Blocking people makes your profile private for them

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Tw'nty 6 Sep, 2016 @ 12:50pm

if you block someone it should make you profile private for them, regardless of your profile status.

why? because i know several people who have been incessantly harassed by others because they were able to join their game, add their friends and harass them etc.

"but surely they can just private their profile" while this is true, it also prevents everyone else from seeing their profile (unless its friends only), and private profiles are usually frowned upon in some cases (as with trading and other things).

I want this feature for those who are constantly worried about being stalked, and because of this they get anxiety attacks and other problems because they don't feel safe playing a game that has steam networking (such as Garry's Mod or TF2). but they still want their profiles public for those who wish to add them.

Last edited by Tw'nty; 6 Sep, 2016 @ 12:51pm

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Showing 1-12 of 12 comments

cinedine 6 Sep, 2016 @ 1:04pm

Little point in doing so. Someone who is determined to ♥♥♥♥ with you could just make another account if they don't already have one. Going private for some time is the best you can do anyway.

Tw'nty 6 Sep, 2016 @ 1:09pm

Originally posted by cinedine:

while this is true, if they are that determined at that point the authorities should be involved. this is just for to help some people sleep better at night, if you know what i mean.

Spawn of Totoro 6 Sep, 2016 @ 1:33pm

Originally posted by Lightning:
Originally posted by cinedine:

while this is true, if they are that determined at that point the authorities should be involved. this is just for to help some people sleep better at night, if you know what i mean.

They don't even have to make another account. They can just launch a browser and no log in, then go to your page to view it.

If it is such an issue, then changing to a private profile is best. One can not have their cake and eat it too.

Tw'nty 6 Sep, 2016 @ 2:05pm

still would be a nice feature.

Start_Running 6 Sep, 2016 @ 2:25pm

Originally posted by Lightning:
still would be a nice feature.

But inherently useless.

Gus the Crocodile 6 Sep, 2016 @ 2:36pm

I don't think discouragement is useless. Putting a fence around your property doesn't stop people climbing over it and getting in, but making people go out of their way will cut down on the amount who bother.

Start_Running 6 Sep, 2016 @ 2:48pm

Originally posted by Gus the Crocodile:
I don't think discouragement is useless. Putting a fence around your property doesn't stop people climbing over it and getting in, but making people go out of their way will cut down on the amount who bother.

Is opening a web browser going out of one's way?

Gus the Crocodile 6 Sep, 2016 @ 2:59pm

Performing any action that they previously wouldn't have had to is going out of one's way, yes. Also, it's not just opening a web browser - it's opening a web browser you're not signed into Steam on, copying the profile URL (from Steam or your regular browser), and pasting in the new one. I'm not saying that's a heavy workload, but personally I think you underestimate the power of a couple of extra steps.

After all, if a few extra clicks or a little bit of extra time wasn't a bother for anyone, quite a few Steam features would be pointless: customise buttons, "not interested", a fair amount of searches and tags, categories in the library or friends list etc.

cinedine 6 Sep, 2016 @ 3:10pm

If you're focused on harassing, then it is a very small hurdle. Putting your profile on private for a week is more effective as not many will hold grudge this long. (They'll likely find another poor sod to bother within the next game.)

There was a thread not long ago from a guy with like 1000 people blocked. I think having to go a little bit out of your way instead of having a magic button might not be the worst.

Dendrobates Tinctorius 6 Sep, 2016 @ 3:11pm

Originally posted by Gus the Crocodile:
Performing any action that they previously wouldn't have had to is going out of one's way, yes. Also, it's not just opening a web browser - it's opening a web browser you're not signed into Steam on, copying the profile URL (from Steam or your regular browser), and pasting in the new one. I'm not saying that's a heavy workload, but personally I think you underestimate the power of a couple of extra steps.

or right click -> 'open this link in a private/incognito window'

I'm not sure this is useful not just because it's ineffective against someone who would take time to add friends to bug them, but because it's kind of confusing about what the actual privacy state of your profile is at any given time.

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