Ever get the vague, paranoid idea that you’re on certain folks’ ignore list? I don’t have any specific examples, but every once in a while, I’ll post a thoughtful, reasoned (for me) response to a thread, and it will be roundly ignored by the OP. Then, later, someone else will post essentially the same info or opinion that I did, to which the OP responds with a greater or lesser degree of enthusiasm.
Now, I’ve been in some flame wars and throwdowns in the Pit. I know some people here think I’m a complete asshole, and have likely put me on their ignore list. I understand that. It’s just kind of a funny feeling, y’know? I don’t think I’ve ever been angry enough about SDMB antics to formally ignore a poster.
I doubt I’ve made enough of an impression on anyone to get onto their ignore list. I’m not exactly a prolific poster, or one with great thoughts worth sharing.
I think it’s just that A. Some people, even OPs, are prone to skimming threads and missing posts and B. sometimes people really resonate with a certain way of phrasing something. If you used slightly different words (or too many of them, as I’m prone to), it might not have clicked with that reader, while someone else’s word choice or writing style made the reader go, “oh, yeah!”
When it happens to me, I chose to think my writing is just so brilliant it blinded the reader and left her speechless momentarily.
Sure, anyone could end up on an ignore list. You never know when some uptight fussbudget will get offended at something you said, even if a rational person wouldn’t be offended by it.
However, I think most of the time when someone ignores your post it’s just that a lot of people don’t read every post in a thread carefully and therefore sometimes skip over your words of wisdom.
No, I think that any problem anybody might have with me is publicly hashable and I try to generally not persist in wrongness or be antagonistic. I think one would have to actively work at it to get on an ignore list.
I have that happen all the time. I think the truth is some people just don’t read every post or maybe they notice one poster more than another. For example, if someone asked a Tolkien question and I got lucky and posted the correct answer , then hours later Qadgop came along and posted the same answer, he would be the one noticed because he’s Freaking Qadgop the Freaking Mercotan!
And sometimes I feel that way, too.
*[sub]For the record, I do love Freaking Qadgop the Freaking Mercotan! but I am a wee bit jealous sometimes.[/sub]
I recently posted a link in a thread, that I subsequently discovered three people had already posted, and yet my post was the one the OP commented on. I actually felt kind of guilty over it, but it fits within your speculation, I think.
I’m 99% sure I’m on one person’s ignore list. It’s annoying because I feel like if I reply to his messages, it will look like I’m following him around. But at the same time, I’d rather be able to fight ignorance where it needs fighting.
I’ve never understood the whole thing. Ages ago I tried out the function on some random sap for a moment just to see what it looked like. IIRC, you still see there’s a post there, you just can’t read it. Heck, talk about peril sensitive sunglasses. I’m just not the type of person who is going to be happier knowing that some doofus said some thing inane or irritating but I don’t know what, as opposed to knowing of the inane or irritating thing said doofus posted. Curiosity would kill me.
Not only that but half the time other posters who are not on your ignore list are going to be responding to a post you can’t see, so you are going to be left out of the conversation. And they are going to quote, so half the time you are going to see the text that the ignored poster typed anyway.
I just don’t understand what good the whole “ignore” thing does.
