Message Board Essentials: Using Message Board Filters

On any of the Net's message boards, it's inevitable there will be a healthy portion of differing opinions and the manner in which posters express them. On occasion, the remarks made on a board may come off as offensive. Luckily, AOL has thought ahead and provided several ways for members to empower themselves and filter out and/or report any unappealing posts on the AOL message boards. Filtering and reporting posts helps to significantly minimize conversation disruption and ensures a more enjoyable community for everyone.

How to Filter a Screen Name on the AOL Message Boards

When viewing a post, to ignore (filter) an author, simply click “Ignore Author” next to their message.
If you believe they have violated AOL Terms of Service, click the “Notify AOL ” link and provide the details. Leave the check box checked to ignore the member's posts on all message boards.

How to Modify and Change Your Message Board Filters

Click "Settings," located in the upper right corner.

Click the “Filters” tab on the left pane. Now you should be viewing your current filters on the right portion of the window.
You can modify the filters to your preference by adjusting the “Ignore Messages when … ” statement. When you are finished, click “Add.” For example, if I wanted to filter any threads containing the word “red” inside of them, I would just type “red."
Finally, click “Save” to set your preferences.

How to Filter by Thread Ratings

Go to any message board (it doesn't have to be a specific one).
Click "Settings," located in the upper right corner.
Click the "Filters" tab on the left pane. Now you should be viewing your current filters on the right portion of the window.
Filter the threads by how many “thumbs up” it has. People will often rate disruptive threads negatively, and you can filter the poorly rated threads out from your view.
Finally, click “Save” when you are finished.

These are some of the tools members have to control their experience on the AOL Message Boards. Right now, you can filter up to 100 screen names from the boards.

If you recognize behavior that violates AOL Community Standards, send us an e-mail with a link to the post so we can further review it.

Tags: AOL, AOL Community, Message Boards, Experience, Tools, Tips, Tutorial, Filters

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