Topic: Members Only?

[Eon T McKnight]

I am curious to find out what y'all think about having the Forum only visible to members.

IMHO, the Forum should be wide open and available for viewing by anyone.  The 'mission' of this Forum, as I understand it, is providing information to facilitate healing.  I believe that mission is best served by being available to all.

In addition, unless Cal and pk can implement a way for search bots to scan the site, no results on google/yahoo/etc. search engines will be available to those searching for information on Eboka or addiction interruption.

My vote is for OPEN.

What say ye?

~et

[Calaquendi]

I'm glad you brought this up, McKnight...I changed the settings a few days ago and had planned on seeing 'how it went' for the week - if maybe it would encourage or discourage participation. I am also curious to know what the vote is.

This is a public forum and will remain so, though certain boards are coming which will be either password protected or you will need to be part of a 'membergroup' to participate. This is for reasons of security and members' feelings of general safety about being here. Some of the more technical aspects of the whole DIY things - such as the extraction procedures we discuss, etc...I think may put some people off from either joining or posting for fear of association with mad scientists or pseudo-shamans.

There may be an upgrade to the latest version of SMF coming this week - and after that the child boards for the science forum. But I am still uncertain how that will look...I want anyone who wishes to partake in those kinds of discussions to be able to do so - if I were looking to do something of this nature I know I would want a resource like this.

[x]

I think 'wait and see' for a week is a great way to go, as is the 'child boards'.

I know I want to feel safe here, and at the same time not be 'exclusive'.

It's easy enough to sign in to read stuff, that's for sure. Is it a goal to have this forum get very big?

T

[Eon T McKnight]

Hi Tiacita!

I want you and everyone who posts here to feel secure  --  I want to make that known first and foremost.

To help everyone BE secure, I'm afraid that I must say some things that might be uncomfortable.  I spent several years in IT and one area that I specialized in was security.  Probably THE most basic tenet of information security is this:

     NO electronic security system or method can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.  Period.

To put that in terms applicable to this Forum, it is impossible for pk or anyone else to make the information stored in the database totally immune to hackers.

Also know that Big Brother has spent hundreds of millions, if not billions, of our $$$ on hacking tools to counter and wage informational warfare.  BB has the ability to read EVERYTHING you enter or send over the Internet that is not encrypted.  Even most encrypted transmissions (e.g. PGP) can be decrypted with enough computing resources.  The only really tough encryption to crack is called a "one time pad" where the decryption key must be securely couriered from one location to the other.

Sadly, BB does not have the financial/communications/computing capability to do so.  Yet.      We would all feel so much more secure if our beloved BB did indeed read every character we typed to prevent those nasty, Godless terrorists from threatening our fragile peace of mind.  Right?   

Sorry, I do believe my politics are showing.

Now, Tia, back to your concerns.  Maybe I can help.  Can you explain what you're feeling insecure about without feeling even more insecure?

If not, please feel free to contact me privately to express your concerns.  And that goes for ALL Forum members, too.  I guess I am hereby volunteering to be your unofficial security consultant.  I'm sure Cal will not have any problem adding consulting fees to my already generous salary, right Cal?

Just remember, you can trust your deep, dark secrets to dear old Uncle Eon!  (Bwahaha!)   

~ET

[Calaquendi]

Is it a goal to have this forum get very big?

- Well, I'd like to see it get as big as it needs to be. Not too big for its britches, but yes, I'd like to see as much growth as possible. None of us had a forum like this to visit until we began to construct this community. I guess I just hope it achieves its own natural destiny...it will grow in direct proportion to the needs of those who seek this medicine and do this work. That's what I'd like to see here.

[GrandWazoo]

Well, maybe there could be a waiting period... so that everyone can feel safe to say whatever they want. We don't all live in a system that truly allows that... Though I'm new, I don't disagree with the idea. We have to be able to trust each other and... well, maybe newbies like me could be secluded to the intro post + maybe another one for the first week... I really don't know. My thought here is to preserve what I perceive as being a pristine environment for ideas and people. Anyways, you've all been here way longer than I have, you know what's best for this here shit. Allz I'm saying is that I wouldn't feel offended to be put on probation until you decide if I'm wacked out enough to join your club or not... LOLZ.

Peace,

Frederic

[pkeffect]

I've been doing things like this on the net for 15 years as well run countless of other Forums/Communities. I have traded emails with Federal Agents and have always been watched. They could care less about places like this, most of the people like us, trust me. There are places on the net that make anything this forum could be look like a first grade finger painting. Yes some things are illegal, most things are, most things that are legal are more harmful.

If you all should decide to close the board up to members only I would have to ask you find a new place to host this site then. If I wanted a club of elitist pricks I would hang out at a few of the places I would rather not mention. This isn't some secret club. Reminds me of all the knowledge certain institutions have spent countless centuries hiding.

That's my .02

PS. I have never once been hacked at home nor any of the hundreds of dedicated boxes I have administered. First time for everything!

[Eon T McKnight]

pk-meister! --  all my three thumbs are up!

You do realize that security geeks need to speak the truth (from time to time).  Yeah, BB is like some demon God.  As long as we stay beneath the radar, though, no probs.  I know that we are less than small potatoes, less that petite green peas, just about down where E coli thrive.

Too freakin bad we don't pay more taxes so Mr. BB could afford to do what he feels compelled to do.  (big tears)

I do agree with you re: the level of risk  --  just look at my posts.   But, I don't really believe it is a case of elitism.  We have been brainwashed, brainwaxed and brainpolished all of our unconventional, outsider lives to fear.  Fear.  Fear.  Fear!

BB thrives on our fear.

I haven't been hacked either.  But I got me a firewall and I make the rules.  The vast majority has no idea what I'm talkin' about.  The vast majority never know when the ARE hacked.

Forum Members:

OK.  Let's talk security.  You got something to hide?  You can't do the time?  Don't blab it all over the web.  Period.

You wanna fuk with BB?  I'm with you all the way!

Guerilla Information Systems!

ETMcK

PS  --  Resistance is futile.  Love bombs are our only hope.  (gak, chokin, blue in face!)  But, really, I'm like totally serious!  No I'm not.  Yes I am. No I yes I am not am...

Hope that clears it up for y'all!    ~et

[x]

*cough* dayam.

okay, pk, hats off to your experience!

I've only 'run' one other board, totally legal stuff (http://www.hennatribe.com). What we did was make the private things password accessible.

As far as secret club, elitist pricks, if anyone can sign up and log in, is it still elitist and secret?
I am asking in all sincerity, and trying to understand your pov with that specifically.

Always learning,
Tia

[Eon T McKnight]

Tiacita,

There is NOTHING private on the web.

There are people out there who make a hobby out of hacking banks, military dbs, credit card companies and everybody else.  If they get busted, they just might go to work for BB.

AT&T tried to sell BB a system to capture ALL data going across the web.  Everything.  Make it 'private' and you will only draw their attention.  Make it 'private' and people will think that it actually is private.

I never meant to dis pk.  He can't secure data between you and his servers.  NOTHING IS PRIVATE ON THE WEB.

Did I pop your bubble?

I can be such a prick sometimes...

E-poppin-T

[GratefulDad]

Well, I happen to post all my extractions and whatever all over the internet, cause I would rather have the information out there.  Now I don't want people to feel afraid to share something if they think it could benefit, and perhaps there could be a private forum for those who are afraid to share things publicly.  There could be a private access forum/section for those, which requires a length of membership, number of quality posts, or whatever.  Then for those afraid to share publicly, they could do so privately, and people like me who don't give a shit, can still post whatever we want publicly.  That way there are two options.

[Eon T McKnight]

After giving the matter some thought, I realized that I do not understand why people feel the need for more privacy than that provided by their screen names.  Is it:

To avoid being arrested and going to jail?
To avoid loosing your job?
To avoid being outed to friends or family?
To avoid feeling a little uncomfortable?
To avoid having your plans to blow up the Hoover Dam getting out?
To avoid having some pervert fondle himself while reading your post?

What?  Why?

Like GD, I am not one who is afraid of baring my soul here.  Would I have done so if my real name, address and phone number were displayed?  Hell no!  I do have some limits.

Though I can see how some fragile, guilt-ridden addict could find it easier to ask for help in private, how is he/she going to get access to that private area in the first place if it is really private?  Is making a private area going to make it easier to get help, or will it instead erect a barrier to doing so?

Would creating a private area also be creating a clique?  Or maybe just the perception that there is a clique?

Tia, you said:  "What we did was make the private things password accessible."  What were the kinds of things people protected with passwords?  Was it a frequent occurrence?  Was it to hide things from other members or from the public?

Would having a non-public chat room visible only to all members be sufficient?

Would you rather discuss this matter in private?   

eon