Aug 26, 2011 15:01 GMT  ·  By

Google is making it easier to avoid people on Google+ without taking too drastic options, such as blocking them altogether, with the new Ignore option. This is more or less a 'mute' option, you won't get any more notifications from that user, but it won't cut off all communications.

"We want to make sure you can represent your real-life relationships on Google+ -- whether you want to connect with someone or not," Olga Wichrowska, a software engineer at Google, wrote.

”So starting today, we're rolling out a new option to Ignore people, in addition to the existing (and stronger) option to Block them," she added.

Ignore is the right option for users you don't really want to know about, what they're sharing or doing, but with whom you may still have to interact from time to time.

"Ignore means you'll see less of what a person is sharing (i.e., you're just not interested). Block additionally limits the ways a person can interact with what you're sharing (i.e., you don't want anything to do with them)," she continued.

"And in either case, we don't notify the person that you've ignored or blocked them," she explained.

If you ignore someone on Google+, their posts won't show up in your stream, you won't receive any notifications about what they're up to and they won't show up in your circles page.

Blocking, on the other hand, goes further and not only removes the content from where you can see it. Blocking removes the user from your circles and extended circles. This means that they'll only be able to see the stuff you post publicly.

What's more, blocked users won't be able to comment on posts, or photos that you create after you block them and won't be able to mention you in their own posts.