We did originally specify this topic for technical issues, however I am appreciating the comments that are being made, so we'll keep it open to general discussion for the moment, we can always separate the discussion out to a separate thread if needed.
As I have stated publicly previously, I was not in favour of this add-on, however recent events made it seem a better option to us than some alternatives Strangeways and I have considered (and are still investigating and considering).
A couple of guys have made some very valid observations. It is not censorship in any form as the reader has always had the option to ignore anything they didn't like, or any member they could not bear reading prattling on. But that's hard to do - the "train wreck" psychology of just having to read (and I am absolutely guilty of this on all counts of this) stuff written by even the most obnoxious of members is hard to control. There are also the "troll baiters" - not respected members getting into a stouche due to a difference of opinion, but those that bait and encourage problematic members/topics to flame the fires.
This is just an assistant to free will - you can ignore by choice, or use this to destroy the space waste.
I agree with the "treat it as a wake up call" - while it's not a popularity contest, those with lots of ignore ratings might take stock, which is a good thing.
As for the idea of members setting up new accounts to just add an ignore, this has not happened based on the logs. Not many new members in the last week, and everyone has been IP vetted among other checks. One might have slipped through the cracks maybe, but new membership is not huge these days as most who know pinball already know the best pinball forum!
