Then you are too insecure in your ability to resist engaging with the idiots, trolls, etc etc. I truly believe that is the real reason people use the block ignore in the first place. People cannot resist responding to shit they do not agree with, and when it becomes so overbearing that they feel it saps their energy, because they cannot RESIST the urge to respond, they resort to block. They claim it lowers their stress levels because they can no longer see the posts that infuriate them, so they do not have the urges to respond. It would sap their energy otherwise. Truth is, it is the energy expended in responding to them that saps their energy. That is called lack of self-control.
That's the point of the ignore/block...to not engage them and not to see their crap...the noise...the litter. Instead, you specifically suggested engaging in it to see what type of wild west it will be as if you know what will happen and it'll be a nice show for you guys. Why not just make it an OPEN forum...no registration is required and let us know how that goes. You'll see how fast racists and extremists make Elitetrader.com a favorite truck stop. wrbtrader
That's not exactly what I suggested. What I am saying is that let's see how bad it truly becomes here if the feature did not exist. Are people these days so loose in the head that they will not be able to resist engaging in flame wars? I mean, that happens here anyway, even with the block/ignore feature. Are people still that unable to restrain themselves after all these years to just let shit they don't want to read go into their mental junkmail folder?
You know exactly how fast it will spill over into the trading threads. Seriously, you're acting as if the racists and extremists are on some island and they won't cross that bridge when you guys build one for them to leave the island. Keep dreaming that they'll not leave the island. wrbtrader
It already spills into the trading threads with the feature enabled. What is the difference? You just gloss over the posts you do not agree with and continue with the trading discussion? I don't think I quite get your angle. Blocking someone does not prevent them from posting stuff you do not want to see in a forum section you do not want to see it in.
First of all, the blocking feature was NOT designed to prevent someone from posting crap. In contrast, blocking someone HELPS to prevent you from reading the crap. Seriously, don't be naive and if you want to see what happens when weaponize a forum with the eye sores...sponsors will leave fast unless ET management wants to spend 24/7 deleting and banning people after building them a bridge to leave that island. Simply, the crap in the trading threads is at a minimum (thanks to the ignore/block) but as you suggested or implied... let us give them a bridge to allow them to take it to a whole new level. Thankfully, Baron has a lot more experience than you do at managing a forum. wrbtrader
Thankfully, Baron and I have spoken on the telephone a few times about this issue over the past couple of years, and he has taken my, along with many other users' ideas here, into account, regarding his decisions about the next direction this forum will take. I also have experience in managing a forum, thus my input was given not from an armchair-quarterback position. Your whole blah about sponsors leaving and all this other chicken-little stuff, give it a rest. No man is an island!
Sorry...when someone states "wild west"...they know exactly what's going to happen considering now you're stating you have "experience in managing a forum, thus my input was given not from an armchair-quarterback position"...your words. wrbtrader
No, I stated in that post to see "how Wild West it would really get in here". Meaning, I do not think it will get that wild and chaotic, based on said past experience in managing a forum in the past.
You've been here long enough to know exactly what the forum was like prior to the creation of the Political section and the reason for the creation of the Political section. You've been here long enough to see the complaints of former moderators and you should know how much of a pain in the ass members have been (I've been told such by different moderators) with the current situation but to suggest opening the flood gates for 30 - 60 days... Sure, go for it and it will be in tune with the current theme...let it rip. Everybody then bitches about the result after letting the racists, trolls, and extremists run lose for a while...keeping ET management the busiest they've been in many years in moderating the forum. That's my opinion about your suggestion...it will be a lot of work for 30 - 60 days. wrbtrader