RE: The "ignore" feature
Hi Jeff,
This issue is much more complicated than what many have been portrayed and this
was an outstanding post, Jeff. :) You have shown that there is a lot more to individuals
just ignoring an annoying poster than meets the eye.
You are absolutely right that there will be those who start posting to encourage others
on the thread to ignore particular posters. Yes, this would then 'augment' the bullish
experience and eliminate any opposing viewpoints or could be used to basically taunt
the bears by declaring that they have nothing to offer and are therefore being 'ignored'.
It could also encourage more personal attacks on the threads.
I would suggest that since one use of the ignore feature would be to limit one's
exposure to bullish/cheerleading posts, then there would presumably be less bickering
on the threads caused by those who cannot tolerate opposing viewpoints. After all,
though SI's intention was to facilitate the free exchange of ideas - both bullish and
bearish - it is each user's right to utilize the threads for whatever he wishes to gain from
them. Personally, I agree with you, Jeff, that an informed investor should thoughtfully
consider both sides of the coin when making investment decisions, but you can't force
people to be informed! <gg> People come to SI to fulfill different needs. Some are
here to engage in a pro/con discussion but others seem to want to ignore any
viewpoints which are in opposition to their own. Though we may not agree, it's their
right to wear blinders. <g>
I don't believe that the 'ignore' feature would discourage bears from posting as a user
would not know that he was being ignored unless people were to use the 'ignore'
feature to publicly taunt the ignored poster on the thread as you pointed out. A simple
solution to this problem then would be to institute the ignore feature with the warning
that it is to augment the individual's experience on SI and not to be used to publicly
taunt posters and infractions of this code could be reported via pmail to Admin just like
other member complaints.
Sure, V., sure... like anyone would heed that warning, you ask? You think that Admin
needs a new feature instituted which would encourage MORE complaints/whiners/fist
fights on the SI playground? :)
Well, I'm glad you asked. ;)
A a firmer stance would simply be to have a prompt which states, "By opting to use the
ignore feature, I have read SI's guidelines on its misuse, and agree to follow these
guidelines or else be subjected to suspension as per the SI ToU guidelines. Click 'Yes,
I agree' to enable the ignore feature, or click 'No I do not agree' and the ignore feature
will not be enabled on this account."
The freedom of speechers out there wouldn't like this restriction of course, but they
don't even like the Terms Of Use. You can't please 'em all, unfortunately. However,
SI's T o U are clear on SI having sole and final discretion on such matters and those
who voluntarily post on the site agree to follow these guidelines or face the
consequences. Those who choose to violate the Terms of Use can go to another site
where free-for-alls and vicious public attacks are permissible or they can simply
choose NOT to enable the 'ignore' feature and limit their freedom of speech! :)
So, though you might have some reports to Admin initially of members taunting one
another on the threads when they enable the 'ignore' feature which could be handled
like any other ToA violation as I outlined above, wouldn't it eliminate many more
thread disputes and reports of violations to Admin due to bickering amongst users in
the longer term?
It seems that, by and large, the 'ignore' feature would probably be elected silently by
the majority of those wishing to eliminate certain posts from their view. This pertains
primarily to those users who want the 'ignore' function in order to rid themselves of
obnoxious or off topic posts which are constantly generated by particular members.
This would also reduce complaints to SI Admin regarding, "He's attacking me again!"
as (chosen) ignorance (via the 'ignore' feature) would be bliss!
My comments above are based on the assumption that the vast majority of SI
members are good people who are not antagonistic and really are here to learn about
the market rather than to annoy fellow posters, btw...
And if I might make one more comment: Personally, I don't see the need for an 'ignore'
feature as I simply elect not to read posts from particular people. I enable my own
'ignore' function, I guess. <gg> With the new capability of downloading 10 posts at a
time as unveiled on the Beta site, it is far easier to scan the posts for content and/or
users and simply overlook posters who have historically been offensive or which offer
little in terms of content. This is of course a big issue insofar as it is so subjective. What
is useful and valid to one member might be totally off topic to another. Some have no
use in reading bickering, while others learn a lot from it and/or find it extremely
entertaining! :) However, since this feature has been requested by so many users, I
would not be opposed to it at all if it makes others' SI experience a more pleasant one.
Having the ability to turn it on or off would really eliminate the need to debate the issue
further, IMO.
Thank you for listening to us! It's not an easy job, I know! :) |
