The Sewing Place
Reception => Welcome Lounge and Information => Topic started by: Lilian on January 19, 2022, 22:03:56 PM
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I clicked on a link in my email that was a post in the 'Today' thread and it took me to the post. I was on my iPad and not logged in. Should this happen? I thought the Café was only visible to subscribers ? :thinking:
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I just checked and when logged out I can't see the Cafe at all. Maybe it was because you went in via a link?
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It took me directly to the Today thread which is in the Café, not the Café as such. Just a thought. I will try again.
It must be to do with the link.
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I think it must be to do with the link but you're right to raise the question ....
Can non registered members get notified of threads in the Café or Today threads and access them via the link in the email or did the email go to you because you are a registered member/subscriber ?
Chicken? Egg? Chicken? @Mr Twingo
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Today i opened TSP without logging in. At the bottom where is states the last post it was in the Today thread. I clicked on it and it opened for me without logging in :thinking:
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Today i opened TSP without logging in. At the bottom where is states the last post it was in the Today thread. I clicked on it and it opened for me without logging in :thinking:
Does your device remember you so you remain logged in whenever you open the site? Mine does that so I don't have to keep logging in.
Perhaps ask someone not on TSP to try on their device & see what comes up.
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I have TSP open in another browser without me being logged in, and the last post recorded is in The Darkside at 14.10, on a thread which is open to all. However, the latest post for me logged in (in a different browser, and at the same time) is in The Cafe at 14.34.
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I have just logged out and removed all cookies then tried TSP I couldn’t even see the cafe until I logged in. Not sure if this helps
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I am only logged in permanently on my laptop. i was using my ipad this morning, not logged in, if the latest post is in the Today thread it lets me read it but not reply as not logged in -<
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Yes, even when you arent logged in it seems if you click on the "view the most recent posts in the forum" link at the bottom of the page you can view all the threads in question including this one, but as @Lilian says, you can't reply or post.
Oh and you can go back via the top thread chain to all the Today threads, but if you go back beyond that to the Cafe mother section you get a login screen.
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Oh yes - as @Vezelay says, in my other browser, even though the latest post given is correct, I can get to the most recent threads through that link, although it looks as though it's only the Today Thread section that is visible - I can't see the recent posts made directly in the Cafe.
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If you're using two or more Apple devices, it's possible that 'Handover' is turned on. This is a handy feature that allows you to move seamlessly between devices and continue browsing without interruption.
Regardless, I have tweaked the permissions for the Today thread… could somebody please test?
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The 'most recent posts' link now shows me nothing from the Cafe. :thumb: (On non-Apple laptop, the same setup I was using yesterday.)
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Tweak seems to have worked @Mr Twingo. No Cafe or sub-Cafe posts including Today thread showing for me now when logged out.
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@Mr Twingo
@Renegade Sewist is having problems getting on the Today thread and has posted on page 3 of the Wordle thread. Maybe you can help advise?
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@Mr Twingo @WildAtlanticWay @Renegade Sewist
I think there might be some confusion between registered users and subscribers, but I don't know what the original plans were for the visibility of the Today thread.
I think viewing was to be limited, but I don't know whether this was to be to registered users (which @Renegade Sewist is) or to paying subscribers only (which @Renegade Sewist isn't). Perhaps @Iminei can advise.
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Personally, I prefer that The Cafe is only visible to subscribers, as otherwise anyone can easily register and read all about us, and it's not then private.
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@Bodgeitandscarper that was my concern when I realised. There can be some sensitive posts that was open to the world.
Thank you @MrTwingo :thumb:
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Not sure if I have completely lost the plot but I can't see today's daily thread.
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Some settings have been changed to restrict who can see the Today thread. It has been changed (at the moment) so that it is only viewable by subscribers.
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Thank you.
(Wanders off to check subscription status - or just withdraw quietly)
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Some settings have been changed to restrict who can see the Today thread. It has been changed (at the moment) so that it is only viewable by subscribers.
Oh! Nice to know after searching away for some time, like @Sewingsue.
Private Club then lol. :rolleyes:
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Some settings have been changed to restrict who can see the Today thread. It has been changed (at the moment) so that it is only viewable by subscribers.
Which is total BS. :rant: Sewingj, before she deleted her membership, suggested TSP should curtail the Café section. This ought to do the trick.
It was nice knowing you. I don't do BS pay walls.
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Oh! Nice to know after searching away for some time, like @Sewingsue.
Private Club then lol. :rolleyes:
Exactly. With no notice to boot.
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@Lizzy777 @Renegade Sewist I'm not sure if the subscriber only setting is what was intended - there is some confusion between registered users and subscribers. Perhaps wait and see if the settings are changed.
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Exactly. With no notice to boot.
It was me who noticed the Today thread was visible to the world. It was posted a couple of days ago on the Today thread. Knowing this thread was a child board of the Café where some personal posts are made I thought it only right to bring this to the attention of the admin. I wouldn't like to think that I had posted something personal and that anyone in the world could find.
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The permissions for the board were set to allow registered users, but not guests, to view the posts. I have changed the permissions so that only subscribers (and mods/admins, of course) can view the thread.
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Maybe we could have it set to allow registered users who have reached a certain level of posting, as well as subscribers.
I totally understand - and agree with - not wanting anyone who may have joined just to take a look seeing the more personal posts, but the intention clearly isn't to block long-standing members who just don't want to be subscribers.
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I think it should remain as subscribers only as what's the point in any of us paying. It's only £10 for a whole year which is not a lot to ask and it helps with the running costs of TSP and i also like the privacy of the today thread.
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I'd like the Cafe to be only visible to Subscribers and long-standing registered members, as Acorn suggested.
I know I've posted things that I thought were only viewable by subscribers in the past, but maybe I was wrong?
@Renegade Sewist I believe that the subscriptions actually enable the forum to exist, as there are of course costs involved with the hosting etc. Without those of us who do pay ( a piffling little £10 a year) this forum wouldn't be here.
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So what is the point of us subscribers renewing if long standing registered users get it for nothing? In my opinion (and it is only my opinion) if you are a long standing registered user and love sewing/patchworking etc and really enjoy TSP then why wouldn't you want to pay the very small fee of £10 a year to help support it? I thought it was only the Cafe that was unavailable to registered users, where we chat in privacy. They still have access to all the other threads where the actual sewing chat goes on.
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The problem with this is that we have some long-standing members who contribute regularly but are not subscribers. We don’t want to exclude them.
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I agree, @Diane , but some long-standing, much-valued members choose not to subscribe.
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I'm glad you agree @Pearl It's their choice, we all have a choice so it's down to the individual.
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I am not sure how I feel about this. It wasn't that long ago that even just £10 a year seemed like an inordinate amount of money for me to spend on just a sewing forum. Nowadays it was easy to pay it as soon as I joined.
I know I never paid on the other forum as I simply could not justify the money and ended up being lost in the ether when it all went kaput!
BB
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I don't usually get involved in this kind of discussion - I prefer a quiet life! But I do think that limiting access to The Cafe and Today thread to subscribers only would be detrimental to the membership of the forum. If you look back through the years, it was only decided at the beginning of 2018 to limit access to Registered Users - there was nothing about subscribers. I understand that subscription income helps with the running of the forum but not everyone is able to budget for that, however small it may be.
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There are two threads running concurrently on this subject, so I'll just repeat what I wrote on the other thread:
I don't usually get involved in this kind of discussion - I prefer a quiet life! But I do think that limiting access to The Cafe and Today thread to subscribers only would be detrimental to the membership of the forum. If you look back through the years, it was only decided at the beginning of 2018 to limit access to Registered Users - there was nothing about subscribers. I understand that subscription income helps with the running of the forum but not everyone is able to budget for that, however small it may be.
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I feel very uncomfortable about limiting access to the Today chat threads to Subscribers only, for several reasons.
1. I particularly value reading contributions from non UK. based members as I’m interested in what’s happening in other parts of the world, whether sewing related or not. I think anything to do with Quilting and Patchwork for instance, would be very bland with the US contributions as they have an enormous wealth of expertise over there.
2. I don’t think ANYONE should ever post anything online that is particularly sensitive because I think it’s gives the poster a false sense of security. Hackers can get into anything and regularly do so. Even if you delete stuff, it can be resurrected by IT experts.
3. It’s actually quite a faff for overseas users to pay £10 in Sterling, inc. EU countries. Luckily, I still have a UK. bank account but PayPal won’t let me pay in Sterling because I’m based here in Ireland and they automatically set my account for euros so I get charged added fees when I use it to purchase from the UK. This site is overwhelmingly made up of UK. based members so I think allowing non U.K. members who have posted an agreed minimum number of posts free access, seems perfectly reasonable to me. Their contributions in terms of knowledge is easily worth £10.
To clarify, I’m still happy to pay my £10 subscription/(donation towards the maintenance) using my UK bank account and will continue to do so.
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It was me who noticed the Today thread was visible to the world. It was posted a couple of days ago on the Today thread. Knowing this thread was a child board of the Café where some personal posts are made I thought it only right to bring this to the attention of the admin. I wouldn't like to think that I had posted something personal and that anyone in the world could find.
But anyone who has IT expertise could hack the forum and read whatever they want to. It’s far safer to assume that whatever you post online can be read by anyone. Even deleted posts are never truly vanished. :S
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Apologies in advance but I’ve copied my post from the other thread as there seems to be two threads discussing this topic at the moment and I want to give my opinion.
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I feel very uncomfortable about limiting access to the Today chat threads to Subscribers only, for several reasons.
1. I particularly value reading contributions from non UK. based members as I’m interested in what’s happening in other parts of the world, whether sewing related or not. I think anything to do with Quilting and Patchwork for instance, would be very bland with the US contributions as they have an enormous wealth of expertise over there.
2. I don’t think ANYONE should ever post anything online that is particularly sensitive because I think it’s gives the poster a false sense of security. Hackers can get into anything and regularly do so. Even if you delete stuff, it can be resurrected by IT experts.
3. It’s actually quite a faff for overseas users to pay £10 in Sterling, inc. EU countries. Luckily, I still have a UK. bank account but PayPal won’t let me pay in Sterling because I’m based here in Ireland and they automatically set my account for euros so I get charged added fees when I use it to purchase from the UK. This site is overwhelmingly made up of UK. based members so I think allowing non U.K. members who have posted an agreed minimum number of posts free access, seems perfectly reasonable to me. Their contributions in terms of knowledge is easily worth £10.
To clarify, I’m still happy to pay my £10 subscription/(donation towards the maintenance) using my UK bank account and will continue to do so.
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My favoured option would be to limit access to registered members who have received a certain number of likes or contributed a quantity of posts.
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I agree with that Mr Twingo ... is that something easily set up?
While I don't think the subscriber amount is very much money I know some people are on more fixed budgets.
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Shouldn't we have a vote on this to see what subscribers think?
By supporting The Sewing Place you will gain the ability to upload photos to the gallery and have a say in the development of the forum.
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Oh :(
It always used to be open to registered members.
Being a subscriber allows you to be able to put your photographs up here I think. That's how I used to perceive the difference?
Ah well, all life is change. Wishing you all well, although I won't see your news now :)
:vintage:
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My favoured option would be to limit access to registered members who have received a certain number of likes or contributed a quantity of posts.
This seems a good option for long standing and active members.
I had several years where I couldn't afford the subscription but still wanted to feel part of the community so I can see both sides of the discussion.
Hope we get to an amicable solution.
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My favoured option would be to limit access to registered members who have received a certain number of likes or contributed a quantity of posts.
Yes, I agree, that seems a reasonable option, as long as it's a reasonably high number of posts, maybe somewhere between 50 and 100?
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My feeling is that access to the Cafe should perhaps be restricted to registered and subscriber members. In these uncertain times, TSP has been a haven for many members especially for those who have had problems during the past months. I would hate to think that we are going to fall out over this and hope we can reach an amicable solution.
:grouphug: to all
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I'm not in favour of having to be a subscriber to be able to view the Today and Cafe threads (which I think is what the issue is?) mainly because as @WildAtlanticWay says I think it will deter overseas members.
I always thought being a member let you read 'the board'. I know it isn't a big amount to pay and all subscriptions help funds but we do want to encourage new members and as has been mentioned recently, at the moment we seem to chat more than we sew. I'm not against the chatting by the way!
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Same here. (I've cross-posted with @Helen M and seem to be saying the same thing!)
The difficulty with having a limit, of course, is that new members won't realise that there is a lively community and may not feel as welcome - and are less likely to become subscribers, too.
I definitely don't want to keep it to just subscribers, whatever else.
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Do we really want to end up like The Stitchers Guild/Artisan Square has done? Hardly any posts anywhere as you can't read the majority of the board without paying their US$35 fees. They might as well shut up shop as far as I'm concerned, and it is sad that it has reached that point IMHO.
Only last week we were singing the praises of the community aspect of TSP. Charging isn't going to do much for that is it when you can't read the thread that attracts most of posts on a daily basis?
I guess the bottom line is do you want a busy board or an almost dead one?
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I agree with @Bumblebuncher. For many people £10 is just another amount that can't be budgeted, particularly in the current climate. I can afford it but once upon a time I definitely could not. I trust nobody with online content, subscribers or not. If you don't want to share personal information with the world don't post it anywhere.
If the cafe is available to subscribers only we end up with a two tier system which penalises those who can't or just don't wish to pay a subscription. We will also lose valuable input from many members.
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The most significant protection that you have using a board that is only visible when you're logged in is that none of the search engines can access it, so nothing you say will be found by someone searching the internet.
That may well be enough protection for someone who isn't saying anything particularly sensitive, but who just doesn't want it to be open to all - which is probably most of us posting in the Cafe.
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I posted this on the other thread but IMHO it comes down to this:-
Do we really want to end up like The Stitchers Guild/Artisan Square has done? Hardly any posts anywhere as you can't read the majority of the board without paying their US$35 fees. They might as well shut up shop as far as I'm concerned, and it is sad that it has reached that point IMHO.
Only last week we were singing the praises of the community aspect of TSP. Charging isn't going to do much for that is it when you can't read the thread that attracts most of posts on a daily basis?
I guess the bottom line is do you want a busy board or an almost dead one?
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It is less than 20p per week. I think that is excellent value for money and worth every penny for the privacy of the Café. I know hackers are about and that would be unfortunate. There are also hundreds of guests browsing through our posts daily. Some of these will be opportunists looking for personal information that is easy to get.
I pay for another non UK, non sewing related forum at a cost of over £5 UK per month.
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After sitting here and thinking about all this and reading all the posts and seeing everyone's point of view, i agree that we don't want to lose valuable registered users. I agree with @Bodgeitandscarper that a registered user should have posted a minimum amount of posts, but also the number of likes should be taken in to consideration. This would automatically give access for our current registered users who do post regularly, any new users would then have to meet the set post requirement.
Good valid point made by @Helen M (Do we really want to end up like The Stitchers Guild/Artisan Square has done? Hardly any posts anywhere). I don't want to be without TSP so the answer is no.
Also what about adding in another option of a lower amount for subscribers, say £5 for the year, optional of course :) just a thought
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I’m more than happy to pay for the forum but appreciate there may be those that simply cannot justify money spent on anything but essentials. I wouldn’t like to lose long standing registered users over this. And I like reading posts from all our members overseas. It brings something a little different to the forum.
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Going back to square one, @Mr Twingo is it in fact feasible to limit the Cafe access, including the Today thread, to registered users with a certain number of posts/likes? Or if that's too difficult, can it at minimum be made invisible to guests, with no wormholes as before? Just checking what's actually possible.
Personally I don't have a strong opinion since I don't often look or post in the Cafe section, but I very much appreciate what I get for my 'foreign' sub of £11.63 a year. You're all great. :)
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Has there been a problem with new members posting in the cafe? If it ain’t broke…
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@Pearl .. I think the problem was there was a "loophole" to temporarily see cafe posts from the latest posts at the bottom of the screen or if you knew the actual link to the cafe page even when not logged in. I tested it out in a different browser that I wasn't logged onto. Presumably, the change was close that loophole but I'm only guessing.
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Has there been a problem with new members posting in the cafe? If it ain’t broke…
The more I think about it, the more I come around to this view. Obviously it was good to close the loophole, but that's a separate issue.
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Can someone join these two threads as it is difficult to read what is going on.
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If the back door is now closed I can’t see the need for any of the changes suggested here :thinking:
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I think the problem is that one is visible to all, and the other isn't, so combining them will either make posts public that were made in the private part of the forum, or cut off those who can't read the the Today Thread...
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I think the problem is that one is visible to all, and the other isn't, so combining them will either make posts public that were made in the private part of the forum, or cut off those who can't read the the Today Thread...
And here's the worry about all this now as well? Makes you wonder why a thread wasn't put up prior to the changes. Then everyone could have discussed any changes out in the open in one thread. Rather than have some members wonder what on earth had happened when the 'Today' thread just appeared to disappear? I thought that was an unkind thing to do if I am honest.
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Opps sorry I didn’t realise that
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I have amended the permissions so that access is based in the number of posts made. Anyone who has 250 or more posts to their name will see the board. (250 posts = Junior Member).
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I have tweaked the permissions this morning, so access is dependent on post count.
Anyone with a post count of at least 250 will be able to view the board.
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Just come to this thread ...
YES we need the Today thread and The Cafe to remain 'private' for registered members ... those who have registered their details with us, but not Guests who are welcome browse through the Emporia which contains the sewing threads ... But maybe a minimum post criteria would be a thought ?
Subscribers have the perk of being able to post pictures directly from their computers/devices ... not needing to have them hosted by another platform eg Google pics etc
I do hope that subscribers continue to support TSP with their subscriptions as we wouldnt be able to run without them but it is of course their choice ... I hope the warmth of TSP and the friendliness of our members is enough to warrant the very small cost of the yearly subscription.
We are coming up to Hosting renewal next month and Ive yet to be advised of the charge for the new platform the hosting company are moving us to.
Its is a worry that unread topics can bring up threads that should be seen only by registered members
Maybe we ought to restrict access to the entire Reception area of the forum which includes the Cafe/Today threads, Members Diaries to registered members only?
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@Iminei I agree about the Cafe and Today remaining private but not about the Diaries.
If that were to happen there would be very little sewing for guests/potential members to see, unless the poster also posted a separate thread elsewhere. More work and more data space taken up.
Just my thoughts. :)
Edited to add :- The more we privatise the more we are slipping into the 'Stitchers Guild' scenario.......
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I have never used another sewing forum because, when I was looking to join one, I couldn't find one that seemed welcoming until I came here. And some seemed to be very little used at all. If there are undesirable characteristics in others then we want to keep away from whatever it is they are / aren't doing.
The gardening forum I use is an offshoot of a much larger one that some of us were unhappy with and so set upon our own. It has trundled along in its small way, with changes at times, for quite a few years now.
@Lizzy777 I understand that the tweaks were made in response to some stated worries but there were unintended consequences which are now the subject of these discussions. It is not always possible to foresee the full effects of such tweaks until they have happened and it's a shame that some people came along to find 'closed doors' which was obviously a shock. The behind-the-scenes team are trying their best keep things running smoothly, believe me.
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I think most of us appreciate that this forum is run by people giving up their spare time to let us all enjoy a safe and welcoming space.
When adjustments have to be made it sometimes can have unexpected consequences that are always sorted out in a short time.
TSP has always welcomed everyone interested in any form of stitching and would new members become subscribers if most of the content was hidden from them?
I for one don’t subscribe for the ‘perks’ but to help to keep TSP going. I’ve no tech expertise so giving a small amount yearly is the best thing I can do.
Those of us who were members of the old forum remember the feelings of loss created when it suddenly folded, we don’t want that to happen again :grouphug: :grouphug:
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In response to your feedback, I've made a couple of tweaks, which I hope the TSP community finds agreeable.
Previously, upon registering, members were assigned to the Newbie group. Upon reaching 250 posts, members were promoted to Junior Member.
Tweak 1
A new group, Novice, has been created between Newbie and Junior Member. Members will be elevated to this level once 25 posts have been made.
Tweak 2
Once promoted to Novice, members will be able to view the Today thread.
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@Mr Twingo Does the same apply to the whole of "The Cafe" section? Who is that visible to please?
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Where would we like the Diarys thread to be located then please ?????
Please let me know ... moderators there is a new post in the moderator section for you to opine on
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Could the diaries be in a separate section in the emporium? Not in the wardrobe or Darkside sections, but a separate one just for diaries?
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I think the Cafe threads should be for the Novice and above since "today" is there as well as the non-sewing related things like the battle of the bulge, etc. As far as Diaries I think it's fine for those to be open since that is were we are posting our makes.
If the forum is too restrictive it won't be as inviting to new people since it will seem like there is little content. I've gone to forums with hardly any posts so joining seemed pointless.
Thanks so much @Mr Twingo for making that change. :thumb:
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Could the diaries be in a separate section in the emporium? Not in the wardrobe or Darkside sections, but a separate one just for diaries?
I think this is an excellent idea.
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In response to your feedback, I've made a couple of tweaks, which I hope the TSP community finds agreeable.
Previously, upon registering, members were assigned to the Newbie group. Upon reaching 250 posts, members were promoted to Junior Member.
Tweak 1
A new group, Novice, has been created between Newbie and Junior Member. Members will be elevated to this level once 25 posts have been made.
Tweak 2
Once promoted to Novice, members will be able to view the Today thread.
That sounds right to me. IIRC the Secret Santa exchanges were restricted to people who have made 25 or more posts, so they would be novices or higher.
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I haven't been following this thread very closely until now, so a couple of points I noticed.
A comment from an American registered member about difficulty in paying for subscription in non-US currency; that's what PayPal is for. If she doesn't wish to use PayPal then it's the same as paying for anything in a foreign currency, and likely to be expensive!
It's the subscribers who keep the forum running. Whilst it would be detrimental to block more than one or two boards from non subscribers there does have to be some perks for subscribers only, and that is the facility to easily add photos to posts without the need to add links to external sources.
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That sounds right to me. IIRC the Secret Santa exchanges were restricted to people who have made 25 or more posts, so they would be novices or higher.
So am i right in thinking that if you have only posted 25 times you can enter the secret santa? Mmm not sure i would want to share my address with someone who i wasn't familiar with on the forum (no offence). The 25 posts could contain very little content if you get my drift. Last year everyone that entered i felt i'd got to know.
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The 25 posts and more has worked well for the Five Secret Santas we have run so far so please dont be worried.
Generally peeps that take part in contests, swaps and Secret Santas tend to be more sociable and interactive in TSP.
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I have to admit, I'm in agreement with @Diane
Given that some members of the male species have given the rest of us a somewhat less than trustworthy reputation, I was worried that when entering the autumn mug rug swapathon my swapee would be wary of receiving anything from me let alone being OK with their home address being given to me.
I'll no doubt be shot for this by some, but events like swaps, meets etc I think should be behind the TSP 'paywall'. My thinking is that it keeps the majority of potential parasites from getting hold of personal information about our very nice members and if someone like me who lives on benefits designed to screw me as much as humanly possible can afford a quid a month, few other people have a valid excuse to groan about it.
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Mmmm :thinking: I agree about not cutting people out but I do also tend to agree about swoops etc. I think they should be for subscribers only and dare I say if someone wishes to take part and is in a position of not being a subscriber @Iminei has the discretion to include them, as I know she is fair about such things.
I was very wary of taking part in anything which includes giving my address etc and when you consider that we are often telling the same people we are away on holiday or with family, leaving that said address empty. Just something to think about.
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My concern was that someone could easily get 25 posts by just responding to a post very briefly
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It's a tricky one @Diane but you can't 'legislate' for every eventuality. If anyone was desperately determined to come and steal our personal details, I think they could find plenty of ways to do it.
Anything we do online carries an element of risk but I'm pretty sure that organisations which steal identities would want a lot of information all at once not just the few that post here and not by joining a forum and posting 25 times to get access.
Perhaps, if you still want to join in swaps and the like, you could make a personal request to the organiser that you don't want to swap with anyone posting fewer than 200 times or whatever you think is safer for you.
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Perhaps, if you still want to join in swaps and the like, you could make a personal request to the organiser that you don't want to swap with anyone posting fewer than 200 times or whatever you think is safer for you.
That's a very good point @Flobear :thumb:, this will make me feel more comfortable joining in the swaps .
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@Diane I felt like you about the swaps initially which is why I didn't join in the first few after I joined the forum. However after reading many posts I felt I had got to know people so that when swaps were mentioned & I saw those same names putting themselves forward I felt secure enough to join on. The few I've done have been to people miles away from me, I don't know if that's part of @Iminei planning but I do think if someone was thinking of breaking & entering while a swappee was on holiday, they probably wouldn't travel a couple of hundred miles to do so.
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I know I regard regular posters as 'people I know' and enjoy and value our community, but
those of us who have been here for some time may remember a regular poster who vanished - with some feeling that her accounts of her life were not entirely accurate IIRC.
The internet does not sadly come with guarantees.
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Ah! Yes, that was an odd one. I'd been thinking her stories were fictional.
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I think most regulars treated her stories as enjoyable fiction ...and we were proved correct. Shame really, just imagine if it had all been true :laughing:
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Life sadly doesn't come with guarantees. A dear colleague of mine from school was courted and taken in by a very nice man who, after 2 years made off with her life savings. Pre internet days. Fortunately such people are rare.
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It's very sad that so many of us feel as vulnerable as this. In order for this forum to continue to be as successful as it has been however, we have a tightrope to walk to keep the balance. In my view the only answer is, if you are worried then, be very careful what information you give out and don't participate in any activity that requires your address to be given if you don't want to. You should know that no-one thinks any less of those who decline to take part. The forum is here for members to
use to whatever extent they wish and respect the right of others to do the same. We are all different and that's what makes this a community.
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My concern is not so much someone trying to access my bank details or whatever, but someone stalking me on the internet. I can think of two occasions since this forum started that a long-standing poster either went back through all their posts and deleted personal stuff, or was openly stalked by someone being unpleasant.
There can be a build-up of information posted over the years that makes someone easy to track down in real life, and what we say to our friends here we might not want our next-door neighbours reading. I was, for example, going to post something on the PITA mother thread, but then wondered if I should leave such information available for all time.
I know that someone having paid £10 a year, or posted 25 posts or whatever, isn't going to completely stop such behaviour, but I suspect that such trolls would go elsewhere rather than spend money.
I wonder if things like the "Today" threads ought to be deleted after a certain amount of time? Could the system automatically delete them after a month?
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those of us who have been here for some time may remember a regular poster who vanished - with some feeling that her accounts of her life were not entirely accurate IIRC.
In case she re-appears in the future and people have forgotten, let's get this straight. She left the previous forum, because she knew she would be banned, after she was exceptionally nasty to one of the moderators. She came back here, and then stirred trouble and accused one of the mods of abusing her, then got banned from here.
This kind of person is why people might want to be careful with posting too much personal stuff.
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I hadn’t realised she was on the other forum. I must admit after reading one or two of the posts I almost lost the will to live and decided I had better things to do with my time. Who knows, maybe folks think the same of some of my waffle! :laughing:
It’s very sad to think there are such awful people out there that the nice people on here have to think twice about participating in what should be a fun activity that draws people closer together.
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I keep hearing about this 'other person' but I must have completely missed all the posts as I have no idea who it was! I was on the other forum as well from time to time.
I am of the feeling that these cases are extremely rare and if you worry you wouldn't join any forum or pay for anything online. You need to give out credit card details for all kinds of things that are far more dangerous than being on this forum. I don't dwell on the 'what ifs' because life is too short. Just do what you feel happy with, but if everything is locked behind closed doors the forum will become somewhat boring.
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I agree with being realistic and sensible while remembering that the vast vast majority of people are just ordinary folk who mind their own business. Each person must do what feels most comfortable.
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This 'other person' was no danger, in the sense of trying to swindle anyone, but she told the most awful porkies about her private life!
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When all this kicked off i think i just over thought it :rolleyes: that's what anxiety does for you.
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I remember it well. I thought she was quite amusing.
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Well, @Diane , as a past-master of anxiety I can sympathise. It's good if a bit of a discussion has put things in perspective :hug:
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@Flobear With me there's no gradual climb to high anxiety, it's straight there at 100mph :faints: i find it exhausting
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I remember it well. I thought she was quite amusing.
I did pick up one tip from her (or her imaginary seamstress mother, or was it grandmother) to keep all the bits from a project together in a basket, box or other container until that project is completed. You never know when you might need another bit of the same fabric!
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I remember it well. I thought she was quite amusing.
And I discovered that I was far more gullible than I thought I was.
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Me too @Sewingsue . Her tales were entertaining & as they got more fantastical I started to realise it was all fiction. Don't know why anyone would bother, maybe she was trying out short stories on us!
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Me too @Sewingsue . Her tales were entertaining & as they got more fantastical I started to realise it was all fiction. Don't know why anyone would bother, maybe she was trying out short stories on us!
Simply for the attention gained I thought. Much like people posting things on Facebook for "likes".