These are instructions that were posted to another newsgroup and apply to
users of Outlook Express.
Others who use other newsreaders may have this option also. (use your F1
help option for instructions).

With one click you can make entire threads such as the current
trouble-maker starts, disappear.
It's not only possible but easy to ignore and hide an entire conversation
(thread).

It's a simple two-step process:
1.  First you have to set up a view definition to hide ignored messages,
then
2.  when you're scanning posts you can simply select/highlight the
original post in the
thread you want to ignore.
Then click on the toolbar: "Message>Ignore Conversation"
Voila!  The offending thread disappears!

Here is the way to set it up, copied directly from the Outlook Express
help file:
--------------------
To hide ignored messages so they don't clutter up your message lists,
click View,
point to Current View, and then select Hide Read or Ignored Messages.

Selecting Hide Read or Ignored Messages will hide messages you have read,
messages you have ignored, and messages you have both read and ignored.

If you want to hide ignored messages, but want to keep your read messages
visible, click Hide Read or Ignored Messages as instructed above, then
click View
(again) , point to Current View, and then select Define Views.
In the Define Views dialog box, click New.
In box 1 of the View Editor, select Where the message has been read.
In box 2, click the words Show/Hide and select Show messages.
In box 3, give this view a name (e.g., "Hide Ignored Messages") and then
click
OK.
----------------
Once this is activated, when you first click on"Ignore Conversation" on
the
Message Toolbar the thread just turns light grey (ignored).
But once you exit the newsgroup and return, the entire thread is
completely gone
from view unless and until you decide to change the view back to include
ignored
conversations.