truth and honor > wrote:

> John Doe wrote:

>> There is little that can be done about stalking and trolling on
>> UseNet, but you can promote civilized discussion on website forums,
>> by promoting mutual blocking.
>
> How do you advise we promote that?

Participate in some YouTube discussions (under videos) to see how it
works. I will put the method for mutual blocking on YouTube at the
bottom of this post.

Then, participate in other website forums. If the website has a website
comments forum, post about mutual blocking. Mention the fact that
YouTube is using it.

>> I've been on UseNet for over 20 years. Unfortunately, there's no way
>> to stop stalkers and trolls here. The only way would take massive
>> cooperation from ISPs that's very unlikely to happen. UseNet is the
>> only place misfits can thrive.
>
> Agreed.
>
>> Believe it or not, Google's YouTube is a shining example of how
>> Internet discussion should be. Many moons ago, YouTube implemented
>> MUTUAL BLOCKING. YOU CAN'T SEE THEIR POSTS, THEY CAN'T SEE YOUR
>> POSTS. No more stalking or trolling on YouTube. Trying to get around
>> mutual blocking is too much trouble. As a techie who loves to discuss
>> controversial issues, I've been enjoying mutual blocking on YouTube
>> for many months now. If there were any technical flaws, I would see
>> them. So far, the implementation is great. You associate with people
>> you want to associate with. And it's fun. YouTube isn't the best
>> format for discussion, but we are having a great time anyway.
>
> Please list an example or post a link to one of these discussions.
>
> If they're as good as you say, off we all go!

There are discussions under 98% of videos on YouTube. Search for any
controversial subject and jump in. UseNet's threading has always been
the best for discussion, but mutual blocking could be applied to any
discussion format (it's just very unlikely on UseNet given all the
different ISP participants).

They don't have specific forums on YouTube, except for channels. I'm
sure there are dozens of cooking channels. The only problem is posting
on a new topic. But if you find a video close to that subject, you can
probably attract some attention to your topic. Just post a comment and
find out. You will be notified on your YouTube channel whenever there
are replies.

It needs to be promoted to other website forums before Google changes
YouTube's mind!

I'm not a fan of Google (they destroyed UseNet's search engine and the
archive), but the fact they have implemented mutual blocking on YouTube,
whatever specific employee(s) it came from, could do great things for
discussion on the Internet.

I've had one website administrator accept the idea and another reject
the idea (for some illogical reason). If they reject it, they suck
anyway IMO. Users should be allowed to decide for themselves who they
associate with. Mutual blocking practically removes the need for
administrators to play daddy.

Imagine what administration would be like on a website that implements
mutual blocking. All the administrator has to do is have pity on
somebody that's been blocked by many people... "There are many
participants in our forums. The reason you can't see that is because
they don't like you."



This is how YouTube implements mutual blocking, currently there are two
ways to do it...

1. From the user's Google+ page >> click on the upside down ^ >>
Report/block <username> >> you will see the text below

2. On your YouTube channel page, you should see a bell icon in the upper
right corner. Whenever there are replies to your posts, a number will
show overlaid on that bell icon >> click it and you will see the
drop-down "Google notifications" dialogue >> find a post (user) you want
to block and click on the right-hand side flag "Report spam or abuse" >>
select Block <username> >> confirm

This is the text you see when blocking somebody on YouTube...

"What happens if you block <username>. You will not be able to see or
interact with their content. They will not be able to see or interact
with your content."

And that includes posts in the video comments section on YouTube.
Goodbye trolls!