even if they couldn't, a_ really _determined member could visit the forum while logged out, just to see what you were up to. 

Please don't let anyone put you off, emp. You're a valued member here . When things get back to normal, I hope we'll all of us have less time on our hands and more interesting things to do than get into "fights" online.


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## merquiades

Englishmypassion said:


> Thanks. In that case, the best option is I stop using the forum.


Someone you ignore can see your posts unless he decides to ignore you too.
But that shouldn't bother you.  If you ignore him, you'll never see what he posts, even if what he posts is in response to your post, and even if he decides to tag you.  The person stops existing for you.


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## Paulfromitaly

swift said:


> These are language forums, not social media. Social media provide you with the decision rights to block accounts you dislike. A forum is a space for open discussions where anyone is welcome to chime in and contribute their ideas. If you dislike someone so much that, after putting them on your ignore list, you still can’t help but display their posts, I’m afraid the issue is not the person you’re trying to ignore, since they are not notified of the fact that someone has decided to put them on their ignore list.


Precisely.
Also forum guests can read your posts in the public forums and there is no way you can prevent them from doing it.


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## Loob

Earlier in this thread, Mike Kellogg introduced  placeholders to indicate where an Ignored Member has posted. Those placeholders now seem to have disappeared .


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## mkellogg

Loob said:


> Earlier in this thread, Mike Kellogg introduced  placeholders to indicate where an Ignored Member has posted. Those placeholders now seem to have disappeared .


Thank you, Loob!  I saw an edit in a template that didn't make sense to me. I thought it was an old edit that didn't affect anything and decided to revert it. I knew somebody would tell me if it had an adverse effect.

Anyway, I've restored that edit and placeholders for ignored members should be back.


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## Loob

Yes, they're back - hurrah! Thank you, Mike!


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