Message from IB and responses

I rarely post, as I seem to always have to read and run, and seldom have much to add to what has already been said, but have learned so very much from this board. I do want to comment now though.

Thanks Dave, for your integrity in telling things as they actually are.
I appreciate that very much, and appreciate your clarity in explaining things. I am sure that you will enjoy having a little more free time for your farm and family. I do hope that you continue here, helping us as in the past.

I certainly have no reason to leave here, and hope things continue pretty much as they are, and I will be happy to renew my membership when the time comes.

If you set up another site, be sure to let us know the content of that site, and a link, so we can have a look at it, too.

I also agree that NameMedia should have given Dave a heads up, so that he could have had a chance to purchase.

Is this our very own Miguel? http://www.linkedin.com/in/demrit

Or is it this one? http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Michael/Egan/



This message was edited Feb 6, 2010 1:06 PM

Regarding privacy, I logged out and could see every single entry I've made in my blogs. Ugh! I thought blogs and journals were private to subscribers.

Personally, I can't express just how important the privacy issue is to me. It feels like such a personal violation. Sorry to sound so negative but too much going on in my own life without all these surprises. It is going to take me some more to time to adjust, just as I suspect it will take time for many others here.

Elaine and Otis

So what's the big deal with subscribers ? I know & have met maybe one hundred personally. Another hundred or so that I chat with on Daves from time to time. There are 7000+ subscribers. I know absolutely nothing about them. Just because they paid a subscription they are supposed to be honest & safe with your information ?

Maybe there's more to it than I know.

Oh, as a side note. About a year ago, I saw a strange ad on a thread. I called it to Melody's attention. It was from foreign person. They paid the subscription more than once trying to keep it on.

I'm not too worried about the privacy issue, but understand others are. I don't think I've posted anything that I'd be worried about anyone seeing. My concern is with the photos I posted. I love contributing to plants files but I'm holding back until I see if some issues get resolved. Hope it's soon. Spring is coming and I'll have even more photos I'd like to be able to add.

Joy

Stuff on the web (and DG is a website) is visible to anyone, regardless of whether you're logged in or not. Now, I'm sensitive to people's privacy, and this is why I always put in privacy settings. It was always important to give you the option is entirely hiding something.

Sofonisba, you have your journal marked as public. Click here:

http://davesgarden.com/tools/journal/privacy.php

From that page you can specify that you want it to be private. If you do that, then nobody will be able to see it anymore.

In the diaries, each time you make an entry there is a checkbox that says "Check this box to make this entry private." If you don't check that box, then it's not private but instead published on the web for anyone to see.

Each feature on the site is either open for all to see, or it is locked down in some way, or the decision is left to you.

Putting stuff on the web makes it available for all to see unless you have specifically excluded it from being seen without certain credentials.

For example, your profile on DG is considered your "public profile". That includes your photo you may have uploaded, your location, your interests, your favorite website, etc. Your profile would be visible to google or any other visitor to the site.

There does seem to be a lot of confusion surrounding this, though. This question is relevant on ALL websites, too. Facebook, linkedin.com, myspace, gardenweb, etc have the exact same issue. It's just the nature of the web. It's up to each website's developers to give as much control as possible to their members over what is and is not accessible to the world. Once that's done, it's the responsibility of the member to use those tools to tighten down privacy if that's their concern.

Dave

Just because a line is added in the code telling spiders not to crawl does not mean the spiders automatically will obey that code. It is known that those supposedly private pages often get crawled and indexed anyway. This can happen through no fault of the site management.

I didn't realize the investment NM made. Let's hope the IB follows the same plan!

I'm sorry, but anyone suffering the delusions of privacy in this age is, well... delusional. I hate it as much as the next person but I no longer have any notion that anything I put out there, whether online, in the grocery store, at the bank or anywhere else doesn't end up in a data bank somewhere. Example: We decided to do some online comparisons of car insurance. Went to a company we've *never* used, put in name and address and, voila, up popped our current insurance, our vehicles, everything. Wow! Want privacy? Change your name, move to a foreign country and never contact anyone from your past. That's about what it would take.

It is just "Subscribers Only" forums on DG that have been privacy
protected to a certain extent. As Country Gardens wisely says -- who
knows who those 7000 subscribers are? Many DG members have developed
the feeling that their "private" chat threads and forums are just amongst
themselves. That is never true.

If you post in other "open to all" forums, those possibly can be seen and
might be picked up by search engines such as Google. Even the Prayer
Forums are open forums. I do think someone would have to be carefully
searching for a specific user name to come across them and that likelihood
is rather small but it does exist.

I am not paranoid about this but do always stay mindful that if I want
something held private on the Internet the best thing I can do is not
post it! My niece and nephews have firm rules that none of us post
pictures of their children on the Internet and I respect that, no matter
how tempting it is to show off the little ones.

I am cross posting with Dave here and see that he has explained it all
very clearly and sensibly. Bottom line is that it is up to each of us to
take responsibility for what we post and where we post it. Sad but true.



This message was edited Feb 7, 2010 12:25 PM

I used to work in financial crimes investigations and found lots of answers, info to link entities on the Web. Once I had only a phone number I Googled and found on Craig'sList....which led to a ethnic ring in NY ripping off high-end jewelry stores and pawning. Alma is right.

I've read so many times, all over the place/various forums ....

if you dont want your personal "stuff" read, viewed, stolen or seen... do not put in on the internet.

that goes for photos, or anything written.

I think privacy is gone forever. I dont care about anything but my money ... and since I dont have too much of that, I put it on the back burner too. The banks and most credit card companies are on the ball, nothing moves in my corporate account unless I check it out first. My personal accounts? if they can catch some money in those, they are good, everything is a direct deposit and electronic payments except grocery, the vet and the pharmacy. So I dont really have anything to hide. I tried to get some info from my corporate account and did not know my tax Id #, they just gave me a list of address's and a list of cars going back fifteen or twenty years ... all I had to do was choose the correct ones ... now if that dont beat all! I feel sorry for people with a lot of money,lol!

I just caught up on several days worth of posts and I am happy to see Michael posting more here so we can get to know him and vice versa.
I was getting worried there for a minute as things were heating up on one of the previous threads....visions of one of those lynch mobs in an old Western movie kept dancing thru my mind as I furiously read the posts...LOL

I just want to say that I hope Dave gets to do whatever he wants to in life and gets paid well for it...he deserves it! I am so happy he will still be here to talk to us even if thats all that happens between him and IB.

I have been a member of several different forums over time and this one is by far the easiest to use and that is why I stayed and became a suscriber in the first place. I rarely visit the others, let alone post anything very often. I am now officially spoiled by Daves software!

The search feature is frustrating though and Michael I hope you guys can do something about that without changing the user friendliness on this site that Daves software has provided.

This place is so friendly its easy to forget about the internet privacy issues....I never got around to putting my addy in the addy exchange...then I decided not to when people could start signing up for such short term subs.

City_Sylvia - I'm with you. I am comfortable with electronic banking
for both my business and personal accounts and can keep track of
everything at all times. I use my debit card for groceries, pharmacy
and just about everything else so I have an accurate record. I may write
one check a month! We have no debt which is a good feeling in these
turbulent financial times.

I've renewed my DG subscription through 2011 and will just see what unfolds.





This message was edited Feb 7, 2010 12:32 PM

I love you and your family Dave and always appreciated how you respect and appreciated your customers and treated us like family. Some times you corrected us or questioned us on things that we may not have agreed with as your interpretation of something we may have posted, possibly offending someone or causing controversy, but your concerns were always for the group, as a whole and to elevate any dissension in the group. We all seemed to get that, so I just want to thank you for caring for us and communicating with us in a personal dialog regarding such issues and other things too. Remembering birthdays and responding to personal messages from us too, when possible.

I had the great privilege of meeting you at Dr Don's and loved how you were so humble in the midst of a subscription fire storm, that grew from a simple and humble beginning. I loved that your family needed a little more of your time and you chose to give more of that to them, and relinquish some of the DG work over to someone else. I love how you put the things that most of us value, a priority on the site and in life as well.

Things happen in business that we can always foresee but you always have the right motives. Thanks for giving me this site at a time when I really needed it. Thanks for still being on as a member too and engaging us, even now.

Hugs to you and your family,

Dawn

Dave,
Thanks for setting DB straight. I had an idea just because I have watched the site grow and grow over the years. I can remember a time when things bogged down and bit and then we were moved to larger and larger servers. I can only imagine how many pictures are on this sit.

I have got to say I am SO BUMMED!

I am SO BUMMED!

Taking pictures for PlantFiles was a big part of my life. Until the policy is changed I would be stupid to continue posting all my hard work thus givimg up all control over my own photos. Who knew I needed a lawyer to read the fine print on Dave's Garden?


Thank you Dave for clarifying the policy.

I hope Michael you will look into this and let us know what Internet Brands final written policy will be.

My husband will be so happy, he will think I will clean and cook more. No way! LOL

Whoa!......I'm offline (except for email) for two months and look what happens!

Dave, I am in agreement with the prior comments that Dave's Garden would not be the same without you. You have created a magical place, a true community, an online family. There are many online forums, but none can rival Dave's Garden.

I participate in many online groups and forums. Most of these are needed to keep up with information related to my livelihood/profession. Although I've had many good 'conversations' at those other groups, it still feels like work. Even forums related to hobbies are not as enjoyable as similar forums here on DG.

Dave's Garden is the only forum that feels like family. I come here to relax, to socialize, to comfort and be comforted, to encourage and be encouraged, to be inspired. Whatever happens in the world, the Dave's Garden family makes the good things better and the unfortunate things understandable and/or tolerable and keeps us going on. Thank you for bringing this wonderful place into being.

Michael - hopefully you now realize that IB needs to keep Dave steering the ship. IB needs to find a place for any DG Admin that wishes to remain with Dave’s Garden as well. The Admins are Dave's 'tribal council'. They are also a strong part of this online family. You and Internet Brands are the new "in-laws". How you proceed will determine whether you are revered, despised or simply ignored. I hope you will seek the views/opinions/feelings of the Dave's Garden family *before* you implement and noticeable changes.

ditto

Dave,

Thank you for posting again. Basically, I am trying to take my cues from your posts, Terry's posts and Melody's posts, which is why I'm not off in a corner crying and posting about it.

Thank you for addressing the difficult issues.

You probably never knew how VERY much you were appreciated before. ^_^

I always knew, ya'll always made sure of that! ^_^

That is sweet.

DAVE IS OVERRATED!!! So are moms, apple pie and blue skies. ^_^

LOL, Victor! Yeah, and spring!

I'd add fudge, fuzzy slippers and homegrown tomatoes to that list as well... :)

I can't believe you posted an emoticon Dave? lol I know you only use it on special occasions.

Whats that old song? "Dont know whatcha got til its gone".
I question the motives of anyone who fires a much loved and respected captain to bring in a stranger.
It aint right, it just aint right.
"We want Dave, we want Dave...................." (And the chant is picked up by the masses)

LOL! I do agree with everything said here. :-)

Kell, so sorry to hear that

Melissa

Thanks Melissa. I am too! LOL Maybe Interent Brands will fix it for us!

Spring is here now and so many plants are in flower. I have gone on an acacia hunt this last week and have so many great shots of them which were intended for PlantFiles. I guess they all will go on Flickr now.

Are they safe at flickr?

Such a pretty tree!

Spring will be starting here, soon, too, I have my favorite yellow trees, Golden Chain, and Golden Rain. Boo, my photos are in my dead laptop. owell!

Melissa

Only if you make your account on flickr private. And then invite others to join you to view it.

Dave - Is there ANY format to convert photos to so that they can't easily be downloaded, edited, and used without your permission? PDF format?

I know even using watermarks that some folks know how to edit the watermarks right out of the photos. :-(

This message was edited Feb 6, 2010 7:07 PM

Jacksonville, Dave:

If you're posessive of your photos, either post them in such a way that they are useless, 100X150, or don't put them on the World-Wide-Web.

Cameras are to the point of being so good that anyone can take National Geographic quality images. I don't worry about it.

Melissa