Kind of wondering: why do some folks block others?

blocking is a device the incompetent use to avoid having to face arguments they cannot win

I feel that some people's answers can be so aggregious and irrelevant that it can distract from the question. The "This sucks, you suck, everything sucks" kind of mentality does taint the open to opinion conversation if that is always there, and supplied by the same person.

I also think that although people are entitled to say whatever they want about a topic, once a person starts harassing the questioner, they are no longer a question answerer, so they aren't welcome.

Some people are evil and malicious and abuse this awesome construct we can use to freely exchange ideas. Block

Finally, anonymous serves 2 purposes, one is seeking actual advice but preferring to remain anonymous because of the stigma associated with the topic. I'm sure you can see that an anonymous asker who gets 50% hateful replies from a total of 600 answers dId not make 300 enemies who know their identity. The other reason is because people know it's a dumb question, and don't want to be identified from that end

All the questions I've ever asked here have been legitimate attempts to gain information. When I was new here, I asked a question and one responded with a litany of vitriol, ending with a statement about my abounding stupidity. He didn't even address the question. I blocked him. My skin has grown thicker since then, and he's the only person I've ever blocked, but I have not bothered to unblock him. I don't intend to bock again.

I never block people because of disagreement; but I usually block people who hurl personal insults and/or threats. I also block people who blocked me first.

I agree about the anonymous postings being problematic as they seem to encourage trolling and extremism.

I block people who are deliberately hateful and insulting; also those who use foul language. I'm not sure how such filthy language gets through, but it does. As for asking or answering Anonymous, I wondered about that myself. But then I found out that some people follow others; harass them; follow their questions; even move their questions around. You cannot do that if the person answering or asking is Anonymous.

But I suppose some people ask and answer Anonymous because they are trying to hide.

Hannah J Paul

Per the help pages:

Block someone on Yahoo Answers

Keep your Yahoo Answers experience fun and informative. If you're having trouble with another community member, block them.

Three ways to add someone to your Blocked List

They'll lose access to your Network, your Q&A via your public profile page, and no longer see an option to contact you via Yahoo Messenger or Yahoo Mail.

Tap the profile picture of the person you've chosen to block to go to their Yahoo Answers profile.

From the person's profile banner page, find and click Block.

-If you're currently following the person you'd like to block, you'll first need to unfollow them.

You also can block community members after receiving a Yahoo Answers message from them. To do this, follow the link in the email which points back to their profile page, and then click Block.

I blocked one person, JO. He sent me a most hateful and offensive email when I responded to one of his questions in a quite inoffensive and generic way. I don't need that kind of hate in my life. It was quite sick.

It's a form of implementing control.Power.An indirect way of gaining attention.A lot of the chatty sections,being nearly all of them now,involve compulsive blockers.

Show me a person who has never blocked anyone & I will show you a person who has never been the target of

stalkers or abusers.While I admit there are some thin skinned users who block anyone who doesn't agree with

them,there are many more who have good reason to block those making their life a misery.Don't knock it unless

you have good reason.

people block so they don't get harassed and stalked

it is only usually people who harass others and stalk that complain about it

you need to take time out if you get worked up by someone blocking you

I block people who are both hateful and ignorant, because reading their answers is both unpleasant and unenlightening. I've had Fireball blocked for years now (as an example).