Recent Posts And Unregistered Users

[Starlight]

I've just posted to the Card Exchanges board where I've been working with another member.

When I logged out, I noticed that thread was showing up on the Recent Posts section that unregistered users can see. And even though I was logged out, I could click the link and go straight to the thread!

I thought those sections of the board were private? Should posts in private areas of the board be showing up in Recent Posts and then allow click throughs without the clicker logging in first?

[Raggydoll]

Those areas are not considered private as of now, but they are restricted - which means that members with less than 5 posts can’t post in them (and guests are obviously unable to post at all, other than in the Help forum). We have decided to keep certain areas visible to guests too, because we want them to see a lot of what our forum has to offer so they will want to sign up 🙂 The Exchanges is one of those areas that is very active and that we want people to know we offer here on the forum. Also, we tried hiding certain areas such as Tarot Readings and Exchanges from anyone not entitled to post in them, but that only lead to new members posting such topics in the wrong areas and which meant lots of extra work for us moderators. We can’t expect people to know that there is another, correct, place for their topic if they can’t see it. Whether or not guests should be able to see the exchanges is ultimately up to @Little Fang to decide. There are pros and cons to everything so it’s never an easy decision. If we don’t encourage people to sign up then we will struggle to keep the forum growing and then we won’t be able to cover the yearly costs (which means that Little Fang will have to pay out of her own pocket). So you see, it’s a complicated topic 🙂

[fire cat pickles]

There is a Reading Exchange that is for subscribers only if you want privacy. It's one of the perks of paying a little extra, IMO.

 

[gregory]

On AT you could see Reading Exchange, as I recall. There were areas that were hidden, though. 

Edited July 7, 2019 by gregory

[Starlight]

Ah.

I understand the logic to having threads visible to registered users and I've no problem with that, but visible to *anyone* on the internet? Without needing to login?

For me, it's a privacy issue. I'm just not comfortable.

I'll have to think about this, see how my exchange partner feels.

[gregory]

Move it to subscriber readings (if your partner is a subscriber) ?

[Starlight]

3 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

We have decided to keep certain areas visible to guests too, because we want them to see a lot of what our forum has to offer so they will want to sign up

Absolutely! I wonder if it's possible to have a board visible but not the content of the posts unless a member of the forum?

[Starlight]

29 minutes ago, gregory said:

Move it to subscriber readings (if your partner is a subscriber) ?

Yup, I've put it to her to see what she thinks. 🙂

[Raggydoll]

12 minutes ago, Starlight said:

Absolutely! I wonder if it's possible to have a board visible but not the content of the posts unless a member of the forum?

Let’s ask @Little Fang ! 😀

[fire cat pickles]

49 minutes ago, Starlight said:

Absolutely! I wonder if it's possible to have a board visible but not the content of the posts unless a member of the forum?

I'm pretty sure we have this with the Subscriber section, don't we?

[Raggydoll]

53 minutes ago, fire cat pickles said:

I'm pretty sure we have this with the Subscriber section, don't we?

No, it’s completely hidden unless you’re a subscriber 

[gregory]

ACTUALLY - I am testing using a browser I don't usually use and am logged out. I see no readings at all in the list of forums under tarot cards, only in oracles.

 

However - if I put in the link for Starlight's actual thread - I can indeed read it. But I'd have to know to look. That said - I can also see the reading threads when I go for activity. Odd.

Edited July 7, 2019 by gregory

[Raggydoll]

9 minutes ago, gregory said:

ACTUALLY - I am testing using a browser I don't usually use and am logged out. I see no readings at all in the list of forums under tarot cards, only in oracles.

 

However - if I put in the link for the Starlight's actual thread - I can indeed read it. But I'd have to know to look. That said - I can also see the reading threads when I go for activity. Odd.

That is odd! Maybe @Saturn Celeste will know what’s up. It could be an easy fix. 

[gregory]

No - the thing is - you want people who might join  to see there are reading threads here. But if you aren't registered, you shouldn't - I think - be able to READ them. And they do come up under activity, I think - they certainly come up if you know the link.

[Saturn Celeste]

17 minutes ago, gregory said:

No - the thing is - you want people who might join  to see there are reading threads here. But if you aren't registered, you shouldn't - I think - be able to READ them. And they do come up under activity, I think - they certainly come up if you know the link.

Ok, fixed. 😉  We want people to get their 5 posts before entering but now they can read that.

[gregory]

Can people who are not registered see readings at all ? I can still see Starlight's if I put the thread link in. AND it still comes up in the activity stream.

[Starlight]

Yes, and it shows up in Recent Posts, so if anyone bookmarked it in their browser, for ex, they could go straight to it without logging in and read the thread as we update it.

 

The fact that non-members can read exchanges (which contain personal details, given the nature of the work my partner and I happen to be doing) doesn't feel right...

Edited July 7, 2019 by Starlight

[Starlight]

1 hour ago, gregory said:

No - the thing is - you want people who might join  to see there are reading threads here. But if you aren't registered, you shouldn't - I think - be able to READ them.

That's my point. Thanks, Gregory. 🙂

Edited July 7, 2019 by Starlight

[DanielJUK]

okay so are the reading exchange areas viewable to people not logged in or not now? Can people see the threads, even if they cannot see the section? on AT all the exchanges were not public (hence we had to save everything for archiving). The divination discussion areas were public and you had to be careful about posting personal stuff like in talking tarot and using tarot card sections. I need privacy in exchanges from google indexing the threads publicly and people reading it later, I am fine with forum members viewing it, just not the outside world. If exchanges are available to people able to read, I will have to post all mine (outside of circles) in the subscriber only exchange 😞

Edited July 7, 2019 by DanielJUK

[Grandma]

10 minutes ago, Starlight said:

The fact that non-members can read exchanges (which contain personal details, given the nature of the work my partner and I happen to be doing) doesn't feel right...

 

Just now, DanielJUK said:

I need privacy in exchanges from google indexing the threads publicly and people reading it later, I am fine with forum members viewing it, just not the outside world. If exchanges are available to people able to read, I will have to post all mine (outside of circles) in the subscriber only exchange

I am not disagreeing with you, nor agreeing for that matter.  I don't have an opinion on this yet.  But I will point out that as someone who often posts excruciatingly personal information, I really have as little an idea of who most of the members here are as I do of the nonmembers.  It may not be a safe assumption that just because someone has signed up for a free forum open to the public they are a good person with whom we want to share intimate thoughts.  

 

And as I write this I am coming to an opinion.  I guess it's kind of all or nothing for me.  If there is something I don't want any random web surfer to know, I probably don't want any random member to know it either.

[Starlight]

4 minutes ago, DanielJUK said:

on AT all the exchanges were not public (hence we had to save everything for archiving).

And I assumed it was the same here.

 

I'm not going to change any of the content in our exchange thread now, but I would have been more careful about sharing some info if I'd known the outside world could read it.

 

And that kinda defeats the point of sharing here, doesn't it?

[Starlight]

2 minutes ago, Grandma said:

If there is something I don't want any random web surfer to know, I probably don't want any random member to know it either.

This is a good point, @Grandma. There is a risk when you join an online community because you just don't know who's online, registered or not.

 

But TT&M *is* a community and, rightly or wrongly, I feel differently about sharing within the confines of this community than I do about posting the same content on a blog, for example.

 

Threads aren't blogs. They shouldn't be available for non-members to read.

[Saturn Celeste]

The exchanges and circles are not open to guests, they are not even open to page of forums.  They can see there is a section but they can't get past the not available sign.  Same is with posts.  Guests can't even read a post from the exchange, they go to a placeholder that says they can't see the content.  Here's an example.  The first image is when I'm logged in and you can see in the topics that a section from the mentor program is highlighted.  But when I'm logged out as a guest, that does not even show up in the topics.  We have things locked down pretty well in here.  There are many sections in here that guests don't even know exist.

[Starlight]

Yup, thanks @Saturn Celeste. That's what I assumed happened with the Exchange threads - they could see the boards but not be able to read the content.

 

But I was able to go into my exchange thread while logged out and read it. I accessed it from the Recent Posts section on the Home Page.

 

Let me try again to see if that still happens. I'm using Google Chrome.

[gregory]

1 hour ago, DanielJUK said:

okay so are the reading exchange areas viewable to people not logged in or not now? Can people see the threads, even if they cannot see the section? on AT all the exchanges were not public (hence we had to save everything for archiving). The divination discussion areas were public and you had to be careful about posting personal stuff like in talking tarot and using tarot card sections. I need privacy in exchanges from google indexing the threads publicly and people reading it later, I am fine with forum members viewing it, just not the outside world. If exchanges are available to people able to read, I will have to post all mine (outside of circles) in the subscriber only exchange 😞

You cannot click on the readings area as a link in the menu. But you CAN read individual readings if you know where to go - and you CAN see them in the activity feed, and then click on them,

1 hour ago, Grandma said:

And as I write this I am coming to an opinion.  I guess it's kind of all or nothing for me.  If there is something I don't want any random web surfer to know, I probably don't want any random member to know it either.

There have been cases I recall from AT where individuals were being stalked. Within AT they were safe.

42 minutes ago, Saturn Celeste said:

The exchanges and circles are not open to guests, they are not even open to page of forums.  They can see there is a section but they can't get past the not available sign.  Same is with posts.  Guests can't even read a post from the exchange, they go to a placeholder that says they can't see the content.  Here's an example.  The first image is when I'm logged in and you can see in the topics that a section from the mentor program is highlighted.  But when I'm logged out as a guest, that does not even show up in the topics.  We have things locked down pretty well in here.  There are many sections in here that guests don't even know exist.

Sorry Saturn - I love you to bits - BUT: I am logged out here and I can read starlight's thread:

 

 

and in the activity feed when logged out it comes up and is clickable:

 

Edited July 7, 2019 by gregory