For all the great features Tumblr offers, it fails considerably when it comes to a fully functional blocking and filtering system.

It is far too easy to come across Not Safe For Work (NSFW) content on Tumblr. Even a "safe" subject like My Little Pony will eventually lead Tumblr users to pornographic and gory content. Searches relating to video games, TV shows, books and more are all turning up content that should only be viewable by adult users of the site. Instead, users of any age can be subjected to this material, whether they wished to be or not.

If Tumblr wishes to allow users to share adult content on the site it is their right to do so. But those of us who do not wish to see it should be given the controls to block NSFW content, and those who post it. There are some features relating to blocking and filtering NSFW content, but they are heavily flawed and are not being used to their full potential. There also needs to be improvements to the feature for blocking users.

We, the undersigned, request that the following changes be implemented:

1. Better Use of the NSFW Option for Tumblr Blogs

There is already an option to mark your Tumblr blog as NSFW. At this time the option only prevents blogs marked as NSFW from appearing in directories. It does not mark the blog with a warning that the content may offend, and there is no way for users to filter out NSFW content.

Users should have the following options to filter out NSFW content:

"Do not display entries from blogs marked NSFW" - This option will prevent posts from blogs marked as NSFW from appearing in search results and tracked tags.

"Warn of NSFW content and include a "View Entry" link" - This option will allow users to see NSFW entries, but the content will be accompanied by a warning and hidden under a link which can be clicked if the user wishes to view it anyway.

There should also be an option to exclude blogs that the user follows. This will allow users to see NSFW content they enjoy, while blocking content they do not want to see.

NSFW content should be AUTOMATICALLY BLOCKED for users under 18. This appears to not be the case at this time, and underage users are able to look for and view adult content on Tumblr with ease.

In the case that a user has any of these filters enabled, but comes across NSFW content that is bypassing the filters, there should be an option to report the blog as NSFW to Tumblr so that staff may review it and take appropriate action.

2. Blocked Should Mean Blocked

Quote from Tumblr Support: "Blocking someone will not prevent them from showing up in search results. Blocking only prevents your posts from showing up in their Dashboard and also keeps them from being able to send you messages."

If we feel it necessary to block a user it generally means we do not want to see them AT ALL. The blocking feature needs improvement.

Blocking a Registered Tumblr User should do the following:

Prevent them seeing our posts. This already prevents our posts from showing up in the blocked user's Dashboard. The block should extend to search/tracked tagged results, and prevent them from seeing our Tumblr blog(s) by visiting the URL(s).

Prevent them from sending us messages. According to the email, this is already the case, but let's make sure all options are covered. Blocking should prevent any kind of contact, including Private Messages, Fan Mail, Likes, Replies, Reblogs, and anything I may have missed. Obviously Tumblr cannot be responsible for third party addons such as Disqus, but any communication system coded by Tumblr should be covered.

Prevent the blocked user from showing up in tracked tag/search results. In lieu of filters to block NSFW content, blocking users who post such material as we came across them seemed to be our only option. But apparently this does NOT stop them showing up in search results. The confirmation message for blocking users reads "Are you sure you want to block *Tumblr Username* from appearing?". Yet according to the email I received from Tumblr Support it does not actually do this. They still appear in search results. Blocking does not, regardless of what the confirmation suggests, "stop them from appearing". This needs to be changed. Blocking needs to effectively render the blocked user invisible to us.

Tumblr is mostly a fun and easy to use site, but for some of us our experience is being spoilt with unwanted content that could so easily be dealt with if users were given the proper controls to do so. Please implement these improvements that will help make Tumblr a safer, more enjoyable place for all of us.