Mod Post: Go Public or Stay Private?
baconslave
Posts: 7,021 Member
Oct 1st marked the passing of the 3-month enforced group closing (as in the group being made Private.)
It's time for us to decide whether or not we are going to reopen the group and make it Public or keep it Private.
Public status pros:
Public groups are viewable by all MFP members and all MFP members can join without approval. People can read threads without joining, or they can join the group to participate in discussions. The pro to this would be providing a no-commitment source for those just wanting to investigate this WOE. It might edify non-low-carbers or might help people on-the-fence about the WOE make a decision without pressure.
Cons would be that jokers and trolls from the main forums can join and snoop on us. Which is what happened the last time. They could join and cause trouble or bring things said here into the forums. However, since we have nothing to hide and don't employ or endorse any shenanigans, that's not really an issue.
Remaining private Pros:
It's a safe haven here. Only those approved by moderators can join and read threads or post. We have no worries of experiencing haters unless someone masquerading as a low-carber flies in under the radar. We currently have a couple members who are not low-carb and occasionally post who have never caused a bit of trouble.
Cons would be that only members can read our posts and get the information we provide. If we have MFP friends who aren't part of the group, they can't read the posts if we try to share them. And also, if we're Public, I'm going to be even more of a harda$$ about the Community and Group Guidelines than I already am. We want this Group to remain available as a safe harbor and gateway to information, which isn't going to happen if people act like turds, and we get "disbanded."
If you are a new member, please take a moment to click the Group Expectations sticky at the top of the Group home page and read up on the guidelines. If you have any questions after that on specifics of what went down, feel free to PM me. Would prefer to not discuss it in the Group. It's not like we have anything to hide, we just think that encouraging discussion about it might open the door to violating the Group and Community Guidelines as they have been handed down to us by the Site Admins.
I'd like for everyone to take the opportunity to discuss your thoughts here, refraining from violating the Group Expectations in the doing. Any pros or cons I neglected? Concerns? After a week, I'll post a poll link for you guys to vote on whether or not the status quo remains, or we go public once again.
Thank you for reading.
Annnnnnd....Discuss.
EDIT:
Poll Link
http://goo.gl/W2bYGo
It's time for us to decide whether or not we are going to reopen the group and make it Public or keep it Private.
Public status pros:
Public groups are viewable by all MFP members and all MFP members can join without approval. People can read threads without joining, or they can join the group to participate in discussions. The pro to this would be providing a no-commitment source for those just wanting to investigate this WOE. It might edify non-low-carbers or might help people on-the-fence about the WOE make a decision without pressure.
Cons would be that jokers and trolls from the main forums can join and snoop on us. Which is what happened the last time. They could join and cause trouble or bring things said here into the forums. However, since we have nothing to hide and don't employ or endorse any shenanigans, that's not really an issue.
Remaining private Pros:
It's a safe haven here. Only those approved by moderators can join and read threads or post. We have no worries of experiencing haters unless someone masquerading as a low-carber flies in under the radar. We currently have a couple members who are not low-carb and occasionally post who have never caused a bit of trouble.
Cons would be that only members can read our posts and get the information we provide. If we have MFP friends who aren't part of the group, they can't read the posts if we try to share them. And also, if we're Public, I'm going to be even more of a harda$$ about the Community and Group Guidelines than I already am. We want this Group to remain available as a safe harbor and gateway to information, which isn't going to happen if people act like turds, and we get "disbanded."
If you are a new member, please take a moment to click the Group Expectations sticky at the top of the Group home page and read up on the guidelines. If you have any questions after that on specifics of what went down, feel free to PM me. Would prefer to not discuss it in the Group. It's not like we have anything to hide, we just think that encouraging discussion about it might open the door to violating the Group and Community Guidelines as they have been handed down to us by the Site Admins.
I'd like for everyone to take the opportunity to discuss your thoughts here, refraining from violating the Group Expectations in the doing. Any pros or cons I neglected? Concerns? After a week, I'll post a poll link for you guys to vote on whether or not the status quo remains, or we go public once again.
Thank you for reading.
Annnnnnd....Discuss.
EDIT:
Poll Link
http://goo.gl/W2bYGo
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Replies
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Kind of in favor of private. I do feel safe in this group and in my life I continually experience people who need to confront and challenge my choices to the extent that I dont often say anything about it. There is enough general info about low carb out there that a person could choose to do it and then join the group. That said, I will continue to be here and be supportive, regardless of which way the vote goes.0
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Public! It's the only way to have a decent search function (via google). Google can't index this group if it stays private.0
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I like it being private. The idea of some of the main forum people showing up here to stir up dissent is not pleasant to me. I do like this safe harbour. I like only having those who are honestly interested in, supportive of, or doing some version of a low carb diet around here.
I think keeping it private will help us not act like turds. LOL We're more or less on the same page in this group. Yeah, we disagree sometimes but there is an underlying supportive feeling. If we had a lot of outsiders, we may end up getting defensive and sidetracked by defending choices. This can happen with people on the main forums.
I still post on the main boards, and I try to offer my limited advice to topics on LCHF, keto, or reducing sugar, as well as to refer those who are interested over here. If the LCD started to feel like the main boards, well, it would be disappointing. I KNOW what I'm in for when I go to the main boards, but I really LIKE what I get in this group.
I'm still a newbie. I arrived in late June after the drama was done so I don't know how being public was beneficial. I do know that I like it the way it is now. It's a great group.
Thanks to the mods and everyone who has helped me!
My preference is to stay private, but I'll be around either way.0 -
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I did find this group difficult to find (thanks search engine.. not). However, now I have somewhere safe to ask questions. Appreciate the efforts of admins to keep it that way!
For reference, oblivious of history, I did ask questions on the main forums one month back, before I found this group. Safe to say, some of the responses were critical and unhelpful and I felt smaller for reading them. It is hard enough to realise your body is not "normal" (ie I need to be on a diet that minimises sugar) but to feel rejected for it as well is unpleasant and hurtful. Clearly given the trolls still lurk, you can read where my vote will land.0 -
Having been here before and after the group going private, any of those concerned about being attacked if we go public again, need not worry. The conversations were much the same as they are now and just as safe. It was not like some disagreements or attacks seen elsewhere. It doesn't matter to me if we stay private, since I already know how to find us. I think it may be helpful to others though that may be curious about lc, to be able to access information easier.0
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If the group had been private when I joined MFP I would never have found it. My very limited experience in the main fora makes me think that I would not have lasted long on MFP if that was all that was available.
Worse than leaving MFP, I might have felt so unsupported that I might have left the only WOE capable of dealing with my health issues.
We can deal with the rare troll, they quickly choose greener pastures when not fed. That's a very minor risk compared with people genuinely needing help/information/support and not finding it. My vote is to go public.0 -
Trolls are pretty easy to spot. If the group goes public can you kick them out or ban them from the group?0
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Keep it private.
Many of us are a bit emotionally fragile, and just dealing with the nonsense that trolls bring can be really discouraging.
If someone wants to find us they can.0 -
I just joined a few days ago, Thank you for allowing me. I like it private. Seems more mature.Tons of great info, which I was looking for and people are friendly to each other.0
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I'm pretty new here so take my opinion fwiw, but I really like this group and my hunch is keeping it private keeps it kinder and more supportive.0
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socalgardengal wrote: »I just joined a few days ago, Thank you for allowing me. I like it private. Seems more mature.Tons of great info, which I was looking for andpeople are friendly to each other.
Pretty much the opposite of the main forums of late
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I say keep it private. I joined when it was private. I searched for low carb groups & joined. At least this way, the joiners are identified. If they earnestly want to explore this WOE - they can join. Privacy doesn't mean people are unwelcome to explore, or that they can't find us. (I did!). To me, it means keeping potential trolls out. I treasure the lack of drama here!0
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christinev297 wrote: »Trolls are pretty easy to spot. If the group goes public can you kick them out or ban them from the group?
I'm not sure how exactly it functions in public-mode as we never had to kick anyone out when we were Public. Trolls weren't our problem. That said, I'm pretty sure we can. We are able to do so now in Private. And if not, we can go to the Community-wide mods and make it so. Besides, you can report posts in Groups just like in the main forums.christinev297 wrote: »socalgardengal wrote: »I just joined a few days ago, Thank you for allowing me. I like it private. Seems more mature.Tons of great info, which I was looking for andpeople are friendly to each other.
Pretty much the opposite of the main forums of late
That's an example of what we can't allow. Even though it may be true.
Here is the short version of what went down for those who don't understand: some MFPers as non-members, read threads in the group (since Public is open for all MFP members to read) and they c&p some colorful comments from those threads into main forum threads when a few members of our group got a little overzealous venting about their experience in the main forum. This caused drama, obviously. And unfounded accusations were made that we were conspiring within the group to get certain popular users banned and that some group members were conspiring to dogpile in main forum threads. This was, of course, absurd and plain didn't happen, but the pot was stirred, the suggestion was made, and considering the feelings that many have about low-carbers, people jumped on it and wouldn't let it die. The ensuing crap-storm ended with this group having to make a lot of changes and was temporarily changed to Private.
And I got to talk back and forth with the site mods. A lot.
Among the stipulations for our reopening in 3 months time, were that we were to allow no complaining about the main forums or discussing what goes on there. No linking to main forum threads. No encouraging members to go to the main forums and pile on threads (which we didn't do anyway!). Which basically boils down to acting like the main forums do not exist. It's either that, or we lose our group.
And IMO this group serves an important role to MFPs low-carb users.
I'd prefer to not have to comment on it further. I think this summary will suffice to help you guys decide what side of the fence you are on. That is what happened. It's possible to have a troll come in when if we go Public again. It didn't happen before. So I'm not really that worried about it. And if it does, it will be nipped. We aren't going to complain about the main forums, period, past or present or future developments regarding them, so there is no reason to think anyone would bother to c&p questions about net carbs or LCHF shopping lists into the main forum. But they are more than welcome to steal pics of bacon and low-carb food-porn from us. We have no drama to drag anywhere, so there is no fuel as an incentive for someone looking for trouble. No drama potential = they aren't going to waste their time.
And like I said, if they did bother, there's this nice little "Flag" feature on posts so you can click Report. Or Dragonwolf, FIT_Goat, and I can boot them out of the group.
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Understood 0
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I say keep it private. I joined when it was private. I searched for low carb groups & joined. At least this way, the joiners are identified. If they earnestly want to explore this WOE - they can join. Privacy doesn't mean people are unwelcome to explore, or that they can't find us. (I did!). To me, it means keeping potential trolls out. I treasure the lack of drama here!
Same for me. I'd like it kept private.0 -
macchiatto wrote: »I'm pretty new here so take my opinion fwiw, but I really like this group and my hunch is keeping it private keeps it kinder and more supportive.
It was equally as kind and supportive when it was public as well. None of that has changed since going private.0 -
Like the above poster, I found this forum by looking for low carb on the group search. It was private when I joined and prefer to keep so.0
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I thought a private group doesn't come up on a group search? ?0
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christinev297 wrote: »I thought a private group doesn't come up on a group search? ?
It came up for me when I looked for a lowcarb group and then I filled out the little form and was approved to join ....I am loving this group 0 -
Stay private; let the main forum fester in it's own sewage.0
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I'm torn, but my vote is Private.0
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I don't see any reason for a change.
I'm a likin it here.
or 
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Would definitely prefer to stay private.0
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We have nothing to hide, but I prefer to keep it private. People who really want to be here can still find us.0
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It's easy to join, and staying private is one small, but seemingly effective, filter for trolls. Therefore, I vote to stay private.0
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I feel very torn also. One thought enters my head and I'm thinking "No way! Private is great!" Then I remember that the group was no different 6.5 months ago, when I was new, than it is now and I'm thinking "Well, then it doesn't matter."
I think the real risk to the group is within our own words more than any that some troll may say. We don't want any accidental negative comment about any experience in a main forum to cause us to be forced to lose the group. And regardless of reminders, something that isn't meant to be offensive seems to slip in sometimes and it could easily be used against us. Particularly since some of us may have a few non-fans out there... Ahem...
The risk to us as individuals is both within the trolling comments that can cause an emotional response that even the strongest of us can be affected by, and within the risk of completely losing all support the group provides if something terrible were to happen and we lose each other because of accidental negativity.
I'm really on the fence because I want people to find us easily, that seems to be inconsistent from what others have said. And the inclusion in search would be great. But I also don't want anyone to feel like they can't speak freely. The only censoring we should ever have to do beyond our normal polite speak is of our opinions about other forums. If we are concerned about rude opposition, it can be intimidating to participate at all.
Could there be an option to try out being public for a month then do another survey to see if the change made a difference to anyone in a negative way? Just thinking out loud here...0 -
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Private - this is the best support group on MFP0
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Risk versus reward. If the risk is that one of us says something stupid, perhaps in response to something stupid, and we lose the group, the risk is too high. My vote is private. If we can go public without this risk on the first offense, (seems we had that before I joined) or subsequent offense, then public. But I think private is safer. Would hate to lose the group.0
This discussion has been closed.