The world can see the questions I ask?!

1. 71

   R.S. Hutchinsonposted 12 years ago

   HI I'm new.. and I think.. that if someone (that isn't a Hub Page Member)visits my Hub page and scrolls to the bottom of my page they can see all the forum activity I have been a part of. I'd rather this info not be available for the world to see...
   
   is there a way to "turn off" the visibility of which forums I participate in?

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   1. 91

      Rochelle Frankposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Not sure why this is a problem. But you might want to ask the staff a direct question if it causes you distress. Use the email below:
      team

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      1. 71

         R.S. Hutchinsonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Well if there is no way to turn it off then so be it..
         
         Imagine someone or your friends come to your hub page to see your latest article and they scroll down to see that you posted a forum asking if making .08 cents in one day was an accomplishment. I'd rather not my audience know that I was asking about .08 cents. I didn't realize that the forums were exposed to the world else I wouldn't have had posted that. It's not that big of a deal, i just thought the forums were private - or at least only visible by hubbers.

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         1. 91

            Rochelle Frankposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            If it was the truth, and I posted it I don't see a problem. Even if it were only seen "by hubbers", anyone can sign up to be a hubber, thousands of people have done so.
            
            Also, everyone starts with pennies-- for one thing, it takes a bit of time to be indexed by search engines, so nothing to worry about.

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   2. 85

      Marisa Wrightposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      RS,the whole world can see your participation in these forums anyway - they're not private to Hub members only, you don't have to be logged in to browse them.
      
      A good rule of thumb is, never post anything on the internet you're not ready to share with a global audience.  If you're ashamed or embarrassed by your forum posts as a writer, then better not to make them!

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      1. 71

         R.S. Hutchinsonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I realize the world can see the forum posts, that was the point to asking the question if there is a way to turn it off.

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         1. 85

            Marisa Wrightposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            RS, I see why you feel it might be counter-productive for readers to read your Hub, thinking you're a seasoned writer, then notice you have a forum post which reveals you're a beginner.  It's only recently they've added the forum activity to our Hubs and I wish they hadn't!
            
            All I was pointing out is that the forums are public anyway - anyone can read your posts here openly, not just via the links on  your Hubs but all the time.

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            1. 71

               R.S. Hutchinsonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               "it might be counter-productive for readers to read your Hub, thinking you're a seasoned writer, then notice you have a forum post which reveals you're a beginner.."
               
               Yes that was my point. (although I am a seasoned writer- just not on Hubs)
               AND to ask if there was a way to turn it off.
               
               This tangent about being ashamed or embarrassed was/is not at all my concern

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2. 81

   Rafiniposted 12 years ago

   I think it's a fair question to ask - there are times when it would have been a good thing for me to consider before posting...but since I didn't, I decided not to post anything that I "should" or "would" be ashamed of, or something I'd later regret.  (I don't name names and I try to stay general rather than get specific)
   
   I also don't think asking about $0.08 is anything to worry about - all new hubbers are bound to ask about earnings. 

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3. 60

   FloraBreenRobisonposted 12 years ago

   I always try to answer these questions to myself before I post anything on any website:
   Am I okay with evrey member of my family reading this?
   
   Am I okay with the fact that people who strongly disagree with me are going to respons  in great detail and frequency-i.e., is this issue important enough for me to be willing to deal with a heated discussion if this is a controversial subject?
   
   Will I be revealing anything about anyone  that is actually meant to be secret or is none of my business to reveal to strangers?
   
   Am I going to appear as if I don't bother reading forums etc. before I post anything to see if someone has already asked and answered this question?
   
   
   I am inordinantly preoccupied about the fact that since I type with one hand, I will occassionally end up spelling words a bit bizarrely.  I try to corect this as soon as possible, but sometimes this isn't possible and I have to comment before anyone else does what I mneant to type.

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   1. 60

      FloraBreenRobisonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      yes, indeed.  A few typos inthis. 
      
      sigh

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      1. 71

         R.S. Hutchinsonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         This is such a tangent.. All I wanted to know is if there was a way to turn it off.. has nothing to do with me posting on the internet in a worrisome manner. I've been surfing the internet for a few decades now and am aware that once posted online it is indeed out there for the world to see and fully understand the ramifications of such potential. So while I appreciate your kind remarks, concern and advice, I just really wanted to know if there was a way to turn off the fact that the world can see. Personally, I think they should be private UNLESS you want the world to see - which honestly I see no benefit for the world to see what I write in hub forums- if anything I see it as counter productive.
         
         And now, because I know the world can see it I am having to go back and check my grammar and spelling (in these posts)- which in most other website forums I don't care too much about because it is more conversational than formal.

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            Aficionadaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            But, to put it in context, all of the great writers on HP - and I'm including the very best by every measurable standard - have some mistakes in some of their forum posts, usually as a result of typing in a conversational manner and posting before proofreading them umpteen times.  Seriously, I cannot think of even one who is completely error-free. 
            
            I would assume - rather, I would hope - that readers understand there is a difference between the level of precision to be expected in forum posts and in Hubs.  I wouldn't say that the HP forums are more formal than conversational, although I do believe that we have (and should have!) higher standards of language than you find on the Web as a whole.
            
            EDIT - I have thought of 2-3 Hubbers who may have posted completely error-free forum posts.

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4. 60

   FloraBreenRobisonposted 12 years ago

   Okay, Aficionada.  I think I'm just hypersensitive.

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5. 79

   Aficionadaposted 12 years ago

   FloraBR, my response was actually to R.S. Hutchison, since it seemed to me that he was saying he didn't want to have any mistakes in his forum posts because of the fact that the whole world can see them.
   
   In case my response wasn't very clear, I felt that I was agreeing with you, in a sense.  There are numerous reasons why good authors here on HP may have mistakes in their posts, and most of those reasons are not as valid as yours is. 
   
   But the whole point that I was trying to make is that, while we want to aim for error-free posts, we all could also go a bit easy on ourselves by recognizing that having some mistakes in our posts may not really be all that awful.

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6. 40

   Greg Sageposted 12 years ago

   I totally get it.  At BEST, it's a potential distraction from what you are steering people towards.

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   1. 71

      R.S. Hutchinsonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      thanks Greg. I think you get the princepal of my asking!

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7. 80

   mega1posted 12 years ago

   I've been here for almost 2 years and I never realized this - I thought it was just me that saw my hubtivity - oh well, now if I want to know if someone is stalking someone on the forums I can find out or if I want to see what they're up to -  but I don't!  I don't think anyone pays any attention to what I'm doing either - its boring anyway.  If you're ashamed of all your forum activity then you have a point, but why? why?  Actually, I don't even know if hubtivity serves any real purpose, other than to retrace your steps for some unknown reason.  who would care?  interesting, though.

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   1. 71

      R.S. Hutchinsonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      1.    UGH!!! PEOPLE.. it's NOT about being "ashamed" for crying out loud!  In my original Post.. I merely asked one very simple question:
      
      "is there a way to "turn off" the visibility of which forums I participate in?"
      
      I have since asked the staff and so far they have said, "No".
      
      And @ Flora : I agree that in a forum, grammar rules should be more lax.. and I would expect it and not judge anyone's writing skill based off forum posts... but as Greg (and I) and Marissa have pointed out - it is quite counterproductive to what we publish as "our best writing". So as a measure of caution I was hoping for the option to "turn it off".

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8. 60

   FloraBreenRobisonposted 12 years ago

   Afficionada-I know  you hadn't been responding to me, but I still felt not so bad about my typing on forums after reading your original   That is where I am hyper sensitive, my typing

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