In re: The ignore function

[defacto7]

106. I just changed my ignore philosophy completely

and it makes DU a very reasonable place to hang out for information.

In the past I have only had maybe 4 people on a permanent ignore but I have used it on a temporary basis for many if there is a squabble of magnitude that splatters all over the damn place, then after a week or two give or take, I take them all off. I decided to try something completely different as an experiment.

A useless waste of time and an annoyance are posters who start dumping snide jokes and disruptive ruminations usually becoming off topic at the beginning of someones serious OP. It's obviously just for the sake of disrupting. I have started putting everyone who does this on ignore, that includes such behavior on anyone's OP I come across. My ignore list has blossomed by maybe by 60 in the last week... and it has completely improved the experience. Most of the time, they never have anything constructive to say anyway and if they do it's not worth it. They are just non-existent.

I never put people on ignore because of disagreement, personality per se, philosophy or position. That would really thin out the conversation and the possible education aspect of DU. For me that's unreasonable.

NOW.... The OPs are so much more readable and interesting no matter what the opinion. So if I only put people on ignore who are thread disruptors and never ignore those with different points of view or personalities, voilà! It takes care of the whole DU thing for me. Disruptors stay on permanent ignore from now on, period. No, I don't mind good jokes and fun stuff if it's pertinent, it's the thread jumpers, disruptors and general jackass remarks that get the ignore function and we all know who they are. It's usually the same ones.

Ignore really does have it's advantages simply for the fact that it is an organizer and customization feature that works if you find your own philosophy for using it.

(I wrote this to Skinner in the ATA a couple of days ago, most is copied over which seemed appropriate)