back to article Twitter's shock block unlock deemed cockup, gets a lockup

Twitter has quickly backtracked on a tweak it made to the microblogging site's block function after users complained that the change would make the service "less safe". On Thursday, the publicly-listed, profit-shy outfit modified its "block" feature to allow a blocked Twitter user troll to view or tweet individuals who had …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I think if that was teaked slightly and allowed to settle it would have been an improvement.

    The sad individuals that troll any social network do so partly for the reaction. Getting blocked is a "badge of honour" for these pathetic people.

    The new system, If I understand it correctly, would have stopped the blockee from seeing the blocked persons tweets to them. This means the troll is unaware they've been blocked and is free to send their virtiol into a black hole never to be seen.

    The current system means the troll knows he/she has been blocked hence the purposeful trolling that happens where getting blocked is seen as "winning" a debate or an admission of defeat.

    The only downside would have been, to some people, that the blocked person can still read their tweets, but as has been pointed outthats no different to signing up a new, random account and using that to view output from any user who has blocked you. Anyone willing to expend that much effort on it will always find a way to view the tweets they want to see, so they new system would have left them with the impression they were simply being ignored, which doesn't sit well with them. They want attention,

    1. KaneSama

      Surely providing that as a separate option wouldn't be a big issue: muting a user rather than blocking them

    2. WatAWorld

      But it should that only the sender ever sees them.

      I could see letting a blocked person make 'social comments' that disappear into a blackhole for nobody else to ever see.

      But it should that only the sender ever sees them. They should be blocked from everyone else ever seeing them, not just the intended recipient.

      Was that the problem, that everyone could see the troll's post but the intended recipient? That would be a blunder.

      Of course it is necessary to be certain that people know their messages might not get through. For serious messaging people cannot rely on a messaging service that sometimes blocks them without telling them. Imagine blocked apologies and blocked party invitations. But Twitter is not intended for serious messaging.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Block it all

      To stop all that inane twitter chatter and preserve bandwidth for more worthy pursuits.

      In fact, while they are at it block Facebook as well which is in fact many times more annoying.

      While I understand many people will have to seek help for withdrawal, stress and anxiety symptoms and suicidal tendencies, which may cost the NHS a little more, the health benefits will far outweigh it initial hit.

      No longer will the world have to put up with the inane, unimportant, self publicising, boring, the ridiculous and self important crap that is spewed out across the Internet.

      Like banning any addiction, it hurts a little at first but there will be huge benefits to health.

    4. Nym

      One Thing Though

      Any gamer has been trolled and eventually trolls to an extent or quits using the game or medium. Just as "Whatever has been encrypted can be decrypted" which was at least the motto of a couple of intelligence services' crypto divisions. *No, I won't specify.

  2. Rande Knight

    Granular

    How about making all the potential solutions be options?

    Then individuals could decide how to deal with unwanted readers/posters?

    A. Blocked users cannot read my tweets.

    B. Blocked users cannot send me tweets.

    C. Blocked users cannot follow me

    D. Blocked users cannot mention me. (not sure about this one - potentially open to retaliation).

    D. Only my followers can send me tweets.

    E. Only my followers can read my tweets.

    F. I must actively accept new followers.

    1. Seanie Ryan

      Re: Granular

      a much simpler solution:

      1. if you want the world + dog to see your ramblings, work away, use Social networks.

      2. If someone is annoying you, simply don't engage them, ignore their tweets/posts.

      3. if you want privacy and don't want people sending you rubbish, then just send SMS messages to your friends and stay off Social networks.

      1. Gav

        Re: Granular

        Ignore them. They are trolls. Ignoring them is always the solution.

        What Twitter was trying to do was do the ignoring for you. Because some just can't help but rise to a troll's bait.

    2. WatAWorld

      Re: Granular

      "Blocked users cannot mention me."

      Yes that is a problem since so many people have the same names. Even people with unusual names, if they check google will find someone else with the same name.

      Plus how do you block intentional misspellings?

      I think these are existing options:

      D. Only my followers can send me tweets.

      E. Only my followers can read my tweets.

      F. I must actively accept new followers.

      Your other ideas are good ideas.

  3. i like crisps
    Thumb Up

    Who's writing these headlines...

    ...Chuck D?

  4. jubtastic1

    They should have left the blocking feature as is

    And introduced the new feature as 'Ignore' because thats what it does.

    Neither feature is perfect given the underlying public nature of tweets but they both have value.

  5. All names Taken
    Happy

    Dear el Reg

    Is there any chance that a year end review might include a bit on headlines especially those of the calibre above?

    1. Craigness

      Hapless headline hacks help who?

      They must be very proud of their tongue-twisting, meaningless headlines. As I skim through my RSS feeds I can process English headlines very quickly, but Register ones often make me stumble and I usually ignore the article, sometimes I just switch to another feed. Good way to lose ad revenue, guys!

      I! Never! Read! The! Yahoo! Stories! or the Lindsay Lohan ones (WTF?)

      Grow up.

      1. Dan 55 Silver badge

        Re: Hapless headline hacks help who?

        CNET is next door if you find El Reg's too much for you.

      2. Swarthy

        Re: Hapless headline hacks help who?

        If you are skipping the LOHAN headlines.. that you are seriously missing out. That is some of the best writing, and most interesting content in all of El Reg (and possibly the Internet).

  6. mhoulden
    FAIL

    Twitter didn't like people blocking those promoted tweets then? I know there's a mindset of "you are the product if you don't pay", but there's a limit to how much you can irritate people with new methods of advertising before they get fed up and go elsewhere.

  7. Craigness

    Safe?

    "Troll" and "Safe" are the wrong words to use. "User with a different opinion" and "free from cognitive bias" are more appropriate. There is no such thing as Unsafe when someone is confronted with 140 characters.

    1. WatAWorld

      Re: Safe?

      Sad to say that 9 out of 10 times I see someone called a troll the 'troll' is a reasonable person with a different opinion from their assailant.

      Calling someone a troll these days is mostly used by extremists engaging in ad hominem attacks because the have no reasoned logic to counter an opinion they dislike. (I say 'extremists'. I consider those who blindly reject contrary viewpoints on a topic as extremists in that topic.)

      That does leave the other 1 in 10 who are genuine trolls, or more commonly, people engaging in harassment.

      Twitter should allow original posters and account holder to block those who harass them from posting in topics they create. Letting them think their posts are going through (but nobody else seeing them) is probably okay, so long as people are very aware that their post might be blocked with out them knowing it.

  8. Stevie

    Bah!

    Yes I'm bloody confused. I had to read your stupid article three times before I fully understood what the issue was - not that formerly blocked tweets would now go to the intended recipient but that they would be silently blocked instead. Why the flux couldn't you just say that?

    Hey Twitfacers! Why not have the choice to silently block people OR let 'em know about it? It would be the functional equivalent of CC/BCC after all (with the sense reversed).

    What a foxing non-issue.

    I say that blocked tweets should bounce. That way the offender gets their own back. Ahahahahaha.

  9. Graham Marsden
    Happy

    "Confused yet?"

    Yet??

    I was so confused by the headline that I clicked on this item just to find out what the hell was actually going on...!

  10. tentimes

    The Title

    Kelly, best I've seen in ages and they are pretty good normally ;) hehehe

  11. Old Handle

    Why don't they just make it an option? A little checkbox is all it would take. Something like "Let blocked users know their direct message was not received." Alternatively they could have separate "block" and "ignore" lists, but that seems over complicated.

  12. tony
    Happy

    A better change would be to change the caption on the block button to "Win the Argument!".

    Going from discussions which break down into one or more parties talking about using the "Win the Argument" button.

  13. Sheep!

    Easy to avoid abuse on Twitter.

    I prevented abuse by simply not using Twitter. 100% effective and I don't feel my IQ dribbling out of my ears by the torrent of bullshit that minor celebrities and gobshite politicians pour out on a seemingly hourly basis or more.

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