Why doesn't Hubpages have a block button

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   TessSchlesingerposted 4 years ago

   Every single internet community in the world has a block button, but hubpages does not. I simplfy do not want to speak to some people, and I'm pretty sure that a lot of people don't want to speak to me.
   
   I am a hardcore atheist, a progressive, and this clearly rubs a lot of people up the wrong way. More to the point, I don't want every single thing I say manipulated into meaning something that it did not mean.
   
   I also don't want to be consistently underminded because people can't actually dispute what I say factually.
   
   Ad hominems are not acceptable.
   
   The only way one can stop interaction with people that one does not want to interact with is through a block button.
   
   The problem with ignoring them is that they consistently insult one and one can hardly stop from seeing this.
   
   Why does hubpages consistently refuse to add a block button. It is vital.

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      Kierstin Gunsbergposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      My guess would be because blocking is for social platforms and this is technically not a social platform. I think it was to an extent, at the beginning. But really, HubPages is a content site. Allowing content creators to block one another here wouldn't really best serve HubPages as it has the potential to slow down traffic between creators (if just slightly).

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         Kierstin Gunsbergposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         That being said, and slightly off the original topic, I feel like it would be a great idea to add forums to the niche sites.

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            TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            I like that idea.

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         wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         The key is that it is a social platform...HubPages platform.  It is open to anyone that wants to post on it and does not belong to anyone that does post. 
         
         Given that it doesn't make any sense at all to allow individual hubbers to decide who can and cannot post.  As far as blocking specific individuals so they don't show up on our screen, well, we each have the option of reading a post or not.  No need to go to great lengths or expense designing a system that is already built in through our own fingertips.

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            TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            Sorry. One can hardly avoid seeing what someone else has written. In addition, when people start spreading disinformationa about one, then it is better that those people don't have access to one.

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      promisemposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      I agree it's a good way to block hostile people. But if you can still see them and reply to them, they probably won't see your comment either.
      
      The feeds already have the ability to block a user, so I can't image it's too tough to do the same in the forums.

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         TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         No, the feeds do not have the ability to block a user. I have never been able to block anyone.

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            promisemposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            Click on the HubPages logo to go to your feed.
            
            If you wave your cursor in the upper right corner of a feed item, you will see an X with a dropdown that includes blocking ability if the feed item comes from a person.

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               TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

               I don't want to block a feed. I want to block a person (or six). Blocking a feed means that you don't see that feed. Blocking a person means one doesn't see what they comment and they can't see what you comment.

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         gmwilliamsposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         +1000000000000000000000000

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            TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            ???? If you block someone, you can neither see them, nor reply to them, and they can't see you (or your comments) and they can't reply to them.
            
            I don't understand what you are saying.

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               gmwilliamsposted 4 years agoin reply to this

               I am responding in agreement.

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      gmwilliamsposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      I totally agree.   The block button should be implemented in the forums.  The delete button should also be implemented in the forums.

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         TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         Yup. +++

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      Lionrhodposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Not sure what exactly is wrong. Granted I've been away from hub pages for a long time,, but can't you still disable comments you don't want on your pages?
      
      Not really sure what the challenge is.
      
      As far as you're being an athiest, that actually makes me more interested. While I'm a Deist, I was raised in an athiest/agnostic household. So what's going on - just a difference of ideas or someone being a real ass?

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         Will Apseposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         Lack of body language leads to many misunderstandings. Emoticons are pretty worthless. Nothing for intuition to get a grasp of.
         
         Which is why you should post for your own entertainment, only. Or the strict and tedious exchange of very simple information.

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            theraggededgeposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            I am soooo familiar with your last point

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         lobobrandonposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         A few being real asses from what I've seen.

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   paradigmsearchposted 4 years ago

   HP probably has no problem with the concept. My guess is that implementation is just too much labor-intensive programming for them right now. They are probably buried in existing projects as it is.

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   poppyrposted 4 years ago

   I make a point to avoid topics that might end up in arguments, such as religion, politics, etc. While I’d never condone the silence of free speech and expressing one’s opinions, it might be a good way for you to avoid being insulted or bullied.

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      promisemposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      I understand your point. On the other hand, it doesn't benefit HubPages or us to have people who fill the topical forums with fake news and hateful posts. It makes us look bad to anyone who visits us.
      
      So I think we have a responsibility to lift the forums to a higher level of discussion, even if it means getting into an argument.

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         wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         You may well be right - we all have that responsibility.  But (IMO) it is not served by censorship - it is served by each and every one of us behaving ourselves.

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            Will Apseposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            "each and every one of us behaving ourselves."
            
            lol. That is not going to happen.
            
            For one thing, there are evangelists everywhere, secular and religious. Plus that terrible need to be heard. And those clamouring egos...
            
            I should give fair warning that I am beginning to feel a little like my old self, so don't expect me to be to stitching any kid gloves.

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               TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

               ++

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               wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

               You got that right; it isn't going to happen.

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            TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            I like the British model of Free Speech. You can say what you like - until you start with the hate speech and the white sovereignty speech and the anti-semitic and speech that harms others.... Then you are not free to say what you like.
            
            You can also not publish nonsense, i.e. stuff that contradicts known fact.
            
            Here's the thing.
            
            Far from people being convinced by fact, the human brain actually learns by rote - not by reason. When we hear something over and over again, we believe it, in spite of it not being true.
            
            This is why people believe religion. This is why it's so difficult to change cultures. People grow up believing something because people all around them believe it - regardless of whether it is true or not.
            
            Therefore the media has a moral right only to publish and proclaim what is factually true.

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               wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

               It sounds like a fine system.  You can say what you like...until a govt. committee decides to label it "hate speech".  And you may not post wrong information, such as "God lives and loves you!" even if it is known to be true from personal experience.
               
               I trust you're following the line of thought here - it is unacceptable to allow a government, or other people, to decide that you can only say what they will permit you to say.  Americans have decided there IS a limit, but that limit is far outside what YOU would allow.
               
               Yes, some believe in some things simply because they've heard it  thousand times.  Others resist that methodology.  With the result that one persons "fact" and "truth" are anothers fairy tale.  One has only to look at religious beliefs, that can be proven neither true nor false, to understand this.

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                  SmartAndFunposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                  +1
                  
                  The British model is dangerous. No system is perfect, but at least in the USA we don't get thrown in jail for saying something that others find offensive or don't agree with.
                  
                  I don't care if HP installs a block button or not, but it's a much better solution than prosecuting citizens for wrongthink.
                  
                  Englishman arrested for making Mandela joke. https://jonathanturley.org/2013/12/13/e … dela-joke/
                  
                  Teen arrested for burning Koran
                  https://jonathanturley.org/2010/11/26/e … ing-koran/
                  
                  Police arrest man for saying homosexuality is a sin
                  https://jonathanturley.org/2010/05/03/p … ity-a-sin/
                  
                  Woman arrested for referring to male-to-female transgender person as a man/male
                  https://jonathanturley.org/2019/04/12/d … or-gender/
                  
                  Soldier gets 70 days for burning Koran
                  https://jonathanturley.org/2011/04/19/e … ing-koran/

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            promisemposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            I agree with you about the need for each of us to behave ourselves. I don't think a personal blocking button stops anyone from expressing their opinion.

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               wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

               I don't know - reading this thread over this morning I am unsure of just what is being asked of that button.  May one not reply to a forum post because the first poster doesn't like the second?  Not only does that seem difficult, given the way HP forums work, but is most definitely censorship.

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                  promisemposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                  My interpretation of the post is that she doesn't want to see any posts by particular people, especially when they are personal attacks.
                  
                  If she can't see them, she can't see what they write about her.

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                     TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                     ++

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         TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         ++

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      TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      I was commenting on ethics (one of my interests) and it immediatley turned political because someone had a limited understanding of English.

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   Kenna McHughposted 4 years ago

   Tess,
   Do you want to block someone in general, so you never see their comments in the forum and your articles?  That is quite a task for the staff and labor-intensive. 
   I hide comments on the forum and filter forum topics on stuff I don't want to see or read. I also delete any comments I don't like, and basically, ignore them.

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      TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Kenna, that is difficult for me to answer. On our personal feeds (not the forum), one can post something. If one responds to that, who can see that? Only the people who follow one? Or others? I have never figured that out.
      
      On Quora, if I post something, I can block someone. If someone else posts somethings, I can't.
      
      When you say 'hide,' do you mean that that person can't see what I have written? If so, that will do.

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   Kenna McHughposted 4 years ago

   Wilderness, I agree. I ignoring them is the best option. Though, it might be hard not to get irked. That is a more personal thing.

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      promisemposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      It's hard not to get irked when you are called in front of the entire HP audience "vile", "sick", "disgusting", "wacko" and "predator", which is what someone recently got called (among other names).

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   psycheskinnerposted 4 years ago

   Blocking has no effect at all on the blocked person.  It is a standard feature of modern forums to hide, just from you, posts you find annoying provoking or otherwise unpleasant--and would otherwise automatically read whenever you come across them.  It is a standard feature because it improves user experience and reduces the need for moderation.

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      RTalloniposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      If it did affect the blocked person that would be shutting down discourse, allowing only one faction freedom of speech.

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         TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         You misunderstand freedom of speech. Freedom of speech does not require one to be forced to listen to someone and it does not give permission to anyone for them to be party to a conversation or discussion where they are not wanted.
         
         Free speech refers specifically to the government not being allowed to arrest you for speaking against it.

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   Kenna McHughposted 4 years ago

   The "x" to the right of each post/comment allows the user to hide that person's comments. I use it now and then when I don't want to read negative topics.  It's easy to use and effective.

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      RTalloniposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      It's a useful and obvious solution unless someone wants everyone else to protect them from what they do not like or is seeking to shut down freedom of speech. Many people want to ponder views they oppose for the sake of mature discourse so the x isn't used as often as one might at first think.

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         TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         And many people prefer not to interact with those who have a vastly different value system. It is their ethical and legal right not to be involved in discussions they don't want to be part of. It is also their moral and legal right not to associate with those they prefer not to associate with.
         
         There is so much data available on any topic, and there are so many people with whom one can discuss that topic that it is completely and utterly ludicrous to think only one person has a particular view that will 'educate' them.
         
         Freedom of speech has nothing to do with discussion.
         
         It is a legal precept that prevents government, church, and other official bodies from jailing one for saying something against them.
         
         For instance, one can write to a newspaper and express an opinion about disliking Trump. Freedom of Speech means that one will not be arrested for that opinion.
         
         Freedom of speech has nothing to do with other people not wanting to talk to you others. People have the legal and moral right to chose who they wish to converse with and who they wish to associate with.

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            promisemposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            Agreed. Blocking a hostile person in the forums is no different than hanging up the phone on an obnoxious telemarketer.

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      TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      But they still see yours and still trolll...

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   shanmarieposted 4 years ago

   I've asked that before and their response to me was basically that the HubPage network is not designed to be a social media community.

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      promisemposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Then they shouldn't have forums, because forums are social. 

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         TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         ++

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      TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Quora is not a social media community either. Every single site that I know of has a blocking mechanism.
      
      Also, there is a forum here where people can talk. This is very much a social media community.
      
      A block button is definitely needed.
      
      I can see no way in which it negatively affects Hubpage track.

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   Kenna McHughposted 4 years ago

   That makes sense because HP is not a social media platform.

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    shanmarieposted 4 years ago

    HP's sole purpose is pretty much just to make money. Comments bring visitors, which subsequently brings money. So it does make sense even if it is sometimes inconvenient when we don't want to interact with someone even so much as seeing a comment they posted or by having to delete their comments from our own hubs. It does have the feel of a social media platform, though. Especially to those of us who go way back to when they had things like the 'share' and 'vote up' buttons.
    
    Actually, looking back over the comments, I see that Kierstin Gunsberg took a guess earlier.  I can confirm that she is right because I had someone from HP directly respond to me when I emailed a similar question to them a year or so ago.

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       TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

       I'm confused, and I didn't fully understand what you said.
       
       How does the forum get traffic from the web?
       
       Certainly our articles do, but this forum doesn't.

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          theraggededgeposted 4 years agoin reply to this

          Anyone can see the posts here.
          
          
          

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             TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

             Wow. I did not know that. It makes me angry.

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                wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                Probably best to simply assume that anything at all that you put on the web is available to anyone that really wants it.

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                   TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                   Oh, I do.
                   
                   However, I think it's indecent and unethical to take forums which should be private and make them public in order to increase traffic (and money).
                   
                   It was the one thing I hated about Google Plus.

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    psycheskinnerposted 4 years ago

    If the assumption is that it is used to ignore things people just disagree with, not so much.  It's more just people you find super flocking annoying.
    
    How many of us don't go to the topical side of the forum not because we lack interest in things like politics and religion but because the majority of the content there is repetitive and juvenile and it is tedious to wade through to find the interesting posts?  If those users just vanished from the screen, more people might use topical to research their hub topics as was presumably intended.

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       TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

       I totally agree.
       
       It would enable conversations and friendships to develop and result in more traffic.
       
       It's also possible that the good feelings springing from that might increase in more articles being written.

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    Kenna McHughposted 4 years ago

    We are all different and see things in our own way based on education, experience, and ideologies. I try to follow the Golden rule.

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       RTalloniposted 4 years agoin reply to this

       It is a wonderful rule to follow, working out beautifully through patience, kindness, generosity, humbleness, respectfulness, forgiveness...

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       TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

       I thinkt the golden rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you - is stupid. It is also unworkable.
       
       If I want people to be honest with me but other people want people to nurture them, neither of us get what we want. That's because both of us want what we're giving to the other - not what hte other basically wants from us.
       
       And precisely because we are all so different, it's really not a good rule.

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    Kenna McHughposted 4 years ago

    That is true. If you don't want to be noticed or you want to hide, them stay off the Internet.

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       TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

       Same argument that if you criticize a country's politics, then you ought to leave it.
       
       I don't want to be noticed. I don't care about being noticed. I do, however, like to connect with others of like values and like mind. The internet is probably the only place I can do so. And it is where I have made many friends.
       
       
       It is completely unneccessary for business to take things to the extreme in order to generate a few pence more.

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    Readmikenowposted 4 years ago

    Tess,
    
    I'm surprised you would want to block anyone.
    
    You've always struck me as someone who had enough heavy verbal weaponry to defend your views against any type of attack.  I picture you as a literary soldier eager to engage anyone is word to word verbal combat.  A sort of Shogun of the English language.
    
    I'm sure you know you probably cause as much frustration to those who engage you as experience from them.  You impressed me as a person mentally and emotionally strong enough to not be bothered by what anyone writes. 
    
    After the Aussies and English I've experienced, I'm shocked you'd be upset by anything.  I've heard some real strong words exchanged before a moment of silence and then laughter occurs.
    
    I always thought you were always someone who toyed with people who had an opposing view and had a good laugh at their expense. 
    
    Please tell me you don't take any of us serious.

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       TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

       ReadMikeNow
       
       Why wouldn’t I take you seriously?
       
       Of course I do.
       
       I left Hubpages last time (and lost money I could not afford to lose) because I was devastated at the aggression and nastiness I faced on this site.
       
       I left facebook for the same reason.
       
       I NEVER toy with people. I NEVER laugh at people. I loathe having to contradict people. I hate the stress of having to do so.  However I am attacked for my views so often (and only by Nazis, Libertarians, American conservatives, and evangelical Christians) that the only way I can defend myself is by presenting evidence that it is not so.
       
       I loathe argument and discussion. However, I grew up in a family that put human rights above self-interest, and so despite my natural disinclination to be involved in unpleasantness, I put my needs and desires aside and answer what is required of me ethically.
       
       I do not seek to influence anyone, and I think the effort to influence others is evil. People should be allowed to believe what they want to believe. They are, however, not at liberty to brainwash, influence, and attempt to change other people's minds.
       
       I have never approached a conservative on any site to put him down. I recently left GAB (Dissenter) without a whimper or a sound because it is the home of far-right nuts. Great tech, but inhabited by the kind of people who destroy and loathe people like me.
       
       Certainly I could argue.
       
       Why would I?
       
       They have as much right to live as I have.
       
       I do, however, think it is important to state facts. And so I write articles. I write letters to the press. I provide information. I do not, however, insist that people believe that information. It is up to them to decide how to use the information I present.
       
       I am strong, certainly. I am, also, very soft and very sensitive. It is my strength of character that has enabled me to survive a lifetime of been physically beaten, emotionally abused, having to cope with a severe disability, and pretty much extreme poverty and loneliness for the past 38 years.
       
       I am 68 now. Still beautiful and energetic and bright and much younger than my years they say. Well, the people in real life say that. But I am so tired, so worn, so alone. And I just don’t want to be attacked for my views as a progressive, humanist, and atheist anymore.
       
       I’m so very tired.
       
       I would really, really, really like to have a little happiness before I die.
       
       I want to have people stop pouncing on everything I say.
       
       Let me be.
       
       There are people who actually see things my way. Those are the people I want to connect with. They bring me comfort that I am not on my own.
       
       I have absolutely no idea why you would think what you do about me.
       
       I am neither Aussie nor English.
       
       I am Afrikaans and German.

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    Kenna McHughposted 4 years ago

    SmartandFun,
    Is this spam you are posting?

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       SmartAndFunposted 4 years agoin reply to this

       No, those are links to a blog written by an attorney in the USA who is a free speech expert. These blog entries cover just few recent incidences of people in the UK being arrested/jailed/questioned by police/etc. for expressing their opinions.

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    theraggededgeposted 4 years ago

    Tess: "Same argument that if you criticize a country's politics, then you ought to leave it."
    
    Really? You don't mean that, do you? If everyone who criticised UK politics right now were to leave, the country would be empty.
    
    

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       TessSchlesingerposted 4 years agoin reply to this

       You misunderstand me. That's what American conservatives say whenever one points out a fault in a policy.
       
       People in other countries don't do this - only American conservatives.

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