(I've been curious about this for forever it seems, so today I ask.)
I've been curious too. Thanks for bringing it up. I have never put anyone on ignore, I am interested in opposing views. If all I want is someone to agree with, there are plenty of mirrors in the house I can talk to.
I came close to putting one poster on ignore. There are some things I just don't want to hear about, I get worked up and I can't do anything about it anyhow. But a bit later, that same poster started a thread that I found fascinating, so maybe I would have lost more than I gained. That reinforced it to me, and I haven't even come close since.
But if other people feel that putting some on ignore is best for their 'mental health' or enjoyment of the forum, I have no problem with that at all. They are free to do as they see fit. If that is best for them, it is all good. And just to be abundantly clear, I am not being sarcastic at all - I really do mean they should do as they see fit, we are all wired different. No right/wrong.
Along that line, I have always wondered why the "ignored" party is not notified of being "ignored." The "ignore" button serves no useful purpose that I can see unless it has a positive and (and perhaps public) effect.
Yes, some posters have said they think the "ignore" list/count should be made public. To me, that just reeks of 'group think'. If you can't figure out who you don't want to hear from on your own, well, I don't even know what to say about that.
OTOH, being informed of who is putting one on ignore might be useful. I imagine 99% of the time it would be obvious, someone went off in a huff over something you said - fine, they can do as they wish. But if someone that you seem to not have any problem with put you on ignore, that might be worthy of one PM, just to ask, Did I say something to offend? Sometimes our meaning is unclear and/or misconstrued. I'd hate someone to go off thinking I said something I didn't intend.
IMO, those who trumpet their use of the ignore feature are self-centered, one-dimensional personalities who cannot tolerate opposing points of view and probably don't play well with others in real life. But, maybe that's just me-YMMV.
It's not just you. I guess I have no problem with someone saying (once), that a certain comment has 'earned' them ignore status. I guess there is no harm it explaining it (esp since one can't actually tell if they are on ignore directly). But when I see it touted by some, I feel like we are back in middle school.
Heh-heh, that was a lot of typing for so few to read
-ERD50