Block Specific Users From Offering on Trade Links

[Fuzzbucket]

As for straight out blocking, I'm still not for it although, as pinkgothic mentioned, there are some users that I'd prefer not to have any dealings with.

 

When it comes to PMs, I have a note in my profile that, for various reasons, I'm terrible at responding to them and that people should take that into consideration when deciding if they want to contact me. I can't make people read that, but I feel like that's fair warning. That may mean I end up missing out on some nice things, but if someone will be hurt by my not responding (or responding late), then I'd rather they not put themselves in that position, even if it means I lose out on something.

And if we are on capped internet and have to block sigs to stay under the limit ?

[skauble]

And if we are on capped internet and have to block sigs to stay under the limit ?

That's exactly why it's in my profile.

 

If people want to contact me and don't glance to see if I have any notes there, that's their choice because I can't make them look, but that's where we can put the info so I've done my part. I even have a very clear table of contents for my profile page so that people can see that I have a note about PMs and skip right down to it.

Edited August 13, 2013 by skauble

[Fuzzbucket]

That's exactly why it's in my profile.

 

If people want to contact me and don't glance to see if I have any notes there, that's their choice because I can't make them look, but that's where we can put the info so I've done my part. I even have a very clear table of contents for my profile page so that people can see that I have a note about PMs and skip right down to it.

It wasn't aimed at you as a crit - my point was that when people post trades and people with awful internet offer, they may not be in a position to look at sigs - or indeed profiles ! so blocking them from trading with you again may well be for a reason that makes that unfair.l

[skauble]

It wasn't aimed at you as a crit - my point was that when people post trades and people with awful internet offer, they may not be in a position to look at sigs - or indeed profiles ! so blocking them from trading with you again may well be for a reason that makes that unfair.l

I didn't take it as a crit.

 

And while I get your point, the fact is that block feature or no, people can just write the name of folks that they feel are offering the wrong things down in their forum notepad and never trade with them again. Not blocking people won't probably won't help with someone who gets so utterly annoyed that they'd block another player.

 

Having said that, I'm still not for the outright blocking and I think if people have something crucial to the trade then it needs to be in the trade post.

 

But as for putting it in the profile and people with internet restrictions, I think that there are only so many things that it's reasonable for people to do to try to compensate for various issues that other players might have. The reason I wouldn't depend on putting important things in my sig is because there are many reasons that people turn them off. In addition, there's another place to post things that people can access - the profile. But trying to compensate for people who can't look at either would require something like adding information at the bottom of every post, and that's just not realistic.

 

If people have trade specific info it should be included in the trade post they make. And people should know that they're taking a risk only putting things in their sig. But there has to be a way that people can present info and feel that they've done their part to communicate it. And I think that's the profile page.

 

For instance, if someone has something like a CB Holly or Tinsel, and they put in their profile not to contact them about it, then I think they have a right to be annoyed when people contact them. I would suggest that if someone wants to contact another player it might be worth it to click their profile page and give it a glance an not click something else later on to make up for it.

[dragongrrl]

I have a 5 GB limit per month, roughly 150 MB a day, so have Sigs and Avatars blocked. If I need to, I can view someone's profile, and their sig is included there, too. I do randomly turn forum images on and off, and never look at the screenshot thread, since some posted images may use a quarter of a day's bytes in a single image. The Cave's pixels are manageable, as I am obviously an active player on the sites, both Forum and Cave, as well as using the fansites to give views to growing dragons, but I do need to consider where I use my available bytes.

 

I do always reference my profile for more suggestions when I offer something for trade, but find people don't always read it. As for blocking someone because of unwanted trade offers though, that person would need to be very rude before I would consider that an option, and would probably warrant mod action as well.

 

I do use the Decline feature, and find that works very well. If they want to modify and re-offer, that's not a problem, and sometimes, it ends up being exactly what I want, so blocking them based on the first offer means I might lose something I'd regret.

[whitebaron]

I'm going to play devil's advocate on this point. Most of my trade posts state clearly "Please no PMs". So, who's being discourteous: me for not replying (I do anyway, most of the time, since I don't want to appear rude), or the person who completely disregards my request and PMs me anyway?

If someone disregards the courtesies to you, it cannot be expected to be courteous back. The prudent thing would be to ignore it. But that was not the case in above example, anyway: When you ask for PM and/or offers, you have to deal with the results appropriately and in a well-behaved manner. To resort to my job example again: If people send you blind applications without a specific job, they do not necessarily expect a reply.

 

Just for the record, that's not always true. In my work I have to answer lots of emails, and when I give a prompt answer which is "no" or "I don't know," I sometimes do get a temper tantrum in response, including some explicit "Why did you bother me with a response at all if you were just going to tell me you don't know the answer!!!"

I think this may be a little different in a support/tech-support/sales, as people feel a lot more entitled. I think the comparison with a job application is more in line. If you apply for a job, you'd rather have a non-personal "no" and know to go on, instead of maybe hoping that it will still work out...

[Syphoneira]

Personally, I almost never look at profiles, period, and wouldn't think to do so before offering on a trade - maybe many people on the forums do but I'll bet a lot of us don't.

 

We'd tend to think that info relevant to the trade would be in the post, as profiles are not typically thought of as being integral to individual trades and it's not an obvious association.

 

So I wouldn't regard this as an issue where people can't be made to look at profiles of people with trade posts, but as one where people can't be expected to.

 

And even if info is in the trade post, it can be missed or misunderstood, whether due to language difficulties, misreading or getting two posts with similar dragons mixed up after checking through multiple pages and being rushed in checking back for them to get an offer on on one before having to run somewhere.

 

Frankly, a lot of insomniacs play DC because they can't sleep and are trying to relax enough to get some snooze time, and I know I've missed things right in front of my face before in all sorts of circumstances, so I'm not going to be shocked, surprised or upset WHEN others do, (as they will) because things like that happen.

 

If I couldn't bear to deal with human error, I'd need to avoid dealing with people because the two tend to go together...

 

As the old saying goes, 'To err is human, to forgive is divine.'

 

It's also a lot easier on the stress levels, I should think, lol.

 

 

 

Edit: hi, skauble!

 

Lol, I knew YOU didn't mean it that way, but was thinking that others might, as it seems some do, and wanted to point out that most people just look at the trade post, and that one has to expect human error in any transaction potentially involving a large number of people of all ages, nationalities and conditions.

Edited August 13, 2013 by Syphoneira

[skauble]

It seems like most of the PM issues, in regard to trades, can be dealt with by being specific in the post.

 

If you don't want PMs, then say so. If you want PMs but don't necessarily plan to answer them say that. As long as people know what they're getting into, they can make an informed choice and then know what to expect.

 

Frankly, this is why most threads around here end up with a basic template in the first post. While I don't think people should have to use a specific format for trades, sometimes just having the option there (and seeing other people use it in the thread) reminds people of the things they want to cover in their posts.

 

Personally, I almost never look at profiles, period, and wouldn't think to do so before offering on a trade - maybe many people on the forums do but I'll bet a lot of us don't.

 

We'd tend to think that info relevant to the trade would be in the post, as profiles are not typically thought of as being integral to individual trades and it's not an obvious association.

 

So I wouldn't regard this as an issue where people can't be made to look at profiles of people with trade posts, but as one where people can't be expected to..

 

I wasn't saying that people should look at people's profiles for relevant trade info - that I definitely think should go in the post.

 

But I check out people's profiles before I contact them all the time. If people say "PM offers", then it's not really necessary because PMing them is what you've been told to do. But if I plan to initiate contact with someone without that invitation then I always check to see if they have any preferences about contact from other players.

 

People don't have to read profiles, but if I want to start a conversation with someone then I'm usually going to check out the place that they may be keeping info about contacting them before I get mad that they don't act in a manner I find appropriate.

[tjekan]

I think this may be a little different in a support/tech-support/sales, as people feel a lot more entitled. I think the comparison with a job application is more in line. If you apply for a job, you'd rather have a non-personal "no" and know to go on, instead of maybe hoping that it will still work out...

Getting a little bit off-topic here, but... I was getting these responses while answering free question submissions on an educational website, not paid tech-support. There are people out there who feel entitled about ANYthing, and I'm sure online collectible games are no exception to that. :-)

[Natayah]

I think if you have a user who is constantly offering you items that you specifically say you do not want in your post, and they are doing it over and over and over again.... I think that is an abuse of a system and would count as harassment. There is normal harassment, so sometimes people find "clever uncommon ways" because its "not against the rules."

 

I would say to the OP (or any friends or others who have this going on) that if this is an issue you are experiencing, you should report and discuss it with the mods and PM the user and let them know that you want them to stop making offers on your trades (cease and desist and/or you are banning them from being able to offer on your trades and any further attempt will involve moderators - whether they are being jerks or refuse to read your requests) and if they continue to do so they will be reported.

 

I don't know that enough people have this issue to make it a game wide code. If they are having it, they should tell the person to stop, and if the person doesn't, they should report them to a mod. Any continued unwanted interaction is harassment and that's why we have mods and admins.

Edited August 14, 2013 by natayah

[stardust13]

Disclaimer: "You" in this post is the general "you", not directed at the original poster or any one responder. Several posters here have expressed the same ideas, and I'm sure there's several more that are lurking who are thinking the same things. So, general "you".

 

 

DC doesn't sponsor or endorse trades; it gives us a tool with which to trade. And it works perfectly fine; you accept or decline trades. The idea of asking TJ to work on new code because a few users are "annoyed" with a system that already works sounds like a colossal waste of his time.

 

You trade at your own risk and by your own will on DC. If you put your trades out there, you are going to get offers, or you won't get offers. If the kind of offers you're getting are annoying you, don't trade.

 

I do think Natayah has a point - if someone is repeatedly offering you trades that follow none of your requests, it's possible harassment that then should be tracked with dates and screen caps and brought to a mod. Harassment is already against the rules, so there's no point changing the trading system to try and block it for the few users who might have problems. There's already a system in place for harassment - gather your evidence and tell a mod.

 

This issue seems like a case of fixing something that isn't broken because a few users are insulted that people won't read and/or follow the rules on their trade posts. What you're missing is that the trade post doesn't really matter. The real trade rules, as set up by the system, are that you put out a trade link, people offer on it, you accept or decline. There's no breaking those rules - you, the user, accept or decline. The power is already all in your hands.

[Syphoneira]

Disclaimer: "You" in this post is the general "you", not directed at the original poster or any one responder. Several posters here have expressed the same ideas, and I'm sure there's several more that are lurking who are thinking the same things. So, general "you".

 

 

DC doesn't sponsor or endorse trades; it gives us a tool with which to trade. And it works perfectly fine; you accept or decline trades. The idea of asking TJ to work on new code because a few users are "annoyed" with a system that already works sounds like a colossal waste of his time.

 

You trade at your own risk and by your own will on DC. If you put your trades out there, you are going to get offers, or you won't get offers. If the kind of offers you're getting are annoying you, don't trade.

 

I do think Natayah has a point - if someone is repeatedly offering you trades that follow none of your requests, it's possible harassment that then should be tracked with dates and screen caps and brought to a mod. Harassment is already against the rules, so there's no point changing the trading system to try and block it for the few users who might have problems. There's already a system in place for harassment - gather your evidence and tell a mod.

 

This issue seems like a case of fixing something that isn't broken because a few users are insulted that people won't read and/or follow the rules on their trade posts. What you're missing is that the trade post doesn't really matter. The real trade rules, as set up by the system, are that you put out a trade link, people offer on it, you accept or decline. There's no breaking those rules - you, the user, accept or decline. The power is already all in your hands.

 

 

Not to mention (term used in the general sense) you're far more likely banning/reporting/hurting the feelings of some youngster with a limited understanding of the English language and/or of your trade values than anyone using repeated trades to harass anyone.

 

Frankly, since all that's needed is the use of a reject button, the latter doesn't at all sound suitable for use as harassment, when conducted by a single person; if it's not somebody just trying to find something they can come up with that you might consider suitable, there's almost certainly just some misunderstanding going on.

[Erica8798]

I have a sick feeling I may have been one to offend the OP - Erica - and just because of this (bear with me !) I vote no to this.

Pffft, Fuzz, you couldn't offend me if you tried ^^

 

Disclaimer: "You" in this post is the general "you", not directed at the original poster or any one responder. Several posters here have expressed the same ideas, and I'm sure there's several more that are lurking who are thinking the same things. So, general "you".

 

I do think Natayah has a point - if someone is repeatedly offering you trades that follow none of your requests, it's possible harassment that then should be tracked with dates and screen caps and brought to a mod. Harassment is already against the rules, so there's no point changing the trading system to try and block it for the few users who might have problems. There's already a system in place for harassment - gather your evidence and tell a mod.

I wouldn't considering someone repeatedly offering things you don't want on a trade to be harassment, as I associate harassment with being sent rude/inappropriate messages. I would just consider it spammy. Wouldn't it be easier to just (even temporarily!) block the person from offering on your trade link than go through the trouble of taking screenshots and pointing it out to a mod?

[Xythus]

If this suggestion was implemented, I would never use it only because I feel like banning is a complete shutdown to the other user. If I get an offer rejected and I can offer again, I can tell myself many things: "Oh, maybe they really needed another breed", "Perhaps they already own the lineage I offered", "It must have not been enough! I'll offer more next time", "Maybe it didn't fit what they were looking for, I'll go read their post more carefully" etc. But if I go back and see something like: "You have been blocked from offering on this teleport", I'd imagine thats discouraging and won't try again in the near future. Sure, I do hope I always get what I ask for and get discouraged when I don't, but I just remind myself that there are so many different people here in DC and that their intention isn't to give me a bad trade.

 

When people offer something that wasn't what I asked for specifically, I always consider:

1. Is this person young/doesn't understand English/mis-read my post?

(I once PMed with someone who spoke really horrible english, we exchanged PMs for an half an hour and I thought they were trolling. But then a friend of theirs contacted me and we worked it out.)

2. Maybe they reaaaally want what I have, but just DON'T have what I want? What's stopping them from trying to take a shot in the dark at offering something else? Who knows, maybe I will change my mind. Its definitely happened before One scenario I've seen a lot of times is that people have wishlists (often not updated ones) out in the open, and a person who's interested in their trade will try find something they have/can breed on the list.

3. Is this person just a newer member who's attempting to finish their scroll? If I get a "bad" offer, I'll check their scroll, go "Oh." and will probably just reject it.

 

And then sometimes theres times when people are just plain confused or too tired. I occasionally gift things and post in multiple trading threads for people who have none to "make an offer" of any AP egg, so I'll get ap common eggs on my trades sometimes. After all, the trading forums moves very fast!

Also, there are times when people are known for collecting things (Ex: A friend of mine once had a signature that said Collecting 200 magis! but then stopped). I once collected pillow hatchies, and always accepted trade offers containing them, but not anymore. That was a year ago and I STILL sometimes get pillows in offers!

 

 

On a smaller note - not trying to go offtopic - I'm against the idea of being able to leave a message on the teleport, it could very well possibly lead to abuse. Does anyone remember during the Valentines flower exchange event when someone said on a forums thread not to send them yellow flowers? And then all of a sudden his/her vase was full of yellow flowers? The reason why I'm bringing this up is because there is a difference between being on the forums and the site itself. Here, the threads are monitored closely by our duteous mods, who can close and lock topics plus warn and ban users easily. However, on the site itself - where there are MUCH more users than the forums - where rules are not written on paper and enforced, people who want to be mean can do so. Please understand I'm not trying to fear-monger; but we've already seen plenty examples of view bombing out of spite and jealousy, and who's stopping them?

 

TLDR; This idea has great premises but I say no because declining is much easier.

[diaveborn]

edit: whoops, saw a thread that fits my thoughts better, so deleting my stuff as kinda off-topic.

Edited August 15, 2013 by diaveborn

[stardust13]

Wouldn't it be easier to just (even temporarily!) block the person from offering on your trade link than go through the trouble of taking screenshots and pointing it out to a mod?

Well, no, it wouldn't be easier. It would send TJ back to the coding board, and then it would be need to be tested and refined, then finally released on DC. It would be easier if people would just click "decline" on trade offers they don't want, no matter how annoying those offers might be.

 

Again, the system works right now. What you're asking for is additional effort to add a layer that would complicate the system. That's not easier.

[angelicdragonpuppy]

I really don't think this is necessary. It can be annoying when people offer things you didn't ask for, but at the end of the day our ability to reject offers is for their benefit, not ours. If they're driving you that crazy, then get revenge by letting them uselessly keep their dragons and their hopes tied up in your trade until you accept another offer, muahaha. >:3

[Momo]

I really don't think this is necessary. It can be annoying when people offer things you didn't ask for, but at the end of the day our ability to reject offers is for their benefit, not ours. If they're driving you that crazy, then get revenge by letting them uselessly keep their dragons and their hopes tied up in your trade until you accept another offer, muahaha. >:3

Omg, that's horrible LMAO.

But yes. I guess people will just try their luck and basically hope that their offer is the best you have so that you'll accept it. I always find that it never hurts to try, HOWEVER, if someone specifically says "no other offers" and I don't have that offer, then I just go about searching and forget about it.

Even if they don't specify, I won't offer like.. a random CB Stripe for something I know is better. I don't want the chance to offend that person, and I do sometimes wish other people would do this ( I don't want three CB Commons for a CB Silver hatchling, gaiz. ) but I personally barely ever specify what I want, so.

 

Personally, if I had a trade that is getting tons of interest, whether or not it's what I want/even good at all, I'd be much more pleased to see that than absolutely no offers because no one has what I want/want to trade it. >: Just my opinion.

In that I don't think this is necessary - we do still have the decline button, right? :3

[♫ Draco Factorem ♫]

In my experience, people who make offers like that tend to never offer what you actually want, so I don't think that will be much of a problem.

 

And, if you don't want to worry about that happening, you just simply don't use the block option. Nobody is forcing you to use it.

True, but I stand with Pokemonfan13. You should be able to see a notification saying: "You've received an Offer from #___" ,"Receive Offer" or "Deny Offer". Now, before you select one,you should be able to go to their scroll by clicking their name. If possible, DC should add (maybe) a symbol next to an egg or hatchling that is currently up for trade (whether its for you or not) You can then select/look at the hatchling/egg you think #___ wants to trade with (perhaps making the icon look a bit different if the offer is for you). Once you've done that, look into the egg's/hatchling's lineage.