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gina_w_gw

Heads up!

Gina_W
11 years ago

Take a look at this thread Tamara just posted over at Kitchens. We may be doomed...

Social Media bar?

Please post your feelings there.

Comments (42)

  • annie1992
    11 years ago

    My feelings? Ugh. I don't do any social media. I knew when we got the Facebook and Pinterest links that things were changing.

    Irrevocably, it seems. Gina, I think you're right. We are indeed doomed....

    Annie

  • pkramer60
    11 years ago

    It certainly looks like the people at the KT are not in favor and that includes me. My post there is:

    Another no vote here. If I wanted my comments on FB or other social media sites, I will put it there and no one else please.

    But others have also made the point that this is a done deal, coming from iVillage I am sure. But I hope that I am wrong.

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  • jessyf
    11 years ago

    Ugh. And ugh.

  • dedtired
    11 years ago

    You know, this used to be my little corner of the internet where I have friends that I can interact with in a way that I don't with my non-GW friends. I purposely have not "Liked" the GW page on FB, because I want to maintain a distance between that page and my page. I can't be relaxed and write what I want without thinking that one of my neighbors will be reading it (many are my FB friends).

    Yes, I realize our comments are read by hundreds of others. Still, I do not want my comments being shared on Pinterest or FB. I do have some control over what happens to the stuff I post on FB (but not enough!). With this, anyone can share my comments. I will no longer be able to write like me, but will have to measure everything I say, knowing anyone can blast it all over the internet. There's enough of that already.

    If GW goes ahead with this, I hope our posts up to this point will not be eligible for sharing. That would not be fair. We posted those comments thinking that they would stay here.

    I VOTE NO. Somehow, I think that will not matter. This makes me sad.

  • doucanoe
    11 years ago

    I hope they rethink this. I closed my Facebook account for many reasons and do not want my life, my thoughts and my friendships (even with my "imaginary" friends as Annie's daughter calls us) to be open to the entire world and all of their "imaginary" friends.

    If ivillage does decide to do this I think we should "secede from the union" as it were. And if I knew how to make that happen and start our own forum I would do just that.

    Gawd, I HATE social media! Is nothing sacred anymore???

    Linda

  • bons
    11 years ago

    Providing a forum is easy, if it really comes to that. There are free services out there that provide free forum space. I host a forum for Jazzercise instructors.

    The format is different from this, but actually better once you get used to it.

    Bonnie

  • foodonastump
    11 years ago

    As of this moment I don't see a single positive response either here or on Kitchens, so I'll weigh in with my vote of "I agree with EVERYONEsize> who has commented thus far."

  • teresa_nc7
    11 years ago

    NO NO NO to more social media!!! There are lots of reasons that I don't do Facebook. Why mess with a good thing, GW?

    Teresa

  • triciae
    11 years ago

    PLEASE, NO NO NO. Don't do this to us! I have been here since 2004 and have many friends on GW. We are a COMMUNITY. I also do not do Facebook, Pinterest, or any other social media except GW and don't want my friendships here that have developed over many years to be spread outside GW.

    I feel so strongly about this that I will not be making a single further post unless I see from Tamara that this idea has been scraped.

    This is a horrible idea!

  • chase_gw
    11 years ago

    I posted on Kitchens...I think it's an absolutely terrible idea. I like the idea of having "our space". I feel comfortable here but I hate FB.

  • beachlily z9a
    11 years ago

    This is a terrible idea that will have significant unintended consequences. I've been on Gardenweb since 2001 and have seen the community grow to the size it is today. I don't have a problem with changes, but this is a really bad idea.

  • mustangs81
    11 years ago

    This is just crazy! I feel like it's the BIG BROTHER thing only in a friendly way. Agreed, yes we know anyone can read what we post but relatively few have interest of our little niche. How many of our posts have gone "VIRAL"?

    It's about camaraderie and friendship to us and we have made lasting face-to-face friends but it's about money to iVillage.

  • magothyrivergirl
    11 years ago

    I also HATE this for all the reasons stated.

    Sounds like this is a business decision - done deal - :~(

  • sally2_gw
    11 years ago

    I understand that everything we post here can be seen by anyone, so nothing about the way I post will change, most likely, but I still don't like the idea that what we post may be shared on Facebook, or seen there, or however it will work.

    What happens on the cooking forum should stay on the cooking forum!

    sally

  • cloudy_christine
    11 years ago

    Boy, I'd hate to leave here. This is where my friends are. This is where people have known each other for years. and It's also pretty much the only forum interface I find really comfortable.
    But maybe it's finished.

    Don't underestimate the efficiency of the data-gathering that goes on. Social media follow you all over the web. Parts of your life that you have carefully kept separate get put together by Google. A friend of one of my children had a hobby that was nothing mean or criminal but not appropriate to her very responsible day job. She was very careful to keep everything completely separate (that generation knows how much better than I do). Then one day she saw that a Google search of one of her online identities was also turning up links to the other!

    DoNotTrackPLus told me that it has stopped more than 36,000 attempts to track me from Twitter.
    I don't do Facebook and I darn well don't want our conversations and photos on this forum showing up there.

  • party_music50
    11 years ago

    Thank you, Gina, for posting about this. I agree with the 99.99% of the group who HATE this idea!!!

    wow... I just can't believe how bad this idea is for this group. I guess it's over. :(

    Yes, there are easy and free ways to start up your own forum. If that is done for this group, will someone please let me know the URL? :O)

  • Jasdip
    11 years ago

    I posted the link over at the Kitchen Table, and we don't want it either.

    Obviously, there's a ton of money to be made for iVillage and that's what they care about. I wish they would have asked us first, without arbitrarily going ahead with this.

    I have a FB account, but I use one of my cat's names. I don't post often there, but I do "like" some businesses and have won some things in draws that they do.

    GW is my little community and I'd hate to lose the friendships I've made. Maybe we should just all leave and find a new home to post. I like the format here. It's simple and clean and pleasing to the eye.
    I don't care for the new edit button though.......

  • mustangs81
    11 years ago

    Knowing it's about the money, I wonder if it would have any impact on the decision if we go back to the membership fee structure (probably not). I would be willing to do that.

  • Rusty
    11 years ago

    Well, I don't post here all that often.
    At least, not as often as many of you do.

    But I will add my thoughts on the subject.

    Absolutely the WORST idea, EVER! !

    Rusty

  • KatieC
    11 years ago

    Noooo-ooo-oooo!

  • deedles
    11 years ago

    thank you, cooking forum for helping out. It seems that the link bar is removed. (for now at least)

  • Teresa_MN
    11 years ago

    I don't think the Social Media bar is going away. It did not appear to be working properly. I tried to click on a couple of things and nothing was happening - other than to take me to some diaper ad.

  • Lars
    11 years ago

    I didn't see the link bar either, and so it must have been removed. I would not be able to use it here anyway, as FB is blocked here. I do use FB to help keep in touch with some of my friends and family, but I'm seriously considering deleting my account. I would do that, except that it would cut me off from a few friends/family who use FB and almost nothing else that I also use for communication. I posted on FB that I hate facebook!

    Lars

  • cynic
    11 years ago

    Facebook, MySpace and the other crapola are for the "AOLers" that can't use a computer. Instead of condoning the dumbing down of people, they should try to educate people. "Like" that. Sounds like the valley girls have taken over not only the schools but the internet too. Twist your hair somewhere else and leave a good thing alone. I realize it's about the almighty buck, but I'd pay to not put up with that crapola. If anyone finds another option, post it and mail it. Spread the word.

  • triciae
    11 years ago

    One look at Pinterest suggests to me that iVillage is going after a different demographic probably the 18-34 age group.

    Personally, it's been a few years since my 34th birthday and frankly we purchase few (if any) products based on an internet ad. I wish iVillage would give us the chance to pay a fee before they make their final decision.

    /tricia

  • cloudy_christine
    11 years ago

    Whatever demographic they're going for, the main selling point for new forum members is still information. And who do people want to get information from? Why, from those who have experience. The sum total of knowledge and experience on this forum (and many other GW forums) is huge. We are the content providers.
    If the very experienced cooks and bakers leave, this forum could end up like those irritating Ask.com things that clutter up web searches. Somebody says, what's the best treament for X; some clueless person feels compelled to answer (why?) with "Gosh, I dunno, but I guess you could take aspirin and stuff like that, 'cause that's what I do for something completely different."

  • triciae
    11 years ago

    CC,

    I agree WE are the content providers. Actually, that made me remember to ask Ann to remove my contributions to the FAQs. I've had hundreds of emails over the years and made many friends discussing bread baking. But those emails and new friends came from this community - not some unknown Pinterest clicker.

    /tricia

  • compumom
    11 years ago

    Tricia, you're removing your tutorials from FAQ's? Please don't do it yet! There's much to be learned and while I absolutely don't want GW to be able to link to social media, I'd hate for others to miss out on your valuable hands-on knowledge.

    Just to reiterate, TAMARA, please don't link us to social media! We are happy to remain a tight community!

  • Gina_W
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    You know, the day I finally deleted everything out of my Facebook account and then de-activated it for good is the day I was reading an online newspaper, and on one page was an advertisement letting me know that one of my "friends" had just read such-and-such article. And his PHOTO was in the ad!!! He did not know about this sort of thing. I was appalled and incensed. Disgusting and I want no part of it.

    I don't think the younger people who love Facebook so much have any clue how participating in the social media spiderweb is going to affect their lives - now and in the future.

    EVERYTHING we post on the web, anywhere now, is being kept in archives, available to this or that site or application or government agency or anyone who pays money for it.

    Zillow has now added a feature so that you can see people who are in default of their mortgage or been foreclosed on. You can see how much in arrears they are! There are sites that post almost every residence in the country and shows the owners of the residence, how much they paid, etc.

    If you shop online, your shopping cart can follow you around to other sites. If you shop at Macy's, you will see Macy's ads on many of the other sites you visit. You are being fed advertising according to your recorded behavior on the web.

    Big Brother is already here, folks. And it's more intrusive, more insidious and scarier than you ever imagined. Makes me want to stop posting anything on the web ever again.

    Bleh... I'm going to see about participating more in the offline world...


  • jessyf
    11 years ago

    Amen Gina.

    Msazadi (remember her?) once said to me that everything typed online, be it on phone or keyboard, will be read by someone, somewhere, who may not even be human.

    A few years ago DS#1 felt as disgusted as you and left FB, after a similar experience. He was forced to rejoin when he wasn't getting important social/school notifications but he keeps his postings to a minimum.

    That being said - my understand is that once a FB account is created, it can never really be deleted? It lives on, in the great big servers, ready to be reactivated?

  • lpinkmountain
    11 years ago

    I have often thought we might want to create our own forum someday. I know such things can be done but unfortunately I am probably not going to be the person to do it. An Internet forum is a relatively easy thing to put together and manage but it does need to be managed so hard to find someone to do it consistently over the years. So sad.
    GW is a dinosaur which is precisely why I love it. It is a world of us oldsters who like our relative privacy and have some real background and detailed knowledge to share. There may be some other Internet bulletin boards out there worth investigating as an alternative home.

  • annie1992
    11 years ago

    Jessica, Msazadi was right and still is. There is no expectation of privacy on the internet. Period.

    Annie

  • Gina_W
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    lpink, it's been done a couple of times in the past and it could be done again if necessary.

  • ritaotay
    11 years ago

    Well... Doing away with a social media bar won't stop the stuff you post, here or anywhere else, from becoming available to everyone on the internet.

    Do a search of your user name with any search engine you like.

    I just Goggled mine and came up with 1540 hits, when I did it a second time I had 2710 hits.

    Didn't get anywhere near as many with Bing but it did show a response I posted on the Microsoft Help board, back in 2006.

    As for your pictures.... I hope.... No, I pray that you don't put your cell phone pictures anywhere on the internet UNLESS you turned off your GPS before you took those pictures... If the GPS was on then that picture can be traced back to where it was taken, not just the city and state but the address as well as the room in the house it was taken!

    Creating your own forum won't make a difference, all the above can still happen there... And the person who creates it may loose even more of their privacy; when you register a web site you have to use your real name & info now and unless the provider blocks that info then the entire internet has access to it.

    As Annie said, there is no "privacy on the internet".
    Nothing is free either.

    Rita

  • ann_t
    11 years ago

    I am ambivalent on whether GW adds a social media bar.

    I only use FB and Pinterest as an extension of my blogs.

    I've never had any problems with strangers. But I do have my own personal stalker that originated here on GW.

    ~Ann

  • bulldinkie
    11 years ago

    I come here but I wont use facebook Ill leave if it does..

  • jessicavanderhoff
    11 years ago

    It's a good reminder that if you're not the customer, you're the product :-/

  • lpinkmountain
    11 years ago

    Yes, GW has to make money and I'll bet this model of doing a bulletin board is just not cutting it anymore. I like it but don't know about the younger generation. Odd that users of an Internet bulletin board worry about their format being outdated. But the fact that it is a little esoeteric probably weeds out the less serious cooking folks. Frankly I think GW does fill a great niche in that respect, having mature and serious discussions about cooking.

  • amck2
    11 years ago

    Add me to the list who does not participate on FB, Pintrest, or other social media sites. I would be disappointed to see this forum go that route.

  • Jasdip
    11 years ago

    Well, we just got a spammer over at the Kitchen Table. That happens so infrequently that we sure notice.

    Is that a sign of things to come??

  • Teresa_MN
    11 years ago

    GW has had spammers long before the thought of a media bar came into play. And the bar was only there a few hours before it was removed. I don't think it has anything to do with the spammer that dropped into the Kitchen Table. The best thing to do is to report them to GW and not respond to the post.

    This post was edited by teresa_mn on Tue, Dec 11, 12 at 9:18

  • dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
    11 years ago

    Kind of like the opposite of a Marx's quote, "---I don't want to belong to any club that will accept people like me as a member" ?

    I will not join any forum that not even spammers are interested in spamming.

    dcarch