Hey everyone! I’ve been dealing with some unwanted anonymous asks and I’m trying to figure out if there’s a way to selectively block them. I know you can track visitor data using tools like Google Analytics or StatCounter to see IP addresses and general location info. While these tools don’t directly tell you who sent anonymous messages, you can sometimes make pretty good guesses based on the data patterns. My question is this - once I suspect who might be sending problematic anon asks, is there any method to disable the anonymous ask option specifically for that user or blog? I want to keep anonymous asks open for everyone else since I do enjoy getting them from my regular followers. I just want to stop one particular person from being able to send them anonymously to me. Has anyone found a workaround for this kind of selective blocking?
tumblr’s blocking system sucks - it won’t let you selectively block anon messages like that. even if you figure out who’s sending them through analytics, you can’t use that info to block just their anon asks while keeping asks open for everyone else. your only real option is blocking their main account if you know it, but they can still send anons from other accounts or just log out. maybe try changing your ask prompt to discourage this crap?
Nope, Tumblr doesn’t have that feature. It’s all or nothing with anon asks - either everyone can send them or nobody can. I dealt with the same thing last year when someone wouldn’t stop sending creepy messages. I turned off anon asks for two weeks, then flipped them back on. Most harassers get bored when they can’t get instant reactions. You could post something saying you’re watching anon asks more carefully - sometimes that’s enough to scare them off. Or just mentally note their writing style and delete anything that sounds like them. Don’t respond at all. They usually give up when they’re not getting a rise out of you.
There’s no built-in option on Tumblr for selective blocking of anonymous messages. I faced a similar issue a few months back, spending way too much time trying to navigate the settings and explore third-party options. Unfortunately, the platform lacks IP blocking or the ability to filter out specific anon messages. Even if you identify a sender through analytics, there’s no way to connect that data to Tumblr’s blocking system. What helped me was setting up keyword filters in my ask settings and actively deleting messages that seemed problematic without even reading them. After a few weeks, the harassment ceased once the sender realized I wasn’t engaging. Another approach could be to temporarily switch to a whitelist mode, where you only respond to asks from known blogs, then gradually open it back up once the situation is under control.
Nope, Tumblr doesn’t let you selectively block anon asks. It’s all or nothing - you either get all anonymous messages or none.
Tracking IPs sounds cool but won’t actually help. Even if you spot patterns, there’s no way to use that info in Tumblr’s blocking system.
Here’s what I’d try instead: build an automation that catches your anon asks before they hit your inbox. You can set it up to analyze writing patterns, timing, content similarities - basically flag the sketchy stuff automatically.
I’ve done this for community management before. The system sorts incoming messages, flags weird ones, and can auto-respond or redirect them. You set rules for specific phrases, posting frequency, message length - whatever matches your problem user’s behavior.
Best part? You keep tweaking the filters as you learn more about the unwanted messages. Way better than Tumblr’s basic blocking.
You can build this pretty easily with automation tools. Check out https://latenode.com for setting up these workflows.