I know blocking users is rejected, but this could be a potential solution. Please read the entire post before responding, I'm curious to see what people think of this.

Sometimes, a Scratcher might want to block another Scratcher so that they won't see any comments or projects from them. Such an account might be a spam account that sends chain messages, or a Scratcher that chooses to insult people for no real reason.

Blocking users is a way that Scratchers think could immediately solve the problem — no one will get offended if they can't see the comment. Rather than the report system, which could take some time, the block system would take effect immediately for a quicker result.

Of course, we all know that blocking users is a rejected suggestion for the following reason:

Rejected Suggestions wrote:

7.6 Blocking users
This feature existed in Scratch 1.4, but the Scratch Team found out that it buried the problem rather than solve it. Even if you block a user, that does not stop the user from harassing other Scratchers. If you are having a problem with a user, be sure to report that user with the Report button, or use Contact Us if the situation requires more explanation.

I understand why this was rejected. If you block a user, that doesn't stop them from harassing other users. The Scratch Team is usually pretty good with reports anyway, so if you report multiple disrespectful comments, the Scratch Team will surely look at it.

To enable blocking, I have thought of the following solution: Implement a “Block & Report” system.

Whenever you try to report or delete a comment, a pop-up appears that says “Are you sure you want to report/delete this comment?” It then gives you the option to cancel, report, or delete. I think it could also give an option to “block and report”. This would allow users to block another user, while simultaneously sending a report to the Scratch Team about the comment.

Reasons Why This is a Good Idea

1. It would allow users to block a user so that they no longer receive messages about a certain user's comments, and also will not let them see what the comments are. This way, no one will be offended or scared of another Scratcher, if deemed to be a “scary” Scratcher.
   
   
2. It would not really bury the problem, because it would also send a report to the Scratch Team. This way the Scratch Team will be notified of any disrespectful comments. The system would act similarly to the report system in that, if too many “block-reports” are sent without a good reason, the user who sent the block-report might get an alert.
   
   
3. This would not replace the current report system, or “Contact Us”. That is, Scratchers could still use “Contact Us” to explain further the situation, and they can still report comments without blocking the user. The block-report system would simply be an alternative option to reports, to allow for additional safety/security measures.
   

Reasons Why This Might NOT be a Good Idea

1. If this doesn't replace the report system, then why would the report system need to stay at all? That is, if a user wants to report another user, wouldn't they also want to block them instead for further security? Perhaps the report button would not be used as much as the block-report system.
   
   
2. It could easily be abused. Of course, so could the current report system, so that might not be a huge problem. Some users, however, might not realize that they are reporting the user when they block them — they just see the word “block” and think, “okay!” This could lead to false reports, and users might get alerted from a misunderstanding.
   
   
3. There might be other reasons why a user would want to block another user, without reporting them. Of course, the only way to block a user under this system would be to simultaneously send a report, so there would be no way to block a user without reporting them.
   

I feel like this is too easy of a solution, though — something tells me that there is more of a reason that this suggestion was rejected in the first place. Does anyone have any ideas? If the only problem was that it “buried the problem”, then I think sending a report would solve that problem, while still allowing users to block other users. Perhaps there was something else that led to the removal of the blocking system.

Anyone think this might be an idea worth implementing?

Za-Chary wrote:

2. It could easily be abused. Of course, so could the current report system, so that might not be a huge problem. Some users, however, might not realize that they are reporting the user when they block them — they just see the word “block” and think, “okay!” This could lead to false reports, and users might get alerted from a misunderstanding.

Maybe a popup saying something along the lines of this:

popup wrote:

Are you sure you want to BLOCK and REPORT this user?

So it's more noticeable.
But then again, some scratchers may just block their friends as a prank, but then they also get reported.

Also, would the scratcher who got blocked be notified that they were blocked? I think they shouldn't, mainly because that scratcher could make an alt account and harras the scratcher who blocked them.

Za-Chary wrote:

There might be other reasons why a user would want to block another user, without reporting them. (Can anyone think of a reason? I can't think of any, but I know there's got to be some reason.)

One reason might be if, say, this user is being really mean to you in the real world. However, they haven't done anything wrong on Scratch. You might not be comfortable with seeing their comments, but you can't report and block them unless they're being rude on Scratch.

I think that this would be a very good feature for situations unlike the one listed above. It could definitely help if there was a troll running around spamming you or being mean to you. Not only would you not have to view hurtful comments, but the ST would also be able to view and handle the situation. It wouldn't get buried only to resurface later, and it might save people some pain.

venyanwarrior wrote:

Also, would the scratcher who got blocked be notified that they were blocked? I think they shouldn't, mainly because that scratcher could make an alt account and harras the scratcher who blocked them.

Yes, that would be correct. I don't remember how it worked in 1.4, but I can't imagine that the blocked user should be notified, for safety reasons.

DreamMist wrote:

One reason might be if, say, this user is being really mean to you in the real world. However, they haven't done anything wrong on Scratch. You might not be comfortable with seeing their comments, but you can't report and block them unless they're being rude on Scratch.

I think that this would be a very good feature for situations unlike the one listed above. It could definitely help if there was a troll running around spamming you or being mean to you. Not only would you not have to view hurtful comments, but the ST would also be able to view and handle the situation. It wouldn't get buried only to resurface later, and it might save people some pain.

Thank you for the feedback. It's a little tricky for that specific scenario, as the Scratch Team can't really do anything about stuff done in the real world. It should be made very clear that blocking someone also reports them.

What if you can UNBLOCK a user? That way, if users ACCIDENTALLY block a user, then they can unblock them so this detail:

Za-Chary wrote:

2. It could easily be abused. Of course, so could the current report system, so that might not be a huge problem. Some users, however, might not realize that they are reporting the user when they block them — they just see the word “block” and think, “okay!” This could lead to false reports, and users might get alerted from a misunderstanding.

Would decrease the chance of “prank blocks” happening. If Scratchers block and unblock a user too many times, then Scratchers should be able to ONLY block and unblock Scratchers twice a day.

A scenario that might happen to a user, and that user might have wrote:

There's 10 users saying mean comments me, but I can't block all of the users! Help!

If the quote above ever happens, then that user can just report all of the users to the Scratch Team and then they will figure things out.

Semi-Support.

This is a good idea, but here's the thing. If someone says something to you that is mean, offensive, etc… And you report the comment, chances are, they might get banned. Or if they don't, they probably will if they keep doing whatever you didn't like, and you keep reporting the comments.

This could easily be abused, especially if the comment you are reporting has nothing wrong with it. So you, Za-Chary, could say “Hi” on my profile. I now could simply “Block and Report” this comment , and boom! You now are blocked from me!I

Here's what I suggest:
Either when you do this it is up to the Scratch Team if the person should be blocked. If so, they can carry out the block. The upside to this would be that if someone receives a temporary ban, they'll still be blocked from you when they come back.
OR
You could “Request Block”. With this, you can request a block on someone, and you will explain why they should be blocked. The Scratch Team will now review this, and see how necessary this would be. It could be something that remains inside of Scratch, and wouldn't need the e-mail shenanigans like how the “Report User” system works.

For example:

Please block User2!
Hi. User2 has been spamming on my profile lately, and it quite annoying. I don't think a ban is necessary, but I think a block is!

You then receive one of these notifications:

Re: Please block User2!
Hi User1! We're sorry to hear that User2 has been spamming on your profile. We have put a Block in place.

OR

Re: Please block User2!
Hi User1! We don't see any evidence of spam on your profile. Did you delete the spam? If it happens again, please do not delete them, and request the block again. Thanks!

think i suggested this before but it didn't get much support so-

Anyway, I guess I support because I have a situation like what DreamMist said - someone I know has been saying offensive stuff in the real world, but has generally been behaving himself here and he comments on my profile sometimes. (he hasn't done it in a while though - guess he's slipped up his act and been banned or something?)
Maybe the Scratch Team should automatically unblock the user if they see the user did nothing wrong, though.

The list of rejected suggestions used to be good…
Not really.

But I support, because the report system is strange. Reporting a comment, you can't give a reason. And what is someone is following you, in a bad way?

But what I would like is not that you can't see what they put, instead they can't see what YOU put.

LegoManiac04 wrote:

Here's what I suggest:
Either when you do this it is up to the Scratch Team if the person should be blocked. If so, they can carry out the block. The upside to this would be that if someone receives a temporary ban, they'll still be blocked from you when they come back.
OR
You could “Request Block”. With this, you can request a block on someone, and you will explain why they should be blocked. The Scratch Team will now review this, and see how necessary this would be. It could be something that remains inside of Scratch, and wouldn't need the e-mail shenanigans like how the “Report User” system works.

The problem with this is that it takes the main benefit out of being able to block users: it's immediate. Blocking a user would instantly work at the touch of a button. With this system, it might take some time to block a user, and just really seems the same as the report system, too. Plus, it would create more work for the Scratch Team to sift through not only every single report, but also every single block-report.

If either of these two systems were implemented, I don't think that would be a good idea. The report system would probably prevail instead, rendering my suggestion useless.

LegoManiac04 wrote:

This could easily be abused, especially if the comment you are reporting has nothing wrong with it. So you, Za-Chary, could say “Hi” on my profile. I now could simply “Block and Report” this comment , and boom! You now are blocked from me!I

I see what you mean with this — but you could also do the same with reporting. If I say “Hi” on your profile, you can report that, and with any report, the Scratch Team will be notified of it. Of course, they would ignore it as a report, because “Hi” is not disrespectful. Similarly, with the block-report system, the Scratch Team would ignore this report that comes along with it.

I don't think a “false block” exists. If you block me, the only downside that I have is that you might not see my comments. And perhaps you don't want to, whether it be that I was disrespectful to you in the past, or maybe you just don't like me or something (just a hypothetical scenario). If you accidentally blocked me, as @LuckyLucky7 describes, perhaps you would be able to unblock me if you wish.

And of course, it still doesn't bury the problem because a report is sent out anyway.

You have some really good ideas though, keep the good thoughts coming.

List0RejectSuggest wrote:

The list of rejected suggestions used to be good…
Not really.

But I support, because the report system is strange. Reporting a comment, you can't give a reason. And what is someone is following you, in a bad way?

But what I would like is not that you can't see what they put, instead they can't see what YOU put.

Perhaps they could make it so that you have to give a reason, but that isn't really what I was thinking with the block-report system. You can always use “Contact Us” to explain a certain situation to the Scratch Team.

No support for that last sentence. Blocking exists only so you don't have to see the offender's comments. If they can't see your comments, then that does two very bad things:

1. There is a bigger chance that you (who did a block-report) could post inappropriate content without getting reported. At least with the offender, a report is sent out anyway. But the block-report system wouldn't make you report yourself, that's just a bit strange.
   
   
2. If this were the case, then the user who was blocked can clearly see that you blocked them. Then they could create an alternate account and harass you from that, and nothing would get solved. It would be best if such blocks were anonymous.
   

venyanwarrior wrote:

Also, would the scratcher who got blocked be notified that they were blocked? I think they shouldn't, mainly because that scratcher could make an alt account and harras the scratcher who blocked them.

maybe you should block all the accounts using the same IP?

CKCG wrote:

venyanwarrior wrote:

Also, would the scratcher who got blocked be notified that they were blocked? I think they shouldn't, mainly because that scratcher could make an alt account and harras the scratcher who blocked them.

maybe you should block all the accounts using the same IP?

I think if the user that was blocked was not notified that they were blocked, this wouldn't need to be a problem. It would just look as though the mean Scratcher keeps commenting on a profile, with no responses.

Support
I see why this is useful in protecting and ensuring the safety of users. You're reporting a comment, but with the blocking, you're also keeping yourself safe from more harrassment.

Za-Chary wrote:

There might be other reasons why a user would want to block another user, without reporting them. (Can anyone think of a reason? I can't think of any, but I know there's got to be some reason.)

Maybe if a user rejected them from something like a studio, or getting curated, or even not allowing them to join their map. That's just my thoughts though, because I've been rejected and I've felt bad and wanted to block the user.

BUMP

It's been a while, I'm curious to see if people are still interested.

I'm very interested, I support! There's a certain person I'd like to block, preferably not just comments but her entire profile(due to personal matters).

Sorry, only partial support. I think just reporting the user is perhaps the best solution already. Great idea though!

PokeNova wrote:

I'm very interested, I support! There's a certain person I'd like to block, preferably not just comments but her entire profile(due to personal matters).

Thanks! I hope things go well for you.

coldeaux wrote:

Sorry, no support. Despite being strongly against cyberbullying and all forms of online harrasment, I feel like this could get messy very quickly. It sounds like a good idea on paper though, but like you said, it could be easily abused.

I appreciate your criticism, but I think the block-report system could just be abused in the same way that the report system can be abused. Even right now, you can choose to report any comment you see. Of course, the Scratch Team will probably come after you as a result, but this would occur with both reports and block-reports.

Za-Chary wrote:

I appreciate your criticism, but I think the block-report system could just be abused in the same way that the report system can be abused. Even right now, you can choose to report any comment you see. Of course, the Scratch Team will probably come after you as a result, but this would occur with both reports and block-reports.

Sorry! I updated my reply after I read your suggestion a little more in depth, I had just skimmed through before.

The problem with this is that even if you can't see the blocked comments, other people can. If you can't see the comments, you can't delete or report them. Any criticism or whatever is left for everyone but you to see. Completely blocking a user from commenting on anything of yours would lead to problems too as that would make it easy to find out if you were blocked with an alternate account.

imfh wrote:

The problem with this is that even if you can't see the blocked comments, other people can. If you can't see the comments, you can't delete or report them. Any criticism or whatever is left for everyone but you to see. Completely blocking a user from commenting on anything of yours would lead to problems too as that would make it easy to find out if you were blocked with an alternate account.

Are you referring to how you won't be able to report comments made after blocking the user?

That's a really good point. I'm not sure what the block-report system could do to counteract that.