# Is it possible to block a mod? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 18, 2024, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836 "2024-12-18T23:34:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/1 "2024-12-18T23:34:51Z")
I would like to block a moderator for their posts as a regular poster and unrelated to their job as a moderator. If you open up a regular user’s profile, in the top right, you get the ability to set them to normal / muted / ignored. But on a moderator’s profile, there is no such option, it’s just gone. I can see why Discord may have been set up this way – you would not want people to be able to block a moderator’s instructions. But since there’s a special way they post as a moderator rather than a poster, I would hope there’d be some way to block their posts as a poster but not be able to block their posts as a moderator. But that may be a limitation of discord rather than any settings the SDMB uses. In any case, I was wondering if there might be some non-obvious way I could go about keeping myself from seeing a particular moderator’s non-moderation related posts. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2024, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/2 "2024-12-18T23:38:44Z")
This board’s software is called DISCOURSE. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/3 "2024-12-19T00:02:42Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > But since there’s a special way they post as a moderator rather than a poster, Not really. If you mean posts with the yellow background, we make those posts just like any other post. Then, we also have a button we can push to make a post have the yellow background, which we (typically) use after making a post as a moderator. But the original posting itself is the same, and we can even use that button on other folks’ posts. If you’re watching a thread while we post, you might even see our posts appear and then change color. I suppose it’d be technically possible for Discourse to add a feature where yellow-backgrounded posts would show up even from an ignored poster, but so far as I know, they haven’t. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/4 "2024-12-19T00:07:57Z")
Does this mean if I “ignore” a moderator (via the tools the site gives us) I would miss all their moderation? Does that mean I can’t be held accountable if I do something the moderator told me not to because I ignored them? FTR: I am not trying to find a way around mod instructions and I don’t think I have ignored anyone here ever. Just asking for a friend. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/5 "2024-12-19T00:11:55Z")
It is, of course, not possible to ignore a mod. However, it may be relevant to note that, per the SDMB rules, you **can** Pit a mod, provided you’re pitting them for stuff they’ve said as a regular poster, and not for actions they’ve taken as a moderator. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/6 "2024-12-19T00:39:29Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If you mean posts with the yellow background, we make those posts just like any other post. Then, we also have a button we can push to make a post have the yellow background, which we (typically) use after making a post as a moderator. My thought when reading this post was “the yellow what now?” So I checked into this. I went to my preferences and changed my background to Straight Dope Light. And I discovered that moderator notes have a yellow background while regular posts have a white background. The reason I never knew this is because I normally use the Vincent background - in which all posts have the same dark gray background. So there’s no immediate visual distinction between regular posts and moderator notes. Just passing this on so you guys will be aware that for some of us, moderator notes don’t visually stand out in a thread. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/7 "2024-12-19T00:41:03Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The reason I never knew this is because I normally use the Vincent background - in which all posts have the same dark gray background. So there’s no immediate visual distinction between regular posts and moderator notes. There is, but it’s more subtle. There’s a yellow (American cheese colored) _stripe_ on the left side of the official moderator post. I use Vincent, and I see it very readily. ETA: Adding moderator stripe in Vincent to this post for demonstration purposes only. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/8 "2024-12-19T01:00:38Z")
Why would you want to?? I once started a thread that was bizarre, even for me. Deciding that I was not trolling for attention but desperately crying out for help, a Mod (I forget who) closed the thread and told me not repeat my error. They also sent a very compassionate private message in which they fervently hoped my condition would improve and said, not as an insult but as genuine advice from somebody who cared, that I should seek professional help. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/9 "2024-12-19T02:20:45Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Why would you want to?? @Miller’s responses to **Beef** in [this thread?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-should-run-for-president-again-in-2028/1011774) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/10 "2024-12-19T03:09:10Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@SenorBeef](#): > > > > But since there’s a special way they post as a moderator rather than a poster, > > Not really. If you mean posts with the yellow background, we make those posts just like any other post. Yeah, there’s really no difference to the software between mods posting as mods and mods posting anything else. The “moderation highlight” is just something done after the fact. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/11 "2024-12-19T03:12:43Z")
It’s also just a convention that we use it for highlighting posts we make as moderators. All it is in the software is something that only mods can do. Quite possibly, there’s some board out there somewhere where the convention is that moderators will use it to highlight what they deem to be the best answer in the thread, or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/12 "2024-12-19T09:32:28Z")
If you use [uBlock](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm) (or something like it), you can make a custom filter to block moderators when they’re not acting as mods. Change out `THEIR_USERNAME` with their name, and keep everything else intact. To block their posts (not new topics, but comments in existing ones): ```css ! Block SDMB posts by their user ID. Excludes mod notices. boards.straightdope.com##div.topic-post:not(.moderator):has(a.trigger-user-card[data-user-card="THEIR_USERNAME"]) ``` An optional second rule can also block _quotes_ of their posts in subsequent comments, but I don’t recommend this. It makes other posters’ replies confusing, because you have no idea what they’re replying to anymore. ```css ! Also block quotes of those posts in subsequent comments. boards.straightdope.com##aside.quote[data-username="THEIR_USERNAME"] > blockquote > * ``` This does NOT block any posts flagged as an official moderator note. * * * And you can use this last optional rule to block ALL topics (new threads) started by them. But this is also not recommended, since this will accidentally hide their moderator announcement topics too… I don’t _think_ Discourse differentiates mod vs non threads at the **topic** level, only the **post** level. ```css ! DANGEROUS: Also block ALL topics started by this user, regardless of mod status. boards.straightdope.com##tr.topic-list-item:has(td.posters>a:first-child[data-user-card="THEIR_USERNAME"]) ``` ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/13 "2024-12-19T09:53:33Z")
Slight modification of the last filter. This revision still blocks topics by them, but excludes topics in About This Message Board: ```css ! DANGEROUS: Also block ALL topics started by this user, regardless of mod status, except in About This Message Board. boards.straightdope.com##tr.topic-list-item:not(.category-about-this-message-board):has(td.posters>a:first-child[data-user-card="THEIR_USERNAME"]) ``` ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/14 "2024-12-19T16:07:01Z")
I’ve found I don’t have to block posters, because I can “skim and read selectively” if I’m in a low signal-to-noise thread. I’ll see a problem poster and skim over what they’ve written, only dipping in if they contribute something. If it’s their usual stupid/racist/chicken little/self-aggrandizing schtick, I can come out unscathed. That also works if I don’t recognize someone, but it’s a discussion where someone’s beating one drum over and over; or two posters have taken it off the rails (“Nuh-uhh!” “No, YOU!”). . Actually, in that Kamala’24 thread, it was **songsoflovetrouble** that I stopped reading, after they started tossing around unsubstantiated “facts”, like Harris was hooked on “benzos”: > [@Kamala should run for president again in 2028](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kamala-should-run-for-president-again-in-2028/1011774/83): > > If you can’t recognize the signs of someone who’s constantly popping Xanax from how she moves and talks, fine, it seems pretty obvious to me. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/15 "2024-12-19T16:51:55Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > If you use [uBlock](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm) (or something like it), you can make a custom filter to block moderators when they’re not acting as mods. I think this is a really bad idea. Sometimes someone will ask for clarification or there may be other situations where a mod doesn’t clearly indicate that the post is them speaking as a moderator. If someone misses moderator instructions and ends up running afoul of them, we’re not going to have much sympathy if you installed some sort of mod filter. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/16 "2024-12-19T17:46:45Z")
^ Good point. That very post is an example of a reply that would’ve been hidden, because it wasn’t “officially” marked as a moderator note. Please feel free to edit my reply and strip out that filter (or at least spoiler it with a note) if you’d like. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/17 "2024-12-19T19:20:57Z")
Those scripts for things like uBlock are prone to causing lots of issues for those inexperience with them when either uBlock changes something or more likely when the website (Discourse in this case) changes something. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-block-a-mod/1011836/18 "2024-12-19T19:41:00Z")
In a general sense, yes. But it’s also easy enough to turn off uBlock when it breaks, like it sometimes does even without any custom filters. Those specific ones I provided are pretty targeted (i.e. with a high degree of CSS specificity) and pretty unlikely to affect anything else. If anything, they might just stop working and show the posts again, but are unlikely to break stuff on a technical level. engineer\_comp\_geek’s point still stands though.