I guess I never realized just how public these forums are. I just googled "blueshift ms" and up popped "Blueshift's s&m blooper" a post I wrote several months ago following a bad bdsm experience that I really wasn't thinking of as something to pop up so quickly in a google search.

When I clicked on it it took me right to the post. That wouldn't work though for someone who hasn't at least signed up though right?

Doug,

Sorry that happened to you, but yes, as it says at the top of all the public side forums:



In order to be able to post on the non-public forums one must be a dues-paying member of the site which has been set up as a way of providing a place of privacy where one can post in confidence that their discussion will not be searched by all the spiders crawling the web.

The dues paid at least partially pay for the server space and other expenses required for maintaining the technical aspects of keeping the site up and running, but they do not entirely cover that cost.

I did that once and discovered that there is some truck parts dealer in Ohio that uses the same username as I do. My guess is that all 1132 of your posts here are visible to the general public if they happen onto your username somehow. Recently I tried to write a public comment in response to some MSN Money column, and had to try 5 different usernames before I could post, so my guess is that your username is only so safe from someone accidentally finding it.

All that they have is your first name though, and no location for you. Unless they are some high-end hacker-type, then they can trace your sending address. It used to be before I turned my firewall up I would get odd emails from China, followed by someone from our DoD looking it over. That hasn't happened since I turned my firewall all the way up.

Maybe it is time to think about a membership. What you post on the member's side of the forum is not public-accessible, nor are PMs.

Just don't post your last name on the public side of the board to ensure your safety.

Mark

Thanx guys. I guess I do need to think about this a little. I guess I always had the idea that someone had to at least sign up in the site as a survivor to view the contents of our posts, even though the posts would show up on google search.

I guess if I had a membership I would still want to read and reply to my friends on the public side, but I think some of my posts I would really rather have some privacy with.

That's kinda hard though. Money is tight for me lately, but I'm kinda feeling exposed here. Well, I'll mull it over.

A little extra security still is only $35. And down on the member art forum there are many current & childhood photos of our members posted too.

There are other ways to work off dues at least there used to be if money is a problem. Not sure if that is still the case.
The dues go to a good cause MS

I had no idea

I thought messages were only for members

anyone can type in our ms forum identity name and our posts come up

more protection is needed if we are going to share our innermost feelings

Nathan

You are safe on the member side of the forums and on PMs for $35.

Mark

for me i have to type king_tut malesurvivor, i only ever get the same results show up, one i think is called "The earths rotation slows at the order of King tut"- about sleep and things- i dont know how it picks out which posts to show, but it only seems to be two or three posts per user, and always the same posts, at least in my expereince

O.K.

Well that was fun...

I googled it twice and came up with interesting, yet different results.

My posts happen to be mixed up with other sick and twisted websites/entities.

Personally, I try to be Honest, Open and Willing in everything that I do. I really try to be what some refer as a straight shooter.

If I can help anyone on their inward journey, so much the better.

Beyond that...I've pretty much already outed myself that I'm nucking futs. Kinda loses it's power, if I was ever to receive that as second hand information...


Got to keep....the loonies...on the path...!!!

island