Would you like access to the VF Forum in the Internet Archives?

[KathAL79]

Good point, Joanna, about the importance of letting people know if something is to be archived for posterity.

Henry, I'm just curious about why it's so important for non-registered members have access to internet archives of this forum. It seems to me that a) few people would be in that position and b) it would be easy enough to join VF if one really wanted such access.

[tapdancer]

I just don't love the idea of my VF posts coming up in some random google search by any old random person, or worse yet, someone I actually know.

It just would make me uncomfortable.

[antbuko]

I voted yes too. I like reading the old threads and nothing on a message board is etched in stone anyway, whether it's a brand new thread or a thread from five years ago. You have to take it for what it is - conversation. From time to time, very old threads are referenced here and it would be nice to search those out and read them. I don't feel like my privacy is at risk either.

[Elisa B.]

Originally Posted by antbuko

I voted yes too. I like reading the old threads and nothing on a message board is etched in stone anyway, whether it's a brand new thread or a thread from five years ago. You have to take it for what it is - conversation. From time to time, very old threads are referenced here and it would be nice to search those out and read them. I don't feel like my privacy is at risk either.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but it's my understanding that the General Discussion forum is archived on VF and searchable through VF -- it's just not supposed to be searchable by google and other "outside" search engines.

Elisa

[Suzette]

No thanks. If I wanted my thoughts and opinions available to anyone on the web, I'd have a blog.

[antbuko]

But they are availalbe. Anyone can read this forum without being a member.

[Suzette]

I understand that, Helen - but most people lurking/looking on this forum at least have an interest in exercising and are here for that reason.

They do not just come across posts because of the "dumb luck" of a phrase in a google search.

For example - I usually bring up Colin Farrell whenever someone asks who I'd like to see lead a workout video. If someone googles "Colin Farrell" I do not want my posts coming up.

[Lianne]

Originally Posted by Suzette

For example - I usually bring up Colin Farrell whenever someone asks who I'd like to see lead a workout video. If someone googles "Colin Farrell" I do not want my posts coming up.

As I said earlier, the odds of this are statistically so low as to be non-existant. Google doesn't just return random results - they rank them according to an algorthim which measures relevancy. Anything you posted on VF about Colin Farrell would be considered irrelevant by Google. I understand the concerns about this, but maintain that they are unwarranted.

Kath and Elisa - the forum is archived here and searchable here only to a certain degree. As we know, check-ins are deleted, and I have found that the even the General Discussion archives no longer go back to November 2001, which is when the forum in this format was created. And then there are the archives of the earlier versions of this forum (pre Nov.2001) which, of course, are not available here, but used to be available on the Internet Archive. All of these were accessible until about a year ago, and I don't recall any horror stories as a result.

Just recently around the anniversary date of the birth of the yoga check-in, I thought it would be fun and interesting to dig up the inagural Yoga check-in, which was on previous forum software. Kind of like you bring out old pictures at a birthday party. But with the webcrawlers disallowed, this trip down memory lane wasn't possible.

Not expecting to change people's minds, but did want to clarify and answer questions.

[Vintage VFer]

Originally Posted by Lianne

Not expecting to change people's minds, but did want to clarify and answer questions.

Lianne, the issue seems to bring up emotions (fear and paranoia), so you might not get the rational, black & white answer that will satisfy you. Even the Poll results depend on who clicks on this thread title.

One does wonder about the lost Lenore. (A VFer who posted often and then tragically became ill and died). I wonder how she would feel to know that her posts live on? I didn't know her well enough to answer that question.

[Suzette]

Originally Posted by Lianne

Anything you posted on VF about Colin Farrell would be considered irrelevant by Google.

So you're saying that my post would not come up at all (not accessible)? Or it would come up way on page 23 of the results. . . (still accessible)