I am not sure where to post this but I put it here becuase it doesn't seem to fit in any category.
Can we add more privacy settings to TuD?
I would like ONLY MEMBERS OF TuD to be able to view my posts, blogs etc. But there is no setting for this. Only for the posts.
The reason I want this is because recently I had some guy who I barely know from online dating do a search for me on Google and one special info about me and my blogs came up and he knew it was me and he was able to read them! Ugh! So now he knows all this personal stuff about me (Including that I have diabetes) that I thought was only able to be viewed by the people on here. Not that I care about this guy but it still makes me uncomfortable. I would like to have my TuD stuff only available to members to read.
I woudl REALLY like to have the "Members Only" settings for ALL the privacy options we have. PLEASE!!!! PLEASE!!! PLEASE!!!
I won't feel comfortable blogging on here again if I think anyone out in cyberspace could read them.
I will have to change my blog settings to Friends only until this is fixed.
Tu Diabetes is a public forum like many others. Like the others, anyone can read what’s posted, but only members can add content & comments. People seeking diabetes info can search topics without becoming a member. I came here & checked out the environment before I joined. If everyone wanted their discussion posts set to private, nothing would appear on this site for people to know what it’s about (assuming that members would choose this option).
For more privacy, you could use a nickname or your initials. Also, you can just list your state & not city on your home page & set your page to private.
Once something is available through a Google search, it seems that it doesn’t disappear.
Gerri has very good suggestions… keep your private information, use aliases or name handles or petnames; do not post photos that will lead back to you,
Hope this helps.
Look at my face. I have some news for you, this is not my real face. I also know that is not your face. I have limited my personal information even for those that are my “friends.” I know you have done the same thing, although you used your full name initially. Just accept that everything you post is released into the public. And understand further that this stuff can be used “against” you, to deny you insurance, to deny you a job or in legal proceedings.
Just don’t say or reveal information that you don’t want publicly released.
I too have been “recognized” online before and now have less info about myself available. My problem is that TuD demands a zip code, which you cannot skip, even if you don’t put in your city. So if you live in a small area, like it do, it is harder to be anonymous.
The internet is a public medium. That’s it. Live with it.
Any and everything you type will be on somebody’s hard drive for screwballs like the guy you spoke about to employers. Employers and insurance investigators will look you up for various purposes.
I tell people not to use real information about yourself if you don’t want it known. Nobody has to know anything about you unless you volunteer the information and or send pictures… What are you saying to a bunch of diabetics that has to be so confidential? If that is the case then “friend” them and tell them in an email…
And that is BSC real face…I have seen him before…hahaha
I agree 100% with Gerri, keeping posts public has positive aspects. Personally, I turned to Tu for information at least 1-2 years before I joined recently. Had I not seen how amazing this place is and how many knowledgeable people there are here, I probably would not have joined. I also would have missed out on a lot of good info. The stuff you post isn’t just helping the people that you see here, it’s also helping thousands of others that you don’t see.
Geez, no one else is supportive of having their blogs private?
I misspoke myself. I realize the posts can’t be private but if we have an option for the profile to be private. Why can’t be have more specialized options for the other things? Esp. blogs.
I DID change my usename before and even the URL and the stuff MONTHS LATER still comes up in Google with my old username and I stupidly used my full name for.
I would just like te options to have only members see my blogs. The only thing it works on right now is the profile.
I guess I am going to have to change my name completely, remove all my pics and blogs. That is pretty sad that there can’t be more privacy.
Duck, I have my profile set so only members can see it. My FB is set up so only friends can look at any of my contain but on here, you only have a privacy option (against non-members) for the profile. Pretty limited.
What I don’t like if I pick the privacy options of “Just Me” or “Just Friends” for my blog for example. The settings are not true.
You can still view it from Goggle - anyhow, well, that isn’t “Just Me” or “Just Friends”. The privacy setting, technically, is NOT correct and misleading. I hope everyone understands what i am saying.
Wow can’t believe I am actually reading this for many years people have worked to have the internet and there will always be someone to misuse anything but public is public. The only thing you can do is make up an identity from the beginning and always use it. To me that is living a lie all the time. I prefer to be true to me. Good luck on you decision.
Yes, but Danny I don’t know if you realize but that also doesn’t work.
I set my blog settings to “Just Friends” - it still showed up in Google and could be viewed. I set it to “Just Me” still showed up and could be viewed (I WAS logged out by the way).
My point is that setting the blog to those settings for those whoe are logged in here may not be able to see them but if they were searching for you on Google - those “hidden” blogs would still come up.
I have just deleted all my blogs since that seems to be the only safe way to keep my privacy on here. Changed my name and removed all my pictures - even though I didn’t want too. I won’t blog here anymore until it is completely private to members only.
My feelings and, it sounds like not everyone shares them here, is that this is a special forum and if people want to learn more info about diabetes and learn and read what others have wrote than they can join. So why it is a big deal to have the forum more private?
I had my profile private so I didn’t think any one would know it was me - boy was I wrong. I am one of those people who I would like to tell people about my d MYSELF - I don’t want them hearing about from other people or like this. Maybe I am weird like that - but is just how i am. Plus, the blog had other private stuff about me too and wasn’t D related. So no more blog for me. I am just upset at how misleading the privacy settings are on here. “Just Friends” Or “Just me” - no it isn’t true.
What is the point of having privacy setting only for ONE thing? If you can make your profile to members only you should be able to the same to your blogs since they are connected to your user name.
I am also a bit sad that friends on here where like “just deal with it”. Thanks for being supportive.
Thank you Carol. I am glad someone on here see it like me too. The privacy settings on here are NOT what they say - except for the one for the profile.
I can still NOT get rid of some stuff on goggle from TEN YEARS ago that I didn’t know any better back than (and there wasn’t even any google!) that still shows up with my last name on an old usenet forum. The email address I used back than does not exist anymore so I can’t even change it.
unless you are off the grid you and things you do (and things you haven’t done but someone said you did) are not very hidable.
And as for the snooping on people’s personal lives, whether by employer (present, past, future) insurance co, government, friend, un-friend…if the person/entity doing the snooping is of questionalble morlas/ethics…they would do other things (like interviewing you neighbors, doctors etc) that are just as bad or worse that you have even less control over.
even if we went back to paper that is handed hand to hand and eaten or burned (even then sometimes peeps dind’t destroy the paper)
or only verbal communication (–the telephone game)
it is how life is now…some aspects good, some aspects bad, and bad people/entities can always do bad things , even to good people.
Kimberly, I understand your reluctance to see your info available for search to anyone on the internet. The best solution, I believe, is to remove the myspace, twitter, etc. links that you have. No one will be able to find you based on your account name here (Kimberly) or the picture of your cat, so they must have found you based on those links. I am really puzzled why anyone would provide those links.
Yes, I hate to “live a lie” too. I prefer to be the true me but it isn’t always safe if there are certain things that you would prefer to keep private right up front for some people. Google changed all that.
That is what it feels like if i make myself totally anonymous which is not the kind of person I am. But I guess I am going to have too. Thanks for you post. As you can see I have already changed my info and deleted all my blogs.
