Profile Privacy -- and what else is private, and what's not

[darkwaves]

When I logged in, my profile settings were changed, so that my birthdate/age was no longer hidden. This might be something others should be aware of, and reset if desired.

Also, would it be helpful in all this early confusion to have a sticky about what threads and forums are private and which aren't, and list any other resets members might wish to check for?

I'm holding off posting much until that becomes clear.

Thanks for all the work on this!

[snowbear]

I'd love to see that information, too. I'm not posting anything private until everything settles down.
Also, I think copying over the sticky that used to be at "New Start Here!" would go a long way.
:twocents:

[Just_Isabel]

When I logged in, my profile settings were changed, so that my birthdate/age was no longer hidden. This might be something others should be aware of, and reset if desired.

Eek! Thanks for the warning, DW!
I don't like having my d.o.b. public. Funny thing - I went to the "edit my profile" page to add the hair type info but totally missed the privacy settings for that! :wacko:

[Ursula]

I'm still trying to sort that out, as well.

Particularly in regards to blogs. I miss my journal, and it was private. A blog might be a decent substitute, but I don't particularly want the whole world to see it.

(I'm not thrilled with the idea of substituting blogs for journals. One of the nice things around here was that most discussion was not based on individual journals, but on topical threads. A collection of individual blogs with comments, even on the same general subject, doesn't make a community in the same way a forum does, and I worry about discussion becoming more blog- and individual- focused, rather than topic oriented. Personally, if I want to discuss something, I've always found a good thread on the topic, and my journal was mostly personal ramblings that were for amusement, but that I didn't feel a need for further discussion on.)

[darkwaves]

I feel the same way about the public blog settings -- I'm wary about posting, but I don't want to restrict my blog to just to pre-selected friends because a group of individual, restricted blogs would create huge limitations for the community as well.

Maybe in a few days this will all get sorted out.

[harpgal]

A change is always tough. Hang in there and give it some time. If you are the least bit nervous about posting something personal, wait for a while 'til the dust settles.

[Denise]

One can set one's blog so that only friends can see it; if it is set so that "everyone" can see it, that does include unregistered guests (just as it was with the old public journals). One can also set it so that others cannot comment on blog entries, which makes it like the journals were before; also, if the general setting is that others can comment, the option remains with each individual post to turn off the comment option.

[zift]

I have some concerns as well. Maybe if we create a private blog option too like in the old boards so that people with an amount of post and membership can have access. I do not really want to block the blog to the community but I don't want everyone to see as well. And I cannot make all the old members my friend to view the blog right?

[physicschick]

And I cannot make all the old members my friend to view the blog right?
That's what I'm doing--adding all several thousand old members as my friends. It will take me a while. :lol: Seriously, though, anyone who likes to read your journal will probably friend you once they realize they don't have access. They won't just sit around feeling sorry for themselves.

[Cinnamon Hair]

That's my main concern. Won't this alienate the new LHCers...as they become a part of the community everyone will already have their blogs set on private and these people won't get a chance to join in. Also there are lots of journals I don't subscribe to, but might read on occassion or just browse to see if they're interesting, and if everyone has theirs set to private the chances to me going through the trouble to read is unlikely. I think it restricts the journal readership big time!

[aisling]

I think this "Friends" system (and also social groups) can be used for bullying and locking people out, I'm not sure everybody will always use it in a nice way. Everything that creates certain groups can and usually will be misused, that's my sad experience from similar forum formats.

[physicschick]

I think this "Friends" system (and also social groups) can be used for bullying and locking people out, I'm not sure everybody will always use it in a nice way. Everything that creates certain groups can and usually will be misused, that's my sad experience from similar forum formats.

Well, it will be interesting to see how it pans out. Honestly, as this site has grown so large, there has been some splitting into smaller subgroups already. For example, consider the ongoing banter and conversations that occurred in the photo journals. That wasn't something I participated in, since it's not my preferred mode for interacting with people. I didn't feel excluded, exactly, but I didn't feel like I was a part of those groups. On a site this large, there will always be some self-selection into smaller groups. I hope that we will continue to be welcoming to and inclusive of new members. Remember, we still have all the forums to post on, and newbies are posting there too!

I want to add a modly reminder that the standards of this site apply to ALL parts of the site, regardless of how public or private they might be. I think all the blog posts and comments and stuff have "report post" buttons on them. If you're concerned that somebody is bullying or being rude, do not hesitate to report the posts. With all these possible areas for people to post, there's no way the mods can watch them all, so we will definitely appreciate everyone keeping us aware of potential problems.

[Nightshade]

I guess I'm a bit on the other side of this one...I never started a photo journal because the site was SO big there were probably literally thousands of people that met the 60 days/100 posts requirement, and I just wasn't comfortable with that sort of viewership. I wrote a lot in my journal, but never had anything anyone could respond to, much less anything I was inclined to post more photos of myself to.

It isn't that there are people I want to keep out of my journal, so much as I like the sense of security and control that it has.

If the way it's operated now keeps people from absently browsing, that sucks, but that's an acceptable trade-off for me in this instance.

I know in the past people have been concerned that there were cliques and something like this may reinforce that and may put off new members. On the other hand, just like mods had the right to approve people to view the photo threads based on the quality of their posts on the old boards, we now have that sort of mod control, just over our blogs. I think 99.9% of the time anyone that sends a request will be accepted, and many members will keep a public blog to involve the newbies, just like what happened on the old boards.

Sorry for the rambling :)

[aisling]

Yes, I saw that the report button seems to show up everywhere, that's great. It can however be hard to report things if you're locked out, not allowed to be a friend or so. Even if groups formed before, everybody (that's everybody with enough posts and days) where still able to read those neverending discussions on the photo thread for example. Now you can actually lock people out by making your blog friends only and not befriending people.

Of course I'm probably looking like a sneaky bastard myself now for even thinking this :D I just have such bad experiences from friends and group systems online that I'm very suspicious, I really hope it will work better here.

[Cinnamon Hair]

Aisling, I can sympathize. I keep the majority (if not all) of my stuff on my website so anyone can view it but that's also the reason I don't have a blog/photo journal. I'm not very good at keeping up the chatter, and would hate for people to feel rejected because I didn't post in their photo journal or reply to their blog after they said something in mine.

[Buddaphlyy]

Well, I'll be keeping my blog/journal open for everyone. I probably won't allow people to comment though. I do wish I could get my tickers back though.

[peacecat3]

I, too, really liked the qualified openness of the old journals. I don't want to make my blog here friends-only, because there may be readers who I don't know about, and I know I wouldn't like not being able to read a journal I used to be able to. Also, I've made a bunch of friends through my journal, people I wouldn't have known to befriend, because they dropped in and communicated with me. I wouldn't want to stop that. Who knows if there are members here who I don't know yet, who I'd want to get to know?

That said, I'm wary of posting as freely to my blog here as I used to at my old private journal. Even if I didn't know my readers, I always had the utmost faith (and still do!) in our moderators weeding out the fruits and freaks before they gained access to the restricted boards. I would love to see the blogs restricted like the other off-topic boards. And for those who really want their blogs friends-only, they could still have that option.

Is this possible?

[Just_Isabel]

One can set one's blog so that only friends can see it; if it is set so that "everyone" can see it, that does include unregistered guests (just as it was with the old public journals). One can also set it so that others cannot comment on blog entries, which makes it like the journals were before; also, if the general setting is that others can comment, the option remains with each individual post to turn off the comment option.

I don't see the comments as a problem because even if one decides to allow them, they can be moderated. :D
I'm more worried about not being careful, writing something personal, and later regretting that for whatever reason. It also makes me feel uneasy that if a blog is set to public, it can be found through google - it can, right? if it's visible to anyone, even non-members?


Even if I didn't know my readers, I always had the utmost faith (and still do!) in our moderators weeding out the fruits and freaks before they gained access to the restricted boards. I would love to see the blogs restricted like the other off-topic boards. And for those who really want their blogs friends-only, they could still have that option.

Is this possible?

I totally agree with this.
Sure, a 100 post / 60 day restriction doesn't make something really private, but it does take effort to get those 100 quality posts. I know that for me it did take a while, and if I hadn't had intentions of being part of the community, I wouldn't have bothered, so I think it was a good filter.

[zule]

I will miss my journal terribly. It was such an important part of LHC to me. It was a release, fun and a record of my life.

I have no idea who read my journal. Certainly more people than I know, from the numbers. I just hope they take the trouble to add me to their friends list so that I know who they are, and I can do the reverse with those who have no clue I read theirs.

[PatGear]

Seriously, though, anyone who likes to read your journal will probably friend you once they realize they don't have access. They won't just sit around feeling sorry for themselves.Ahem, I did just that yesterday. :o I was pretty sure the person doesn't know me but I loved her journal on the old board. Ok, you've convinced me to send the friend request.

[peacecat3]

Okay, I understand that now the blogs are restricted? Just like the Off-Topic forums? What are the restrictions? Is it 25 posts? Is there a time limit? I also see that in the User CP, there's a box for “Networking”, and then “Group Memberships,” where you can select if you're a “Member-Level 1” or a “Member-Level 2, with 25+ messages posted.” I selected level 2, but is that done automatically? I agree with Just_Isabel, in that the more stringent requirements of 100 posts & 60 days greatly helped determine who was really interested in being part of the community. If it's just 25 posts, someone can do that in 30 minutes. (Not me, I'm still not even a guru in olde LHC-speak, after being here three and a half years, but still. :shrug: )

[Jennifer]

Okay, I understand that now the blogs are restricted? Just like the Off-Topic forums? What are the restrictions? Is it 25 posts? Is there a time limit? I also see that in the User CP, there's a box for “Networking”, and then “Group Memberships,” where you can select if you're a “Member-Level 1” or a “Member-Level 2, with 25+ messages posted.” I selected level 2, but is that done automatically? I agree with Just_Isabel, in that the more stringent requirements of 100 posts & 60 days greatly helped determine who was really interested in being part of the community. If it's just 25 posts, someone can do that in 30 minutes. (Not me, I'm still not even a guru in olde LHC-speak, after being here three and a half years, but still. :shrug: )

We're still discussing options, but for now we figured it was good to at least make "public" not so public. One of which is the possibility of a 3rd level (ie. 100 posts/60 days), but we're just figuring all this out too.

As of now, "public" is just 25 posts, yes someone has to go to the trouble of registering and posting 25 times, but at least that means guests and just anyone on the internet cannot view them. It's a start. Those are meant to be public, not more private like the friends only one though, so too many restrictions wouldn't exactly make them public. ;)

We've always had public journals and that's been a large draw to the community in the past. The way it has been set now there are truly no public (viewable by anyone) blogs. But, we wanted everyone to feel safer posting in them without having to go friends only.

We are trying to find ways to please everyone though. :flower:

[Prettypolly]

Yeah I had a mini freakout too when I realised my full date of birth and age were on show again!!

So... in the blog options, if you have "everyone else may view your blog" ticked, it means everyone who has 25 or more posts? Also if you have all the options unticked does it mean NO ONE can view it, except you? Just wanted to make sure I understood it. :)

I think it'd be cool to have another "level" similar to the private journals from the old forum!

One last thing - is it possible to make blog posts which have different privacy settings? i.e. your whole blog might be public but you can post an entry that is private.

[peacecat3]

We're still discussing options, but for now we figured it was good to at least make "public" not so public. One of which is the possibility of a 3rd level (ie. 100 posts/60 days), but we're just figuring all this out too.

As of now, "public" is just 25 posts, yes someone has to go to the trouble of registering and posting 25 times, but at least that means guests and just anyone on the internet cannot view them. It's a start. Those are meant to be public, not more private like the friends only one though, so too many restrictions wouldn't exactly make them public. ;)

We've always had public journals and that's been a large draw to the community in the past. The way it has been set now there are truly no public (viewable by anyone) blogs. But, we wanted everyone to feel safer posting in them without having to go friends only.

We are trying to find ways to please everyone though. :flower:

Thanks, Jennifer and Stephanie and all the other mods, admin, and dieties! I don't want to sound whiney or demanding or anything, but I know I'm not the only one with these concerns. I know some, more generous and altruistic souls, keep and have always kept their journals public for the benefit of newcomers and lurkers, but there are others who loved the more private journals. I know that this change has brought a lot of headaches and there's a learning curve, but this pulling together and figuring out ways to do things that benefit the entire community are what have always made LHC the best forum on the 'net, and truly "home." :flower:

[Dianyla]

So... in the blog options, if you have "everyone else may view your blog" ticked, it means everyone who has 25 or more posts? Also if you have all the options unticked does it mean NO ONE can view it, except you? Just wanted to make sure I understood it. :)
Yes, that's correct.


I think it'd be cool to have another "level" similar to the private journals from the old forum!
Unfortunately we can only have two levels:
Public - this is set site-wide and decided by the moderation team. Currently set to 25+ posts members but may be changed (most likely to increase security)
Contacts Only - this is set by each user, who also is in charge of deciding who they list as a contact


One last thing - is it possible to make blog posts which have different privacy settings? i.e. your whole blog might be public but you can post an entry that is private.
No. The privacy settings apply to the entire blog, not per-entry.

[Prettypolly]

Thank you!! It's all starting to become clearer now. :)

I think if we can only have 2 levels, increasing the security of the "public" setting would be a good choice. Although saying that, this would also mean there are no old-style public journals, which some members might not like.

I'm quite sure you guys will be able to find a happy medium though. I have faith! :grin:

[Ursula]

That's what I'm doing--adding all several thousand old members as my friends. It will take me a while. :lol: Seriously, though, anyone who likes to read your journal will probably friend you once they realize they don't have access. They won't just sit around feeling sorry for themselves.

Hmm... that seems like a strange use of a "friends" function, to me, but then I'm not particularly familiar with blog groups (as opposed to reading a single blog), and I've always defined "friend" quite narrowly. I was thinking of the function more as a way to keep track of a small number of people I'm particularly interested in conversing with, rather than as a way of tagging the bulk of reliable members here.

I guess I'm just confused, but that's nothing new...

[snowbear]

Hmm... that seems like a strange use of a "friends" function, to me, but then I'm not particularly familiar with blog groups (as opposed to reading a single blog), and I've always defined "friend" quite narrowly. I was thinking of the function more as a way to keep track of a small number of people I'm particularly interested in conversing with, rather than as a way of tagging the bulk of reliable members here.

I guess I'm just confused, but that's nothing new...
Well, that's how I've decided to use it for the time being:
Anyone with whom I'm familiar (read: not a creepy person) is welcome to be added to my contacts list. (This may change if I start to post more private stuff.)
My friends list, however, is limited to people I've met in real life, or am otherwise more connected to. (This will not change.)

I'm probably going to narrow down my contacts soon, though. Possibly to the same level as my "friends".

I'm glad there is more security in the blogs now. I held back posting a lot on the old journals, since the requirement to read them was so easy to get to.

[Ursula]

Well, that's how I've decided to use it for the time being:
Anyone with whom I'm familiar (read: not a creepy person) is welcome to be added to my contacts list. (This may change if I start to post more private stuff.)
My friends list, however, is limited to people I've met in real life, or am otherwise more connected to. (This will not change.)

I'm probably going to narrow down my contacts soon, though. Possibly to the same level as my "friends".

I'm glad there is more security in the blogs now. I held back posting a lot on the old journals, since the requirement to read them was so easy to get to.

So, "Friends" and "Contacts" are different things? I hadn't realized that.

I think what I will do for now is, if someone makes a "Friend" request, I'll make them a "Contact" if I recognize the name, since I figure what is wanted is to have access to my blog (should I start one), (I don't think there is a "Contact" request, is there?) and I'll use "Friend" to keep track of the very small number of people I want to keep track of that way. I'm not putting the energy into sorting through all the people here to create a large number of contacts, just because I'm interested mostly in conversation, not sorting out social stuff.

[snowbear]

So, "Friends" and "Contacts" are different things? I hadn't realized that.

I think what I will do for now is, if someone makes a "Friend" request, I'll make them a "Contact" if I recognize the name, since I figure what is wanted is to have access to my blog (should I start one), (I don't think there is a "Contact" request, is there?) and I'll use "Friend" to keep track of the very small number of people I want to keep track of that way. I'm not putting the energy into sorting through all the people here to create a large number of contacts, just because I'm interested mostly in conversation, not sorting out social stuff.
That's exactly what I do right now, but it's about to change. I'm going to go through my contacts tonight and keep only those with whom I feel comfortable letting them read my blog and seeing my photos. I want to do face photos, and I'm very careful about face photos on the internet. Nothing is 100% secure, but this latest level of privacy is definitely good (at least in my opinion).

So far friends are listed in your profile, while contacts are not. That seems to be the only difference.

[icydove]

No. The privacy settings apply to the entire blog, not per-entry.

Oh, I didn't get that. You can do per-entry settings on TBB if I am remembering correctly, so I thought you could here. Hmm...I'm going to have to rethink things now :ponder:

[darkwaves]

So far friends are listed in your profile, while contacts are not. That seems to be the only difference. You can see your own contacts on your profile, but other people can't see them.

Interesting -- I wonder how or if people can find out if they are contacts?

[snowbear]

You can see your own contacts on your profile, but other people can't see them.

Interesting -- I wonder how or if people can find out if they are contacts?
I don't think they can. Go forth and experiment! :grin:

[icydove]

I may be misinterpreting this, but I take it that "contacts" can read anything you post as private without them having to approve anything. It is a one-way relationship. You are granting them access. A "friend" is a two-way relationship where you both can read each other's private postings.

[darkwaves]

I think you've got it, icydove. Thanks!

[Ursula]

I don't think it can be quite that - I have people in my contacts list, who I put there because they sent me a friend request, and I unselected "Friend" but they remain on my contacts list (but not marked as friends) and I assume I'm still on their "Contacts" list.

So it can't just be that mutual contacts are friends...

[talullah]

Contacts are a one-way deal. If I add someone to my contacts, they can see my blog (should I set it to contacts-only). I cannot, however, see their private stuff unless they add me to their contact list, too. They also have no way of knowing they've been added to my list unless they realize that they can still see my blog after I've made it restricted, etc.

Friending someone makes it a little easier because you can both grant someone access to your restricted stuff and ask for access to their restricted stuff, in one step. Friending automatically adds them to your contact list, and they can add you to their contacts or friends or both if they so choose. If you want to see someone's private stuff, you either have to send them a friend request, or shoot them a PM asking them to add you to their contacts. Just adding them to your contacts doesn't let you see their private stuff; it just lets them see yours.

And as others have said, your friends are listed on your profile, but no one can see who your contacts are except you.

ETA: you can have mutual contacts that are not friends--i.e., you can both add each other as contacts and read each other's private stuff without being friends.

[physicschick]

See the explanation of contacts and friends that Dianyla posted on the Site Happenings board:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=390