R3 MBs Posts on Google

[Anna]

I don't think anyone need get paranoid about Google or Yahoo Slurp Spiders. As has been said above, use a pretty commonplace user name, remember these are public forums open to anyone to view (just as the BBC ones were) and restrict personal information you give out which can positively identify you or your family.

The one thing I find a bit iffy (but of course won't be picked up by Google) is if you use Visitor Messaging rather than Private Messaging which means anyone who is logged in can read all your correspondence if they have a mind to.

[salymap]

Anna I agree about VMs. It seems impossible to delete them, and one poster writes all the time on them

I think the things I read on Google about my name[s] come from R3OK, in fact it says it does. No offence, but one MB is more than enough for me if I am to get anything else done at all.

[Eudaimonia]

FF: you've also got it a bit easier as everyone assumes you're a man. I used to post under a gender-neutral name on a technical forum-- and when I tried to tell people I was a woman, everyone thought I was having a laugh.

Anyone who googles my name here is in for a nice afternoon of Greek philosophy. If people get misdirected and want to think I'm some feminist running a blog in Brazil...well, things could be worse! But really, I think my cat is *SO* far out of the bag around here, it hardly matters anymore. Oh well, life goes on.

However, in the Google image search, I did notice a striking painting called "Eudaimonia":

http://www.dailyartfixx.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/eudaimonia-naotohattori.jpg

Which makes me wonder if it's by anyone I came across elsewhere, as I have a bit of an "elf ear" too--coincidence? Oh probably, but it is rather funny.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hobannyc/5661584388/in/photostream

[Eudaimonia]

Sal-- you can go to your "settings" tab to disable your VM Forum. That's what I did to mine: can you believe we were up to 2,357 visits? Fun while it lasted...sad to shut it down, really. Oh well, onward and upward!

[french frank]

Anna I agree about VMs. It seems impossible to delete them, and one poster writes all the time on them

Permissions are set to allow you to 'Manage' all messages on your own profile page (i.e. edit, delete, moderate) and delete your own messages posted on other people's pages.

[umslopogaas]

post 14 doversoul

I think the point about 'private postings' is that they arent. These web fora are open to anyone, and that means ANYONE who has web access. That's a scary number of people who dont think like you do, but probably speak English, because everyone does. I've rubbed around the world for 62 years and met a lot of people who speak English, but what they say with it can be a bit worrying. Language both conceals and reveals, perhaps in measures that are a reflection of the conversationalists. I wouldnt want any other way, but the consequences of open access are worth a bit of thought.

When you post on these pages, conversations are usually fairly even and reasoned, often even slightly genteel, but even so, venom sometimes erupts. We have moderators, but even so ... Enough evens. My point is, if we who sit in the middle can still rock the boat, what storms are out there in the open seas of the web?

I think posters on these pages should be cautious, as they usually are, but perhaps the moderators should act a little more robustly? Personally, I would not offer a real name, not even a real SOUNDING name, or a real photo of myself. I'll stick with my Zulu pseudonym. I might one day copy a picture of Umslopogaas from my original Victorian copy of 'Alan Quartermain' if I can figure out the technology to do so. Nor would I offer a clue to my real address. After all, remember this:

- this is a messageboard to offer a place for discussion, it is not a dating agency;
- the moderators do not offer to connect lonely hearts, thank goodness;
- given the above is true, there is no reason I can see to set out personal details.

And anyone offering services here on behalf of the messageboards will know that you have to reveal some contact details to French Frank to get a reply. So the moderators do have some details about us. This does not bother me and I'm happy with the arrangements, but you are dealing with people you've never met and know nothing about and asking them to put you in contact with the same. Some care is, well, wise.

[MrGongGong]

- this is a messageboard to offer a place for discussion, it is not a dating agency;

You obviously don't know the REAL reason for a certain prof's recent absence then
business trip ? a likely cover story if you ask me


(FF I will , of course, delete this if you would like ! or its steps over in your view etc )

[umslopogaas]

MrGG

Is this certain prof a Proficient Person, a Professor, or a Professional Person? There are Profs of every hue around us even as we speak. Or might speak, were we given vocal chords. Cue for a bit of Handel, 'Ode to St Cecilia', ' ... when to her um whatevers vocal breath was given, an angel something or other mistaking earth for heaven ...'

You and I should go and do something more useful, its getting late and I dont have so much time left. But such as I have, this is fun.

What I'm actually doing while my fingers still work on a keyboard and hold a pencil, is designing a box out of tropical hardwood for a wedding present for my nephew (this is a SURPRISE, I've already committed to another piece of furniture out of the same pile of planks, but last night after a bottle of red, I got another idea, they visited recently and liked a few sea shells I own, and I would love to pass them on, so I need a box, and therefore, must make one. Phew, potentially a lot of work.

Got the planks in the garage and a big bruise on my foot. These big numbers fight back. But that's another story. Drop a plank on your foot? No problem, I could show you how.

Was it Auden? 'I'm not enough of something or other. But I can shout.'

There's too much standard repertory on these pages, you are a rare example of modern interest. I've been wasting time with non-musical ramblings. Go on, stir the mix with a bit of musical pepper. Is Stockhausen too passee for us? I once heard him lecture. But that's another story. Time for some electronics.

Accent on the first e of pasee, but I dont know how to do it.

[rubbernecker]

I agree about VMs. It seems impossible to delete them

I think you just tick the box on the right of the VM, then the Moderation Tools button and select 'Delete messages'

[vinteuil]

MrGG


Accent on the first e of passee, but I dont know how to do it.

umsloppers - if your PC has a numeric keyboard, easy - if your laptop doesn't have a separate numeric keyboard, then go into numeric - (usually the FN key followed by F11, then using the alphabet keys that also have numbers on them - viz M=0; J=1; K=2; L=3 etc) - then - holding down ALT followed by 0233 should give you - é - voilà [ à = ALT + 0224 ]

[french frank]

I think you just tick the box on the right of the VM, then the Moderation Tools button and select 'Delete messages'

Thanks, rubbernecker. I don't use VM and would have had to log out as me and log in as Lars Porsenna in order to check that. There's certainly no reason in theory why you can't delete VMs; I just wasn't sure how it was done.

[salymap]

I think you just tick the box on the right of the VM, then the Moderation Tools button and select 'Delete messages'

I did that rubbernecker, but they all sit there with 'deleted by salymap'....they haven't actually gone anywhere. What next?

[Eudaimonia]

Sal: Go to your "Settings" tab (in the upper right corner, next to "log out") open it, and then look down the left-hand sidebar until you find "General Settings". Somewhere toward the bottom of the page, you can select "turn off Visitor Messaging". Gets rid of the whole forum. Hope that helps!

[salymap]

Yes, thanks Euda, I can always go back if I want to.I'm still open for PMs too.

[french frank]

I did that rubbernecker, but they all sit there with 'deleted by salymap'....they haven't actually gone anywhere. What next?

They are what's called 'soft' deleted. I can see the 'deleted by salymap' message and could probably 'physically remove' if you wanted.