Hi
Don't know if this has been mentioned before, but all the threads on this site are open to anybody on the internet to come in and take a look. Maybe it's that way to try and get people onto the site, I don't know?
For me I didn't think that it would be a problem, I found a site which I knew my wife (separated) didn't use and joined. The site and the people on it are great.
Yesterday I posted a big post in the relationship section and last night she was on line looking for somebody to talk to herself, and found this site. She found my thread and today when I went around to see the kids I could tell something wasn't right, and it turned out she had been on the site and read my post as a guest. I guess I knew that was possible but now it means I have to be a lot more cautious about what I post because I know that even though she is not a member she could come on here at any time and read my posts.
Maybe there could be one thread, say the general one, which is open to everybody including potential members browsing, and then the rest is locked to members only. Only a suggestion, and I know she could easily join and then read my posts anyway.
So if nothing else, please heed this as a word of caution that potentially the person that you are writing about could read what you have written, and if you aren't comfortable with that then maybe think twice about writing it.
Site security
Rob
said 1 year 1 month agoMy Profile | My blog
Hi Orc30,
I'm sorry to hear that your ex read things here that you would rather she hadn't found.
I'll repost something I made a statement off a fair few months ago - perhaps I should make it a sticky thread so everyone can see it when they join.
I'm sorry to hear that your ex read things here that you would rather she hadn't found.
I'll repost something I made a statement off a fair few months ago - perhaps I should make it a sticky thread so everyone can see it when they join.
Quote:
Search engines list every bit of information that they can find on the internet, and this includes discussion on forum sites as well as other content such as articles, news and blogs.
Although this can seem quite scary, the only alternative would be to make forums only accessible to members, and this can be very off-putting to new visitors who can't see what a community is about before deciding to join it. It also means that discussions about parenting tips and help that members give each other cannot be found in search engines, therefore the site doesn't give the public help and advice to people searching for it that it could if it were open.
Closing a site to non members gives a false sense of security - how much effort does it take to set up an account for anyone interested in reading your comments? Registration at this site takes less than 3 minutes and does not prevent anybody on the internet joining up. Take a minute to do a Google search for your forums username, you may well find that you show up even on sites that *do* require members to be logged in to see posts.
The best course of action is to enjoy the community, and feel comfortable in contributing, but to be aware that what you say is in effect public, whether people are required to fill in a form to read it or not. Choose a username that doesn't identify your real name, and don't post things such as your address, phone number, surname or anything else that could be used to identify you easily. Things like first names, general area, or even birthdays are not likely to give much away, so don't panic too much. If you want to meet up or get to know someone better, you can use private messages, but also be aware that people on the internet are not always who they make out to be.
I would also point out that JP has gone to great lengths to protect the privacy of members who post here - for example your email address is not revealed to anyone apart from admin, not even to other members. Pictures are not shown to guests as a extra precaution, and so that they do not show up in places like Google Image Search.
Most forums allow members to access others email addresses, and we didn't feel that was a very safe thing, so the only way you can be contacted unless you give your email address out is to be private messaged.
We also have a clearly defined Privacy Policy which can be found in the links at the bottom, this is a legal reassurance that we don't sell on your details, give them to other companies or use them in any way which you don't allow.
Search engines list every bit of information that they can find on the internet, and this includes discussion on forum sites as well as other content such as articles, news and blogs.
Although this can seem quite scary, the only alternative would be to make forums only accessible to members, and this can be very off-putting to new visitors who can't see what a community is about before deciding to join it. It also means that discussions about parenting tips and help that members give each other cannot be found in search engines, therefore the site doesn't give the public help and advice to people searching for it that it could if it were open.
Closing a site to non members gives a false sense of security - how much effort does it take to set up an account for anyone interested in reading your comments? Registration at this site takes less than 3 minutes and does not prevent anybody on the internet joining up. Take a minute to do a Google search for your forums username, you may well find that you show up even on sites that *do* require members to be logged in to see posts.
The best course of action is to enjoy the community, and feel comfortable in contributing, but to be aware that what you say is in effect public, whether people are required to fill in a form to read it or not. Choose a username that doesn't identify your real name, and don't post things such as your address, phone number, surname or anything else that could be used to identify you easily. Things like first names, general area, or even birthdays are not likely to give much away, so don't panic too much. If you want to meet up or get to know someone better, you can use private messages, but also be aware that people on the internet are not always who they make out to be.
I would also point out that JP has gone to great lengths to protect the privacy of members who post here - for example your email address is not revealed to anyone apart from admin, not even to other members. Pictures are not shown to guests as a extra precaution, and so that they do not show up in places like Google Image Search.
Most forums allow members to access others email addresses, and we didn't feel that was a very safe thing, so the only way you can be contacted unless you give your email address out is to be private messaged.
We also have a clearly defined Privacy Policy which can be found in the links at the bottom, this is a legal reassurance that we don't sell on your details, give them to other companies or use them in any way which you don't allow.
