Google+ now lets you ignore noisy and annoying people

Google has added the ability to ignore specific user accounts and strengthened its option to block accounts on its new social network Google+, the company announced in a note Friday.

The new ignore feature should help calm down the often noisy feed of updates some critics have complained about, while the improved blocking option will no doubt provide Google+ members with a better overall experience.

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“We want to make sure you can represent your real-life relationships on Google+ — whether you want to connect with someone or not,” wrote Google Software Engineer Olga Wichrowska in the note.

Wichrowska explained in a video demonstration that using the ignore option means you’ll see less of what a particular person is sharing, while allowing them to continue to interact with your own Google+ activity. Posts from ignored accounts won’t be displayed in your incoming stream. You also won’t be notified when they interact with your posts and you won’t see ignored people on your Circles page.

Alternately, the stronger blocking option eliminates all interaction from a blocked account across the entire social network.

The option to ignore and block an account is available on multiple places throughout Google+ (comments, activity stream, profiles and on the notification tool bar). Google+ doesn’t notify users when they’ve been ignored or blocked, which is similar to Facebook’s functionality.

Letting Google+ members anonymously block and ignore accounts makes sense — especially since the company is planning to launch a business version of the social network in the coming months that will no doubt flood the space with marketers and unapologetic self-promoters.

The company has created a new set of help center articles that outline the implications of ignoring or blocking an account. Additionally, we’ve embedded a demonstration video of the new ignore and blocking options below.

Let us know your thoughts about the new tools. Will this improve your Google+ experience?

Image via SouthPark Studios

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