Originally shared by Mike Elgan

Originally shared by Mike Elgan

Why 'Blocking' is the key to Google+ awesomeness

In the first month of Google+, it was all peace, love and understanding.

Now, Google+ has come to resemble the real world, filled mostly with really nice, well-meaning people, but also peppered by the occasional idiot.

Thankfully, Google rolled out last week a welcome Ignore feature, so if you want to stop seeing someone's posts without actually Blocking them, you can do so.

But Block does something Ignore does not do: It prevents people from being able to comment on your posts. This is the best thing about Block, because it enables you to weed out people who ruin good conversations.

Block also does other neat tricks: http://www.google.com/support/+/bin/static.py?page=guide.cs&guide=1257347&answer=1047934

Most bloggers I know started out not moderating comments. They believed that the community could be self-policing, and that the occasional heckler, spammer or troll would be an acceptable price to pay for instant posting.

But most bloggers I know eventually changed their tune, after the idiots started wrecking their blogs' conversations. Nearly all major blogs are closely moderated now.

I think that over time, the more people will come to a comparable decision on Google+

I've decided that I'm going to start blocking a lot more often. Mind you, I love critics. In fact, getting set straight on G+ is one of the best reasons to be here. But I'm tired of two classes of commenters:

1. The Disrespecters -- people who damage your reputation in order to win an argument. "Of course you're saying that -- you're obviously being paid by ."

2. The Debbie Downers -- I post a lot of humorous items, and I've noticed lately that one or two percent of the comments are incredibly hostile. They take the fun out of the post.

I'm done with these two classes of commenters. I've decided to block anyone who engages in either of these approaches. (One guy this weekend managed both types in a single comment! Boom! Blocked!)

I also encourage everyone to think about what types of people are spoiling their own comment conversations, and block them as well.

Google+ is a cocktail party. If you want a great party, they you invite or circle people who are awesome to have at a party -- and make sure the people who spoil parties aren't allowed to come.

There is no Google+. There is only YOUR Google+ -- the people you circle and the people who engage in conversations with you. G+ gives us a lot of control, and we should use it.