why haven't all IM protocols implemented this feature?

[amingv]

yea but its still a useful feature coz say for instance i use the facebook plugin in pidgin and everytime i log in my lil cousin will msg me and im just like hey . . . (ahhh go away!!!), but i still wnat to keep her as a contact!! you know in this case it has use

She's a little child. She's saying hi. She (apparently) apreciates you (I think that's kind of nice).

If you're busy you can always say so or simply report yourself as AFK or not answering at all.

As a last resort you can block her from seeing you online and unblock her back if needed. (Though you'd be a hole in my book.) (EDIT: Oh, Tipped said it first, I must be getting slow)

[Mateo]

Can't you just block this person?

Would they know they are being blocked?

[Mateo]

I don't understand. If you don't like this person, then why the hell do you keep it in your buddy list?

It doesn't matter if they are on my buddy list, just if I'm on theirs.

[Bachstelze]

Would they know they are being blocked?

No. Unless of course they ask a common contact, and that contact tells them you are online when they see you as offline.

[Mateo]

I see. I didn't realize that the "block" feature did that. Great, excuse my ignorance on asking the question, then.

[JT9161]

IRC ignore command

/thread

[Squonk07]

EDIT: These things move quickly. I had this all typed up, and the solution appears right above me.

I understand what the OP is after. It's not necessarily dislike, so much as that sort of person who has to message you every bloody time you're on, but has nothing really good to say. You get a lot of "yeah" and "ok" exchanges once every five minutes or so. I'd like to be available for a few people I'd really like to talk to (but whom I can't constantly monitor while being away or invisible), but I don't want to get inundated by those one or two who abuse it.

It's not as simple as telling somebody, "Gee, could you like not talk to me very much please." It's an awkward situation, especially if you're otherwise good friends but just have really horrid IM conversations.

As it is, I usually just give up and don't start my IM client. Saves system resources at that.

[coldReactive]

Some protocols will also remove the contact if you block them, which is not preferred (IE: YIM.)

[CJ Master]

IRC ignore command

/thread

Use the block feature, when you want to communicate with the person you blocked, then unblock him/her.

/thread

Ur doin it wrong.

[zmjjmz]

I could see this being useful elsewhere. Not so much status as status messages. Let's say you have friend X and you want to tell him something, so you put it in a status that he sees. Or if you want to keep it private from friend Y, but still want to tell everyone else. Or if you have something special to say to spouse Z, you can set it as your status message for them.