Why myLot needs reciprocal blocking
By Boingboing
@boiboing (13153)
Northampton, England
June 27, 2016 7:34am CST
In a perfect world we wouldn't need to block other members but as we all know, this isn't a perfect world. Sadly myLot's approach to blocking is at best a bit wimpy and at worst completely annoying and ineffective. I'm not the first person to say this and I'm sure that I won't be the last.
If I chose to block somebody - for whatever strange reason I might have, and let's remember it's a free world - would I not be honour-bound to just stay away and leave that person alone? Wouldn't most sites just make that annoying person disappear and never pop up on my screen again? Unfortunately it doesn't work that way here.
If you block somebody, you can still pop up on their discussions and leave nasty comments and then you can run away and hide behind your block, knowing that they can't answer back on your posts because they're blocked. This is like bringing your big brother along to a playground fight, poking somebody in the eye and then running to hide behind your muscle-bound hulk of a sibling.
When you get blocked by somebody who then turns up and starts making unpleasant comments on one of your discussions, it's natural to want to be able to protect yourself. This is why myLot needs to offer a block button to allow you to block back at the people who've blocked you. I know what you're thinking - an eye for an eye makes the world go blind. But it also would help to stop bullying and petty behaviour.
In a sensible world we'd not go round blocking people just because they don't agree with us but when a person is blocked, they really should be able to block back - or better still, the programming of the block process needs to make it impossible for people who have blocked a user to then comment on that user's discussions.
(And on the off-chance that the person I blocked this morning pops by, that wasn't about YOU - it was about stopping the person I can't block from acting like a horse's butt. I'll remove the block very shortly when she calms down and stops being poisonous).
19 people like this
16 responses
@Drosophila (16573)
• Ireland
27 Jun 16
I don't think we need "reciprocal blocking" here.
I think we just need "blocking" working as "blocking" generally do on all social media sites.
You block someone, you don't see them, they don't see you. End of.
What we have here is not "blocking", it's just "respond" and "comment" button disabled for the "blocked".. which to be fair doesn't achieve a whole lot.
If there's no plan to implement "blocking" as a feature other social media sites do.. then the least we can have is to have the "respond" and "comment" buttons disabled for the "blocker" too.
The way things are right now, makes the feature feels rather incomplete.
2 people like this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
27 Jun 16
I agree with you wholeheartedly and cannot understand why why people are given such an opportunity to become a real pain. A person simply needs to block you first and then begin to become an annoyance, which you have little defence to.
2 people like this
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
28 Jun 16
oooooooooo - now that would put the cat amongst the pigeons.
@shivamani10 (11038)
• Hyderabad, India
27 Jun 16
No. I do not agree with the concept of 'BLOCKING'. Nobody is a criminal or indecent here. Why such thoughts and ideas are being generated here...?..I just do not know.
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
27 Jun 16
It's here already. And if you are one day become a victim of it, you'll understand why it needs to go both ways.
@shivamani10 (11038)
• Hyderabad, India
27 Jun 16
@boiboing Pls. tell me your experience..I am really new to the site. Why BLOCKINg
@shivamani10 (11038)
• Hyderabad, India
27 Jun 16
@boiboing How it will affect us here?Will it have any effect on our earnings?
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
28 Jun 16
Luckily , the one i blocked here didn't retaliate . Well, maybe because i warned him that i will block him , if he doesn't stop pestering me with jokes that are below the belt . 
But i do think you are so correct in your opinion .
But i do think you are so correct in your opinion . 
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
27 Jun 16
You're very welcome and sorry if it didn't make much sense to you @jayaramas
@silvermist (19702)
• India
27 Jun 16
@boiboing Reciprocal blocking-this seems to be a good idea.I think it is only fair to have this system introduced here.
@silvermist (19702)
• India
29 Jun 16
@boiboing I hope so too.But I am rather doubtful of the admin agreeing to that,
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
27 Jun 16
Yes of course. So no block or reciprocal block but not this half-way house.
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
29 Jun 16
I agree blocking should mean you dont see them at all.
@blitzfrick (2890)
• United States
27 Jun 16
Too bad MyLot doesn't follow the Twitter format. When you block someone on Twitter neither of you can "talk" to the other. Of course that still doesn't stop followers from piling on, but it's way better than being sniped.
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
27 Jun 16
It does need to work as it does on other social media sites. On Facebook I blocked my dad and now I can't see him and he can't see me. The only way I know he's still around is that a comment will show up on another family member's post which I know is there, but I can't actually read. It makes for some fun reading at times ... One way conversations are super!
