PRIVACY SETTINGS FOR OVACOME BLOGS

[Whippit]

Dear all

I'm concerned that members may not be aware of the consequences of using the default privacy setting when creating blogs.

For some reason the site recommends making your blogs 'visible to everyone'. This has serious consequences in that your blog, the blog photo and any attendant comments posted up will be visible to the world at large.

If you wish to restrict your blogs to members who have registered and have logged in to the site then do not use the default recommended privacy setting for your blog. Under Step 3: Preview and Public click the radio button to select 'Blog is visible only to members of this community'.

[Hidden]

Thanks for flagging this up Annie

Monique x

[Whippit in reply to Hidden]

I think I might have to repost the blog from time-to-time. I feel really uncomfortable that complete strangers might be reading our comments and looking at our photos. I'd be horrified if my former colleagues, neighbours and casual acquaintances could track what I say to my friends online here at Ovacome. This blog - by the way - is visible to the world at large but if anyone adds any personal comments I'd change the settings via the 'edit' option. I really care for the women I've met on this site and some of the things we talk about just aren't for public consumption.

I tried giving feedback to Health Unlocked but they didn't agree this was a problem. I feel they are misleading people by recommending the public setting. Ovacome suggested I just keep mentioning it so I do comment from time-to-time.

xxx love Annie

[Yogini01uk]

Hi Annie

Thank you for keeping on reminding us. I try to remember to click the members only button. We are baring our souls on this site and its not nice for non members to have privy to our comments. Come on girls lets all stick together on this one.

Love

Jean. Xxxxxxxx??????

[Whippit in reply to Yogini01uk]

Bless you Jean. I wasn't sure whether I am being a complete pain in the you-know-what about this.

Friends are very dear to me, and no one more dear than my online friends on this site. I'm just so upset that Health Unlocked won't do anything about the 'recommended' privacy setting given that many ladies using the site are unused to modern technology and don't understand that what they post may be on general view. Sometimes we might not want to share what we post on this site with our husbands, partners, children or best friends and that's because our nearest and dearest aren't in our shoes and might not understand or we might not want to worry them.

I would wholeheartedly support the suggestion that some questions and blogs are right to be in the public domain because the information is of interest to everyone and might help to prevent cancer in other ladies. Our banter and the support we give one another is not. It could be argued the PM facility should be the place for us to post supportive messages but if you're feeling down or worried, or just want to post something up there's something very reassuring and comforting about having so many friends taking the time to add responses to a thread.

If enough members express an opinion on this I can hit the 'Feedback' Button and ask Health Unlocked to reconsider their stance on privacy settings.

Let's hope there are more responses. xxxx

love Annie xxx

[Hidden in reply to Whippit]

Annie I commented (below) before I've read your reply to Jean, but as you can see I do agree...I was just holding back yesterday to see other peoples response to this...I feel sometimes I am the only one that has strong views about things (and don't want to be a pain in the proverbial) I feel people must think there she (me) goes again. Love x G x

[Whippit in reply to Hidden]

Dear Eira Gwyn, I don't ever think of you or anyone else here as a 'pain in the proverbial'. Everyone has a right to have an opinion so long as it's not derogatory to a person or group of people and to share their opinions with others. The site profits from this. xx love Annie

[Hidden]

Hi Annie Actually,

I agree and add my thanks as well, I am sure you already know how I feel, I think this blog is a very good idea, then people are more aware and can choose for themselves if it matters to them,I don't see how H.U don't think it is a problem, unless of course they feel we already have a facility to message people privately, but people don't always respond to this, so we are not sure whether they have read it or not.... at the end of the day it's choices...but let us have informed choices (oh dear now I'm on my band wagon again) LOL cheers love x G x

[Archiebanana]

Dear Annie

Please don't veer think you are being a pain about this, it is so important to keep our privacy. I would never want the things I say being read by all and sundry. Until you pointed this out to me I was totally unaware and I'm sure a lot of ladies are.

After talking about PICC lines on the site I googled it to find out more information, I was really shocked to find one of the ladies from the site came up on the google site, when I pressed it , it took me into this ladies comment and from there I could read here profile. I had no idea that such things were visible, and I personally think Health Unlocked should be concerned.

I for one think I have been in a bubble and just didn't realise that anyone may be able to read what I write from the heart.

I know this is something I get on my soapbox about, but iit is something I feel strongly about, and it surprises me that others don't.

Keep up the posting of it Annie...well done!

Love Linda xxx

[Whippit in reply to Archiebanana]

Dear Linda - thanks for your support. If enough of us are of the same opinion we can appeal to Health Unlocked who run the site.

I have been given to believe that our 'Profile' is accessible only to members who have logged in to the site. I think what happened in your case is that you were already logged in to the Health Unlocked Ovacome site when you did your Google search for PICC lines and then when Google directed you to the member's blog your computer was already logged in so you had the privilege of Membership to view the Profile as well as the blog and posts.

From the perspective of the member who blogged about PICC line the reason her blog appeared in the Google list was because she had used the default 'visible to everyone' setting. If you select 'visible to Members of the Community only' the blog and our comments won't appear on a Google Search list.

Should anyone be worried as to whether or not their historical blogs are visible to the world you can look up all your blogs on My Blog Posts in the grey bar at the top of the webpage. You can open and edit any of your own blogs by clicking on 'edit' and then reset the privacy settings. The status of the privacy setting is given on a grey bar at the top of the blog.

Hopefully everyone is reassured that Health Unlocked do ensure our profiles are only visible to members who have logged in to the site.

Hopefully this is helpful. xxx Annie

[Archiebanana in reply to Whippit]

Dear Annie

Thank you for that information. I can get by on a computer but would never profess to being very good. I'm relieved and am sure that's probably what happened with me re the PICC info. It just quite shocked me at the time. I hope the lady concerned has realised now.

I don't blog very much but I do add to other peoples and if they have not opted for privacy then everyones comments will be seen, but this site is to valuable to me to stop.

Thanks again Annie.

Linda xxx

[wendydee]

Totally agree, Annie! I think I have marked 'members only' with blogs in the past, but will have to check. Thanks for flagging this issue.

Love Wendy xx

[wendydee]

Ooooops! Have found quite a few that I hadn't marked 'members only' . I've just changed all the ones that were not secure to this site. Thanks again for mentioning this

W xx

[Whippit in reply to wendydee]

Glad you thought it was OK to mention this. Just your changing your permissions to 'Members Only' is indication enough surely for Health Unlocked to take notice that people are inadvertently using the default insecure setting.

Love Annie xxx

[wendydee in reply to Whippit]

Good idea! xx

[Hidden]

Hi Annie

thank you for the reminder it is so easy just send comments with out remembering to make sure its only for this site. I have to think twice and I am sure when I started I may have forgotten. Please keep us on our toes and dont think twice about it. Very appreciated

Cheers Barbara

[Whippit in reply to Hidden]

Dear Barbara - your first blog, 'A good result not a cure but respite' is insecure and could be accessed by anyone. You can list all your blogs by clicking 'My Blogs' and from that list you can see which are 'visible only to Members of the Community'. You can select/open any blog from this pane and edit it by clicking on the top-right corner of the blog and under Section 3: Preview and Public, click the radio button to make the setting 'Visible only to Members of the Community'.

love Annie xx

[Hidden in reply to Whippit]

Hi Annie

Thanks for that have amended and will make sure I do that in future. It is confusing when they recommend the other, a bit naughty.

Cheers Barbara

[Whippit in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Barbara - that's a really helpful comment and I'll check with you all that you don't mind my referring this blog and thread to Health Unlocked so they understand their guidance is confusing. xxxx love Annie