GNHQ please make it clear that these forums are public!

I have thought about this and I knew this was an open forum that anybody could access but not respond unless a member. I was aware the papers from The Guardian to the Daily Mail print articles on what we say from time to time.

However I can't say I am happy to know about the Facebook connection as it has been my personal choice not to be involved in Facebook. If 'I' wanted to be on Facebook 'I' would join Facebook. I would not expect a 3rd party' to do it for me.

That is what I would call at any other time 'A bloody cheek'.

Is this a normal thing for a site/forum to do? I have no idea but would be interested to understand if this is common place or an abnormal occurrence . Am I correct in thinking it is akin to say the NHS/DVLA selling your personal information , a cash generator? Or is it just a 'thing' sites/forum do.?

When we signed up we signed away our rights( see my previous post) we no longer 'own' our posts and GN can do anything they like with them.

Their business is generating an audience , that number is what they 'sell' to their advertisers. Those advertisers are what generates the income.

It's a business at the end of the day. I can't see us being able to change that .

I entered a GN competition weeks ago..and have been unindated with spam emails ..more or less implying I have a loan and various other things waiting!!

Could this have come from me entering my details in the Competition I don't know . Never had as much spam before.

Just to be on the safe side I checked my credit rating to make sure no one had been messing...all was well.!

GNHQ can we have some more comments from you please. You can see we're not happy with what you are doing. Please think about it. What's the point of attracting more people from FB if you lose the ones you've got on GN?

biker I won a competition on GN recently, winning a lot of lovely books and I did not have that trouble.
Sorry for going slightly off piste.

Can't see much point in posting from now on. Tough luck on those who need support or help. Just banal comments - have a nice day

Hullo Lara, Why can't we change user names any time we want, as they do on Mumsnet?

That would go a way to keeping anonymity, as using different names would conceal the fact that posts A, B & C were all from the same person.

Why not have a seperate fb page for gransnetters who want to use it, with a link to this gransnet forum IF they want to join then people can be free to be a one site or two site gransnetter It's plain LAZY to link them both

I don't feel any reassurance that we can change names that ll be very confusing, as you build up trust in someone whose username you recognise even though you don't know them

I don't think HQ is going to take a scape of notice of us and our concerns unless we become radical old gals and guys

I am really surprised that anyone didn't know this- especially when the links to FaceBook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest etc are at the top of every page! The fact that they are ought to be warning enough.
If you Google something it will most likely come up with a Gransnet page. I remember a thread on Mumsnet where a lot of members found it because it came up when they were Googling a question.
Journalists will use it a lot - a sure sign that it isn't private.
I am very surprised to find people with a profile - even more surprised that they have public photographs- I make sure that I am completely anonymous and wouldn't give any personal information that could identify me.

I won a GN competition but I ignored it- I didn't want to give my address.

I can't see a need for warnings- I have my privacy settings very high on FB - there are no privacy settings on GN and that should make you very cautious.

Leticia the need for warnings is because some people are "social media naive" and unaware. Many of the comments on this thread indicate that.

I started this thread because a new poster asked for her post to be withdrawn because she had posted "looking for anonymous advice" about her granddaughter, giving away lots of personal info, it had landed up on FB and the poster had been recognised. She was clearly very upset in her final post. So, for people like her, warnings are necessary. And it is a simple solution.

For me, teaching/training people how to use sites like this one, is part of the responsibility of having a site like GN with forums on Relationships, AIBU etc. that invite unburdening and disclosure.

I use Facebook and I make sure my security is set at the highest level, so only accessible to friends whom I know personally.

When I realised my GN profile info may be accessed by others (if they really, really want to probe) I have taken my personal info off GN and made it inaccessible by others. So my name appears in black not blue.

Having read this thread, I shall ask GN to change my GN name as anyone who knows me well (family) could put 2 and 2 together.

But otherwise I take the same view as Leticia. Having said that, it is wise to be cautious about what we post.

I would hate for GN to become a watered down version of its current robust and feisty self.

I posted a personal thread (now removed ) a few weeks back at the time I was looking for some support and advice I didn't really think about it going outside Gransnet but someone pointed out the issue and as a lot of the people I know are on face book I asked GN to remove my post which they did. It's misleading that this is a supportive chat forum as if these posts are going to be printed in the papers discussed On TV and shared on face book it defeats the aim?

Timely reminder, thank you! I had forgotten this and just looked on fb to see. Several recent threads are on there with names (hopefully pseudonyms.) there are some things I would not like sharing publicly so I shall take more care in future!

Hang on Letitia I can't see any links at the top of my page please tell me more ?

How do I remove my details and go black not that there's much there to worry about ?

For anyone who is not familiar facebook's ethos.

BlueBelle go back to Gransnet Forums start page and click on 'My Gransnet'. Click 'Edit GN profile'; make it 'private'

Thanks a lot Blinko I m now in the black ?

ok thanks all...it was just something that crossed my mind.

me also

Just checking I am now black (not blue).
How I regret this whole sorry state of affairs.

ann I totally agree, I have also changed my profile to black. In a few days time there will be very few if any "blues".

I briefly had a "blue" profile in the beginning, but then I thought "What's the point of posting anonymously, but having a public profile?" It doesn't make sense. So I've been in the black since then...

My profile was mostly rubbish anyway. Although knocking four years off my age it gave me a number of DGCs to rival Queen Victoria.