Thanks to everyone for the many and varied suggestions for the site in various places on the forums over recent days.

We really appreciate the feedback - not only is it very helpful, it's also nice to see so many of you caring enough about the site to feel the desire to express your thoughts.

We have various plans to implement new features, so stay tuned over the coming weeks and months.

Today we have implemented a new option when it comes to visibility of member profiles, as discussed here. If you go to your edit profile page you can now select whether to make your profile

• visible to everyone, including on the internet and possibly internet search engines


• visible to writewords members only


• hidden to everyone

The second option is the new one, meaning you can allow members to see your profile without making it visible to the wider internet.

That's a good option and I've already amended mine. Looking forward to seeing further additions / improvements.

Thanks David.

It's nice to have the option.

Dawn

That's great!

Sheila

That's ace. I'mm looking forward to what's happening next...

Grinder

Thanks, David, for making this option available.

Now, is there a way to make one's posts to forums invisible too?

That would be the cherry on the top.

Regards
Liesl

I agree - forum invisibility would be very useful - I do not feel comfortable knowing that anyone can google my name and find out what I have been discussing on a writer's forum. Do it David!

What about the Showcase - or have I missed that along the way?

joanie

Wonderful! Thanks David.

Dee

Anything you don't want to be visible in the forums should go in the lounge. That's a place for paying members only and is not visible outside.

The showcase is something we created to allow writers to have their own separate webspace - it's not supposed to be something that is visible to writewords members only.

Anything you don't want to be visible in the forums should go in the lounge. That's a place for paying members only and is not visible outside

Yes, that's made nice and clear, but of course it doesn't work if you're replying to an existing thread, short of solemnly saying on that thread that you're going to move to the Lounge, and hoping people will come with you. I know I sometimes forget that what I've said in Getting Published or wherever will be visible beyond WW. Though I do realise there probably isn't an answer to this one.

Emma

<Added>

Meant to say, like the profile-hiding options, and am looking forward to the other new developments.

David,

That's not practical.

When a work is being discussed in a group forum, the work itself may be invisible to the general public, but the commentary is not!

I am deeply concerned about the visibility of this site.

Are you aware that this very page will show up on Google?

And the pages you removed at my request REMAIN visible on Google? Even though they are gone from WW, if I hit the 'cached' option on Google, there they are!

Had I had this insight six weeks ago, there is no way I would have renewed my subscription. I cannot comprehend why one should pay for a password protected site that is visible to all and sundry.

If the 'protection' can be extended to one forum, why not extend to all?

That would surely be one of the most effective ways of protecting the site from legal action.

Furthermore, despite recommendations that the default option for new work being uploaded be set as a WW members only, it remains the Everyone (visible on the internet).

Please explain the site owner's and management's reasoning as to keeping this an unprotected site.

Liesl

Much of the success and popularity of the site (and the resultant usefulness to its members) depends upon it being visible. We understand some members have privacy concerns and have done our best to address them. We always remove posts if privacy is an issue, and google will remove them (including the cache), but it can unfortunately take upto 2-3 months to remove them sometimes.

Liesl -I've also wwmailed you with a suggestion for your googled pages.

Thanks for giving us that option with the profile page, David. Much appreciated.

I agree with the point about publicity - if I make a statement in my profile that I am looking for an agent it's because I hope some browsing agent with an interest in my particular field might see it. A forelorn hope, maybe, but it's one possible source among others.

Sheila