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Privacy and publication of posts


AlisonB

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I have been getting the W30 daily email and note that it often quotes material posted in the forum. I assumed that posters had consented - or were at least notified - that their posts were being published in this way, particularly given that the email is a subscription for which a charge is made.

I am now aware that this is not the case and that someone was rather surprised to find her comment published in the W30, not having been notified in advance.

I would like to know on what basis information posted in the forum is disseminated in this way. I don't recall signing a release in this regard when I signed up - and I can't find any reference to this issue on the forum itself.

I would be very unhappy indeed if I were to post personal information - about digestive or other issues! - which was then published with my username, from which other non-forum members might identify me. Even if I am offered an assurance that nothing sensitive or personal will be published, I still feel that I should retain the right to decide whether I want my posts and my username to be published.

Please can one of the moderators address this?

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Hi Alison!

Thanks for your note. I can't give any kind of official answer, but I wanted to let you know that I passed this on to Melissa for her response. In the meantime, could you point me to the comment that was published and where, so that we can get a complete picture?

Thanks for the feedback - more soon!

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Thanks, Robin - I agree that people probably won't post sensitive information using an identifiable username but I think there is a significant difference between what people might choose to post in the forum and what they might wish to be included in emails sent - at a cost - to thousands of people who have not signed up to the forum or its rules.

I do also think that using forum content in paid-for emails without the user's consent is at best discourteous and, at its worst,a potential breach of copyright

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To all,

For the record, information posted on this forum (every category, save your peronal logs) is public. That means anyone with an internet connection can read, share, quote, or link to this material - you don't have to be registered to view, only to comment. General common sense says if you don't want your boss/kids/Whole9 reading/sharing/linking to something you wrote, don't post it in a public location.

We always obtain written permission for personal information or testimonials sent to us privately (like via email). However, any information posted publicly on our site is free for us to quote or link to. We've had a small notification of this nature in our website footer that states, "Any information you publish on this site becomes public information. By publishing content or information on this site, you are allowing Whole9 Life, LLC to exhibit, publish or distribute this content for purposes of publicizing Whole9's programs." I've asked our web designer to move this statement to a more prominent location, and to add it to the commments page of every post and article, just so people are more aware. I will also add it to our forum rules. However, this should be assumed to be standard policy for any public information you share, on any website, anywhere.

Finally, so that other readers understand the scope of this issue, the comment in question is regarding how a forum participant uses her leftover mayo. This is hardly personal information of a sensitive nature. Furthermore, we do not require posters to use real names as their user name, so if you're extra-concerned about privacy, please select a username that does not reflect personal data.

Best,

Melissa

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I post in a parenting forum and several of us have found quotes/opinions of ours published in national newspaper articles :o but as M points out if you write something on an internet forum it is in the public domain, that's why you have to be careul with libel/slander etc.

It's not like whole9 "own" what you've typed, it's more that no-body owns it, not even you.

I'd be flattered if any of my spiel turned up in a whole9 document tbh. (cough cough hint hint)

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I subscribed to the Whole Daily and I never once saw anything that I would consider personal. The internet is a house with doors as big as barn doors which is why you need to assume anything you post will be seen by others if they happen to google the right words. Yes, a blessing and a curse, but it is not something that is controlable. Like Derval, I would be flattered if something I said showed up in materials of some sort (clears throat :) ). I'd probably print it out, highlight it and frame it. While this forum is reserved for Whole 30 participants and people interested in it, it's called "public" for a reason.

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I use my own name when posting. I don't care who reads what I write. I decided a long time ago never to post anything anywhere I wasn't happy for the world and his wife to read and, also, if I wasn't prepared to put my real name to a post why was I posting it in the first place.

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