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Here’s a neat little trick in case you don’t already know it: If you block someone and then unblock them, you can get them to stop following you.
I call it bucking :)
So, if you want to try and avoid all the drama that comes with blocking and just don’t want someone to keep following you and commenting on your stuff, try bucking before blocking. And if they’re persistent, you can always block and/or report for harassment, etc.
@aral I find muting more fun as they get no attention and think the OP is reading their garbage opinions whilst giving you more social media reach... win win really, lulz 
Muting means that everyone EXCEPT you can see their garbage replies to you. It pollutes discussion on your timeline, and can be used to invite in trolls. That used to happen a LOT at Twitter. Blocking is a better response to nasty stuff. I reserve muting for the merely boring.
Blocking actually works better on Mastodon than Twitter - it makes your account invisible to the offender. They don't get the satisfaction of seeing "[Username] has blocked you".
@regordane @nando161 @aral but muting provides a valuable public service. While the abuser is howling his bile into the void he’s not using the time to target others.