To think that GN should not share threads with Twitter & Facebook

Does it often happen?

It is not about sharing confidential information, or at least it isn't for me, but some threads about difficult family matters, even if the OP and her/his circumstances are unidentifiable are made for a small forum where many of the responders know each other and are online friends and write in an intimate and friendly way. Albeit the forum and its posts are open to other people who
choose to visit it.

Seeing these threads on twitter and Facebook has an uncomfortable air of voyeurism about it and diminishes both the distress of the OP and the comfort offered by GN members.

Bluebelle The Daily Mail can dip into our forum whether GN give consent or not. All it needs to do is dip into this open forum. I suspect that they have a staff member who does just that and is probably signed up so that they can sometimes start topics to get our responses, hoping for what they would consider 'traditional conservative(small c) reactionary responses'. Although they may have given that up as that is not what they got.

So Largransnet you are basically telling us to stop supporting sharing and caring for each other Yes we can talk about comfy shoes or jam making Would that be better for your sharing threads ??? I m afraid this is not being taken seriously by GN and it needs to be I personally don’t want to keep changing my name this is what I want .....either
A) a private page that doesn’t get shared
B) permission of the thread owner for it to be shared
or C) a separate FB / Twitter group that DOES NOT lift our threads but start their own
Lastly I am most annoyed that our words are given/ sold to the Daily Mail that is very wrong and of course it’s GNHQ s fault who else’s is it Of course anyone in the public can read our words but you do not expect them to be lifted completely to other media

If you search for GN on FB it comes up. I am not on FB so its there for anyone to read whether or not they are on GN or FB.

I assume HQ must've put the link there Lucky.

Are we assuming that GNHQ puts these threads on twitter and fb? Presumably anyone could do it. I am not on either, so have not seen them - are they put there in the name of Gransnet?

I wish you were right Bathsheba ..... but FarNorth is spot on. I am not on FB (never have been, never will be) and yet I have successfully opened the link and there it is for all to see. and

But anybody can read a thread on here too, whether a member or not.

As others have said, we've all been alerted to this for some time. Probably everything posted on the internet at once becomes potential public property. ie can be reposted elsewhere.
That's why I changed my user name not long ago.
It's not GNHQ's fault.

So every time we might share personal information it could be transmitted on to Twitter and Facebook and all GN suggests is changing names. This leaves a very sour taste.

the only people on FB who would see the link are people who have joined the GN page on FB,

That's not correct.
I have not 'liked' or 'followed' GN on facebook but I can see all the posts if I look at it.
Anyone who does a facebook search for a subject like 'grandparents' or 'retirement' might find GN as one of the results of that search.
GN might also be suggested, by facebook, to people who have already looked at other pages on similar subjects.

Actually if someone makes a comment on the FB link, that comment is then open for anyone who is linked to their page, which in turn is open to anyone linked to those pages and so on. I fully understand GNHQ is a business but don't understand why we cannot have a section open only to members and guaranteed not to be shared on FB, Twitter etc.

gillybob perhaps you could go to the thread in question and report your post, asking for GNHQ to delete it as it contains personal and identifiable information. At least then it won't continue to be seen by people visiting the link via FB. And remember, the only people on FB who would see the link are people who have joined the GN page on FB, so that may narrow it down a little - not quite the whole world seeing it.
So sorry this has happened - I really do think it's thoughtless - almost cruel - of GN to link to some of these very personal and sensitive threads.

I am extremely disappointed to learn that a very personal account of how we helped my grandchildren cope with my mums (fairly recent) death is now on FB (I am not a member) for the world to see. Anyone who knows me will recognize my very personal account and I am very upset about it. I would like it removed but realise that it's probably too late for that now.

Lara As I have asked before would it not be possible to have a section which can only be accessed by members and which will be guaranteed not to be shared by GNHQ. People would then feel comfortable in posting asking for help with specific matters

Pittcity I was just about to say that. Those of you who think GN should delete the usernames if they're putting whole threads on FB or Twitter are not fully understanding what is being done. They are not "putting threads elsewhere", they are putting links to threads elsewhere. Which amounts to the same thing, of course, but it's not just a simple matter of 'doctoring' the thread before it's published elsewhere.
I remember the brouhaha back in August when Grannyknot started that thread, and frankly I'm amazed that there are still people popping up here that were unaware this was happening. It was GK's thread that prompted me to leave GN in August. I returned recently but am much more careful how I post - and I was much more careful with my choice of username! Absolutely nothing about it that could be identified with me!

Gransnet put links to these threads on Facebook etc. They simply lead you to these forums. It's just the equivalent of putting up an advertising poster and is to get new members and advertisers interested.

This is just horrible. So, if I don't 'do' FB and/or Twitter, my words can be cast around for all to read, and I would be none the wiser?

There are two different things here- people need to be aware that this site is public- anyone at all can read it without even logging in. Journalists will read it and I don't think they can be stopped.- once you have put it on it is in the public domain.
The part that I object to is GN actually putting threads elsewhere so that thousands more see them and can comment without it being of the slightest use to the OP who doesn't see them. On FB and Twitter I have my name and photo therefore I am careful what I post. I have neither on GN and so can give personal information. If I wished to put it on other sites I would do so in the first place.

I know Grannyknot - I am fairly sure I was on that thread. It has rumbled on since then and I thought we were getting somewhere with the name change poll but almost a fortnight and not even a comment from GNHQ, never mind a decision.
I started this because I have got to the point where I shall leave GN if they continue doing it.
There are lots of accounts they can follow on Twitter that are age relevant. I find it odd that they never picked up on #nomorewrinklyhands and the stereotyping of the elderly. The campaign is against the lazy picture they put on the Grandma dying thread.

I caused a stramash** about this same subject back in August:

www.gransnet.com/forums/chat/1239569-GNHQ-please-make-it-clear-that-these-forums-are-public

**I also love that word, is it pronounced as in "ash" or "mush"? I love rolling an "r".

Feel free Chewbacca !
I've always thought it was common only in Scotland but it was used by a very formal political commentator during a bulletin today.
That's probably why it was in my mind.

Completely irrelevant but I do love the word "stramash"! Beautifully descriptive word. Thanks mcem, I might borrow that one.