These Forum Topics Are Published In Google Search.

[Guest maia]

I just Googled a doctor i had posted about recently, and a link to this site along with the first few lines of my post came up on the Google search page.

I am a little concerned.

Can someone tell me if this is a fluke, or are these posts just not confidential?

thank you.

[MomtoGiuliana]

Posts on DINET forum are not private as far as I know. If you are not logged in, you can still read posts, you just can't reply. However, I "flagged" this question so that admins or other moderators who know more than I co can answer your question too.

[comet555]

Every forum I've ever posted on has been public (ie. will show up on google).

Think about it this way, before you signed up you were able to read through the topics and replies. So once you sign up and start posting all of your posts are visible to anyone that is a member or not.

Google just crawls around the internet and kind of takes snapshots of everything. So anything on the web (blogs, discussion forum, facebook, etc) can be found by googling it.

If you have a more unique username (like mine, comet555) then you can even do a google search on the username and you can see all of my posts on various forums since I've always used the same username. Didn't really think that through! This is why it's important to choose a username that doesn't identify you (like your first and last name). Just the first name isn't too bad but I've seen people username contain both first and last which isn't the smartest thing to do.

[janiedelite]

I believe that whatever is posted in this forum can be viewed by the general public, whether by searching on the DINET forum as a non-member or using an internet search engine.

[HopeSprings]

Oh my, that is concerning. How do I change my username?

[janiedelite]

Naomi, I asked our forum administrator about this. I'll let you know what I find out.

[Sallysblooms]

Yes, anytime you post, it can show up with a search.

[Guest maia]

Thank you for the replies. i dont think i like this... Comet555, unfortunately i didnt realize these posts were public before i signed up. I didnt find it through online searches but through the pots page and didnt see anything onlne before joining.

TO A MODERATOR/AMIN: (excuse caps, not yelling) Is there any way to make my comments private? ie. not visible on the open internet?

[Guest maia]

Oh my, that is concerning. How do I change my username?

Im wondering the same?? AND, how do i eliminate my name history so all posts reflect a new username that i need to create.

and ps, i like the new options that are popping up...

[Rachel]

Yes, the forum is visible to the public and to search engines. This isn't an option we can change. If you log out of the forum you will be able to scroll through topics and see what they look like to non-members. Non-members cannot see signatures, but they do see everything else. We encourage our members to be careful in what they post. Personal messages and emails between members are private, and cannot be seen by anyone else.

We often have people with dysautonomia come and read on the forum, but not join for many months. They come here to learn and gather information, and the forum is a helpful resource to them. It's not often that we have someone come here with ill intentions, but it can happen. The moderators work hard to keep this forum a safe place for all.

Even in places like facebook where you can control your privacy settings, it is important to remember that what you are placing on the internet could still potentially be viewed by the public. We probably all have friend's whose facebook accounts or email accounts were hacked. When someone guesses your password and gets into your account, they can read everything you have. Strong passwords are a necessary precaution.

It is not possible to change your username and delete your old screen name. Administrators can delete an account, but all of the posts and the original screen name will still be visible. It is possible for an admin to delete every post and topic under a member's name, however this is a very tedious and time consuming process, and it is something we only do in very exceptional cases (ie, if someone is being stalked or if their safety is seriously at risk).

If privacy is a big concern to you, the best option you have is to edit all of your posts by yourself. You can do this by clicking on the edit button underneath your posts. Remove all of the text from your post, and click to submit the modified post. After you have edited every post to be blank, you can send a personal message to the administration requesting that your account be deleted. After we delete your account, you may create a new account with a more private screen name.

Rachel

[janiedelite]

Thank you Rachel!