Forum Topics End up on Google ???

[modrock]

For some reason, it has been pointed out to me that my postings to this forum end up on http://www.google.com . Although nothing I've said is necessarily private, I'm wondering how google.com can get this information, when in fact a user name and password is required to log on. My brother found some postings I had made to Paul W. and Peter McCormack and asked about the forum. ( which is OK because my younger brother is interested in joining and has been professional in his younger years, and is quite a fantastic Rickenbacker player ! )
Any ideas how to keep our discussions off google, and thus the entire world Peter? As I say, I'm not worried about what I post, and everyone here are really great dedicated Rickenbacker friends, though you never know who may be 'evesdropping' who shouldn't. Or perhaps these days with Homeland Security and all the warrantless wiretaps, one shouldn't expect a degree of privacy. Or maybe I'm just getting 'paranoid' in my old age...eh Ozzie ?

Cheers,
Gary

[blueflamerick]

It's the Googlebot. Once in a while, you can see it under the "Who is online" section of this site. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Googlebot

Don't want your posts to show up in Google searches of your name, then alter your name on the user control panel of this site.

[modrock]

Thanks Eric, I'm not a computer guru, now I understand what's happening....


Gary

360/12V64, 325JL

[admin]

This is essentially a public forum. Just in passing, your first and last name is required to post on this forum.

[modrock]

Thanks Peter, It's not a problem, just an observation. I wouldn't post anything that I would't want anyone to see anyway.

Cheers !

Gary

[scotty]

Just wondering about this and typed googlebot into the search cause ive also noticed this tonight "Baidu [Spider]" and"Heritrix [Crawler]" with googlebot and yahoo bot! Just as long as ED-209 doest show its ok yeah?

[beatlefreak]

It's the Googlebot. Once in a while, you can see it under the "Who is online" section of this site.

Once in a while? I don't believe there's ever been a time when I'm on here that the Googlebot isn't listed.

[Ric-O-nfused]

I too am concerned about this because for instance I don't really want certain co-workers or my ex knowing how I spend my money. I won't complain too much, I know this place is operating like a public forum, but If you think about it, in public we don't typically wear name tags. It'd be great if we could opt to use an intial for our last name rather then spelling it out completely so that no one has a chance of Googling you. Damn you, Google.

[wayang]

Yes, this forum will probably cost me my political career...

Oh, well...

[BlueHelmet]

In fact, I am concerned about online privacy. I have no problem with the admins of this forum knowing my real name, but I don't need my students or anyone else from my job or private life knowing what I'm doing online or when I'm doing it. I've tried changing my last name twice now and both times it was set back to the original. What, except for deleting the account and re-registering, would be a solution for that problem?

[electrofaro]

Don't get me started about Google - I boycott them every way I can.

Searching for myself I find items I made for Microsoft Flightsimulator over a decade ago.
Haven't played it in the decade since, yet, next to LinkedIn, it's the only thing popping up for me - the other results are from people who share the same name.

Things those people with the same name write are more of a concern to me, as I can control what I write myself, but not what someone with the same name writes.

[electrofaro]

Just wondering about this and typed googlebot into the search cause ive also noticed this tonight "Baidu [Spider]" and"Heritrix [Crawler]" with googlebot and yahoo bot! Just as long as ED-209 doest show its ok yeah?

Nah, it was way more innocent!

bot.jpg

[admin]

Joe: We have had the rule of using one's real name for a decade here and I am not aware of any serious difficulty that it has caused members during this time, outside of comments that they may have made that has broken all the rules here.

I have just searched google and your name also including rickresource and I have not seen your name come up in that context after a month of your posts.

Life on this Forum has always worked best when we know who it talking. In any event, surely the reality of making comments in public is that sooner or later someone will know your name.

[BlueHelmet]

Still, you never know what the future brings technology-wise and the internet never forgets. I'd prefer my name displayed in a non-machine readable (i.e. not plaintext) format ... but that may just be my paranoia.


Well. Thanks for being constructive instead of telling me that it's my decision to post in or leave the forum. I guess a lot of people would have chosen the easy way and done the latter ..

[cjj]

If I recall correctly, quite some time ago, Gil set things up so that the real names only appear to registered user who are logged in. Others who are just reading topics, and the various bots don't see the real name, only the user ID.

Yep, just tried it with another machine where I've never logged on to this forum - all I see are the user IDs, no real names...