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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Fi on January 7, 2002, at 12:07:38
2 technical things:
Wouldnt it be better *not* to have the option of 'post your email address' on the form? Particularly so close to an option we may use- 'notify you ...'? Its not worth the risk of someone hitting the wrong check box by mistake.
Confidentiality/anonymity is incredibly important on this Board as anyone on the internet can read it. If someone does want to put their email in a message, they are free to do so in the text.
Also, is it just me who has to wait a long time to get the 'message added' message after posting to PSB? Interestingly, it was much quicker when I posted just now to this one instead. I can see its no big deal if you dont pay your phone bill by time online. I do, but dont know how many others do so. Anyway, if there is someway of speeding it up, that would be great.
But if its just one of those vagaries of the internet and en route across loads of computers between me and the PS server, fair enough.
Fi
Posted by Dinah on January 7, 2002, at 19:33:39
In reply to email/ slow loading to PSB, posted by Fi on January 7, 2002, at 12:07:38
> 2 technical things:
>
> Wouldnt it be better *not* to have the option of 'post your email address' on the form? Particularly so close to an option we may use- 'notify you ...'? Its not worth the risk of someone hitting the wrong check box by mistake.
>
Boy, do I agree with this. Sometimes my OCD has me up several times a night checking to make sure I didn't post my e-mail address. I'd like it to be as difficult as possible to post your e-mail so there would be no chance of doing by accident. And Dr. Bob, if I do accidentally post my e-mail address, is there any way to fix it?
Dinah
Posted by Dr. Bob on January 8, 2002, at 11:54:40
In reply to Re: email/ , posted by Dinah on January 7, 2002, at 19:33:39
> Wouldnt it be better *not* to have the option of 'post your email address' on the form? Particularly so close to an option we may use- 'notify you ...'? Its not worth the risk of someone hitting the wrong check box by mistake.
Hmm, the idea was to make it easier for people who wanted to be emailed, but I hadn't thought about clicking it by mistake...
1. Would a layout like this be better?
2. I was thinking about redoing this anyway. What if posting your email address wasn't something you decided each time you posted, but there was one setting that applied to all your posts?
It could be connected to your registration information, so you could update it there whenever you liked.
And I think it could be set up to work retroactively. So if you were posting your email address, but then changed your mind, you could change the setting, and it wouldn't show up in your future posts or even in your *previous* posts.
3. Another possibility would be letting people create profiles for themselves. They could be like those at Yahoo -- or they could actually *be* those at Yahoo (and PB could just link to them). For example, my profile there is at:
http://profiles.yahoo.com/drbobuchicago
As you can see, it's possible to keep your email address from being displayed. That's a very basic example, you could do a lot more there. Maybe others have and would like to share theirs as examples?
The long-term goal would be to have email addresses not included in posts at all (unless they're typed in), but just on the person's profile page (if they want). That way, it's also just one setting and easy to change. (Although a general caveat regarding changing pages is that previous versions might have been saved elsewhere.)
> Also, is it just me who has to wait a long time to get the 'message added' message after posting to PSB? Interestingly, it was much quicker when I posted just now to this one instead.
>
> FiIf a thread is really long, it can take a while to process a follow-up, at least right now, because the server checks each previous post to see if that person should be notified. I think I can redo that to speed it up, but I haven't had time to make those changes. Thanks for your patience...
> if I do accidentally post my e-mail address, is there any way to fix it?
>
> DinahIt would be really really great if that never happened, but if it does, I can try to do what I can. The less I'd have to undo, the more doable it would be, so the sooner you let me know, the better.
Bob
Posted by Dinah on January 8, 2002, at 12:38:28
In reply to Re: posting email addresses, profiles, and delays, posted by Dr. Bob on January 8, 2002, at 11:54:40
> 2. I was thinking about redoing this anyway. What if posting your email address wasn't something you decided each time you posted, but there was one setting that applied to all your posts?
>
> It could be connected to your registration information, so you could update it there whenever you liked.That sounds like a great idea! Much more relaxing.
> > if I do accidentally post my e-mail address, is there any way to fix it?
> >
> > Dinah
>
> It would be really really great if that never happened, but if it does, I can try to do what I can. The less I'd have to undo, the more doable it would be, so the sooner you let me know, the better.
>
> BobBelieve you me, Dr. Bob, I'm doing my darndest to make sure that never happens.
Thanks.
Dinah
Posted by fi on January 9, 2002, at 6:30:40
In reply to Re: posting email addresses, profiles, and delays, posted by Dr. Bob on January 8, 2002, at 11:54:40
Thanks for the detailed and thoughtful response.
I've put bits in below, but thinking over it now I think it boils down to:
1. Anyone wanting to post their email publically can already do so without the click box option, within a message on the Board.
2. From a few week's reading of some messages (so may have missed things), its very rare for anyone to post their email address. Stigma plus a general reluctance to publicise your identity on the open internet are more important. Sometimes people do offer to someone who seems particularly desperate, which worries me about this alturistic act exposing them to every malicious nerd surfer out there...
3. It would be useful to have some way of sending your email address to another Board member that was private ie not up any website.
> > Wouldnt it be better *not* to have the option of 'post your email address' on the form? Particularly so close to an option we may use- 'notify you ...'? Its not worth the risk of someone hitting the wrong check box by mistake.
>
> Hmm, the idea was to make it easier for people who wanted to be emailed, but I hadn't thought about clicking it by mistake...
>
> 1. Would a layout like this be better?It would be, but still better not to have it at all, given we can put it in the text. I havent been paying proper attention, but is anyone actually clicking to display their email anyway? If not, this indicates there isnt a need, really.(By the way, you might want to delete/change the page with 'this' as its got you user name and password entered!)
>
> 2. I was thinking about redoing this anyway. What if posting your email address wasn't something you decided each time you posted, but there was one setting that applied to all your posts?
>
> It could be connected to your registration information, so you could update it there whenever you liked.
>
> And I think it could be set up to work retroactively. So if you were posting your email address, but then changed your mind, you could change the setting, and it wouldn't show up in your future posts or even in your *previous* posts.Much better than first option, tho still a risk someone might happily opt to post it and then forget they had done so some time down the road.
>
> 3. Another possibility would be letting people create profiles for themselves. They could be like those at Yahoo -- or they could actually *be* those at Yahoo (and PB could just link to them). For example, my profile there is at:
>
> http://profiles.yahoo.com/drbobuchicago
>
> As you can see, it's possible to keep your email address from being displayed. That's a very basic example, you could do a lot more there. Maybe others have and would like to share theirs as examples?
This has exactly the same problem as posting your email in a message, tho- any of the millions of internet users could access it,and connect with postings so all anonymity was lost. The problem is trying to work out some way that individual board members could let other individual board members know their email.>
> The long-term goal would be to have email addresses not included in posts at all (unless they're typed in), but just on the person's profile page (if they want). That way, it's also just one setting and easy to change. (Although a general caveat regarding changing pages is that previous versions might have been saved elsewhere.)
>
Thanks again for all your work (even if the current picture is *bizarre*!)Fi
Posted by Dr. Bob on January 9, 2002, at 21:20:51
In reply to Re: posting email addresses, profiles, and delays, posted by Dr. Bob on January 8, 2002, at 11:54:40
> 3. It would be useful to have some way of sending your email address to another Board member that was private ie not up any website.
Right, I should've mentioned that, that's part of the plan to. Kind of like Yahoo does it. Again:
> > The long-term goal would be to have email addresses not included in posts at all (unless they're typed in), but just on the person's profile page (if they want).
> (By the way, you might want to delete/change the page with 'this' as its got you user name and password entered!)
Thanks!!! But next time, would you let me know by email? :-)
> Thanks again for all your work (even if the current picture is *bizarre*!)
You're welcome (it wasn't my idea :-).
Bob
Posted by fi on January 11, 2002, at 5:17:20
In reply to Re: posting email addresses, profiles, and delays, posted by Dr. Bob on January 9, 2002, at 21:20:51
Thanks and apologies (I forgot I could email you!)
Posted by Dr. Bob on August 8, 2004, at 13:01:03
In reply to Re: posting email addresses, profiles, and delays, posted by Dr. Bob on January 8, 2002, at 11:54:40
> The long-term goal would be to have email addresses not included in posts at all (unless they're typed in), but just on the person's profile page (if they want).
Well, we still don't have profiles, but since we do now have babblemail:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20040527/msgs/364634.html
I've replaced the email links with babblemail links. I recently mentioned doing this:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20040717/msgs/371909.html
And it turned out to be easier than I thought. Let me know what you think,
Bob
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