I don't think so either, but it is a side-effect if blocking were implemented like on twitter, were it not? Harassers would be aware they are blocked and find new ways to harass. Silent blocking (or the post calls it muting) is there better option, in that case, isn't it?

[–] TempermentalAnomaly@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I don't claim expertise on how harassers act or what works for those who have been harassed, but we should be careful to not let the perfect be the enemy of thr good. I think the point is that having options, both muting and blocking, could provide the harassed with some tools. The suggestion isn't to get rid of muting but to add blocking in the way blue sky implements blocking.

With said, if I were a Lemmy developer, knew little about harassment, but still cared, I do the following: reach out to the community and get some input from harassed individuals, talk to communities of those who have been harassed, talk to developers of other platforms and see how they handled the problem, and finally, talk to an expert. When implementing the tool, I'd communicate the tools to users and take feedback.

[–] atro_city@fedia.io 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm not against adding tools. I'm against the notion that lemmy devs, who give up their free time work on lemmy, are somehow lazy and deserve being mocked for not getting around to implementing and maintaining a block function. These aren't people who make 100-200k working the project, have a large team of developers, and loads of time to engage with everybody who has an opinion about lemmy.

Maybe I'm wrong and the lemmy devs had a definitive answer on blocking, I dunno, but looking at other responses, nothing of the sort has been proven. They might have some (OK many) views I do not agree with, but the "oh look, this VC funded startup with a hoard of full-time developers developed a product with more features than 2 guys working on a fun-time project after work! how can the 2 guys be so XYZ!?!?!" is a ridiculous angle to take. No saying you took it, but that's the meme by OP and most of the responses here.

[–] TempermentalAnomaly@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This came out of nowhere for me. The initial question was what's the value of the suggested tool. I answered that because I thought it might be useful for the community. I answered your follow up questions because you are sincere. But your response is more heated this time and I'm not interested in notching up the heat especially in a technical area I know nothing about. But I'll do my best to provide a tempered response to your concerns.

I'm not mocking them or asking them to do more. I enjoy Lemmy and I hope the people calling for this change chose to call them in first. This isn't first time I've seen this request and it deserves a well thought out response. I'm not so tuned into this request to know if they've been silent, but that's what the meme is implying.

If I were to modify my previous comment, I'd note that communication by the devs with the community is first and foremost. They should take care of themselvesand not burn out, but silence on an important issue like this isn't acceptable. Nor is berating or badgering the devs. Block functions are important tool for maintaining healthy communities in social media.

[–] atro_city@fedia.io 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

But your response is more heated this time

My bad. It's not directed at you. I apologize.

The initial question was what's the value of the suggested tool. I answered that because I thought it might be useful for the community

I can agree with that. One more tool in the belt isn't bad.

Have a good one.

[–] TempermentalAnomaly@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Cheers.