Can I Block Someone From Answering My Questions on a Community Platform?

When you post a question on a community platform, it is important to understand the rules and limitations involved. A common confusion many users face is whether blocking someone will stop that person from answering their questions. In this article, we will explore the nuances of blocking on community platforms like Quora or other QA sites, and explain why your blocked users can still answer your questions.

Understanding Community Ownership of Questions

Once you post a question on a QA platform, it becomes part of the community. This means that anyone can answer your question, regardless of whether you have blocked them or not. Even if you are the original poster (OP), the question is still owned by the community, not by you personally. The platform prioritizes the communal nature of knowledge and discussion over individual ownership of questions.

Effects of Blocking on the Community Platform

When you block someone on a community platform, the following actions are restricted:

DMs (Direct Messages): The blocked person cannot send you private messages. Comments: They cannot leave comments on your answers or receive comments from you. Voting: They cannot up-vote or down-vote your comments, or the comments they make.

Blocking someone on a platform such as Quora or another QA site ensures that the person does not disturb you or try to engage with your content in personal ways. However, this does not prevent them from answering any questions, including yours, because the question is public and owned by the community.

Why Blocking Doesn't Stop QA Answering

The common belief that blocking stops someone from answering your questions is a misconception. Here’s why:

Question Community Ownership: You cannot "own" a question once it is posted. The moment you ask a question, it becomes part of the community thread, triggering an invitation for anyone to contribute answers. Privacy vs. Ownership: Blocking someone does not affect their ability to answer questions. It is a tool to manage how users interact with you, not to control the content or the ability of others to answer questions. Question Visibility: Most users do not even realize who asked a question unless they check the edit log, making it impossible for ownership to restrict answering.

For example, imagine you blocked Abdul but posted a question. Abdul, or any other user, can still answer your question without any restrictions. This is because the question is not exclusively yours; it is now part of the collective domain of the platform.

Details of Blocking on Quora

According to the official rules of Quora, when you block someone:

No Messages: The blocked user cannot send you direct messages (DMs). No Following: They cannot follow you. No Comments: They cannot comment on your answers or posts. No Answer Requests: They cannot ask you to answer a question. No Sharing: They cannot share your content with others.

These are the actions that are restricted, but it does not limit their ability to answer questions you have posted. This further emphasizes the communal nature of such platforms and the concept that questions are not personal.

Conclusion

Blocking someone on a community platform like Quora or another QA site serves to manage interactions but does not control the ability of others to contribute answers. Your questions, once posted, are part of the community and anyone can answer them, regardless of whether you have blocked them. If you need to manage spam or unwanted interactions, blocking can be a useful tool, but it should not be expected to restrict the ability of others to answer your questions.