Mod Post: Go Public or Stay Private?

KETOGENICGURL

Private..there are some posters in the main forum. people with 3798 posts or more..the uber buff male 20 something 'shirtless wonders" mostly, who go on and on about CICO, and other nonsense…they seem to search out and comment on as many posts as possible..really annoying…and keep on the argument..

they can clutter up replies and bog down the topic..so I vote for Private… Remember there are HUGE LC sites off of MFP run by Adkins and others..( I know of 2 well established ones) so there are options for this who do not find this group right away.

Christine_72

If members can find this group while it's private, then I don't see the point in making it public. For the same reasons everyone else has stated.

GaleHawkins

I vote Private for the many good reasons given.

We can mention this forum to others directly or indirectly.

There now are even long running LCHF threads in the general forums that last for a few day without bullies showing up. I notice others are going there and trying to help answer LCHF question in a non attacking way. Some are going to 'flame' even if you wish someone a nice day.

MFP is a much more professional/helpful forum than a year ago.

KarlaYP

I believe that private has worked very well.

MimiOfTheLusciousLawn

I see both sides. If the group can be located and joined relatively easily, then I lean on the side of private, simply for the risk factors. Having been here probably 10 months, there is no difference in the before and after privatization. I just want to make sure we're still accessible.

Lucille4444

I don't want to be preyed on, jumped on, trolled on, or ridiculed. My agenda here is to lose weight in a supportive atmosphere. And that is what I've found here, on this forum.

Private.

NewSue52

My vote is private as well. There is so much information available on the net i had already made my decision about this WOE before I joined the group. This is such a supportive environment that I would hate to jeopardize it by allowing people to join who have no real interest. I've fine tuned my knowledge regarding LC from what I learned here. I really like the caring and concern about our progress as we work through the issues that got us here in the first place.

I know that we are not to bash the main forums so I won't but I will say that they don't fit me personally.

norcogrrl

I prefer to keep it private. I really appreciate the fact that this group is devoid of so much of the nonsense of the main forums. This is such a positive and supportive group. I'd like to see it stay that way.

I'm actually a long term MFP user. I've been using MFP almost since the beginning in 2005. I've deleted my account several times . . . always due to my frustrations with the main forums. But, Garmin Connect and Training Peaks sync nutritional information from MFP, so I always come back to make nutritional synching easier.

nvmomketo

Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »

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...
..

I didn't think of this! I have a couple of non-fans who have misquoted (IMO) what I wrote months ago. That could be a small possibility in my case... Using my words here to discredit this WOE. Sorry.

bluefish86

I think it should be public. This group has a lot of valuable information for people considering LCHF, I think we should make it open to anyone seeking that information. I lurked here before I joined, and I think it would be beneficial for others to be able to do the same.

fatchimom

I can certainly see both sides but, I am leaning toward keeping the group private. I'm too busy to look at the main forums or speak negatively about how others choose to live there lives so, honestly, it doesn't make much difference to me but in support of this group and my LCHF friends, I think we should keep it private.

anglyn1

I joined after the drama but I am leaning towards private. I feel a lot safer here and so much more supported here than I do in the main forums. I found the group easily despite it being private and having to wait to be approved wasn't a deterrent for me in the least!

noclady1995

People on the main forums love to refer investigators to this group. That's how I found it. And happy about that. I definitely agree with the whole Google search thing. That's kinda a bummer. But I'm leaning towards the private group. There's just a feeling of "safety" in the back of my mind about it being private that's comforting.

slimzandra

The group member tally lists over 20,000 members for this group. That seems pretty incredible to me and not exactly what I would describe as a secret society.

In addition to the great support and advice from the old timers here, I also look forward to new thread topics I haven't seen before. I've seen plenty of new names since we've been private and plenty of new great topics being discussed. So there continues to be an influx of new ideas and great discussions here. If it were 'stale' here, I'd lean towards opening it up, but I haven't found that to be the case. So far, Like minded folks seem to find this group, and continue to join with great contributions.

My vote - continue to keep it private, unless and until it needs to be revisited.

Lillith32

I'm going to jump on the private bandwagon. I wasn't even aware of drama, and I'm not the biggest fan of drama. I stay out of the main forums, and would rather the drama, trolls and ickyness stays out of here.

MDAPebbles67

If people can find us without difficulty, keep it private.

I joined before the drama. The only difference I see before and after is a distinct lack of complaints about the main forum; which is a part of following the rules regardless of whether we are public or private. : )

deksgrl

Personally, I am more comfortable posting more about myself when it is private. However, it really stinks not having a good way to search.

GaleHawkins

When making application for employment, insurance, etc easily accessible web info may be reviewed.

I do see the main forums improving and LCHF info is getting posted there and some will wind up here if we keep a positive presents on the other boards.

However I will be fine with either route.

DietPrada

Make it public, however if CICO trolls are allowed here then I am allowed to drop in to the main forum once in a while.

GaleHawkins

EbonyDahlia wrote: »

Make it public, however if CICO trolls are allowed here then I am allowed to drop in to the main forum once in a while.

Hey you can drop into the main forum anytime. You just can not beat them up.

Lucille4444

There is apparently going to be a vote. I would like everyone to vote 'private'.
But if there are not enough private votes perhaps we who want it to be private could start LCD II?

Sabine_Stroehm

I'd say private as well. We can guide folks here, while still being comfortable knowing there aren't trolls among us. I'm not even really one of us, but that's how I feel.

baconslave

GaleHawkins wrote: »

EbonyDahlia wrote: »

Make it public, however if CICO trolls are allowed here then I am allowed to drop in to the main forum once in a while.

Hey you can drop into the main forum anytime. You just can not beat them up.

Yeah. You're more than welcome to go in there. We, the mods, prefer not to. And we don't condone trolling or drama-causing. But we have no control of what you all personally do out there in "main forum land." We don't want the Group's name drug through the mud either though.

So if someone wants to get a little rowdy and butt-heads out there, that's fine. Just don't drag us into it.

bitxbit

Though I'm new to the group, I prefer the private format. I do believe that people have individual traits and shed weight differently. I know, for a fact, that I don't do well on the MFP dietary guidelines. I am a "Special snowflake", as they say & I imagine a lot of us in the group are. I was able to find y'all with no trouble, made my request to join & was accepted very quickly. The stress of having to be on guard, in defense of your WOE, just becomes too much, at times. I feel understood and protected here. I'm very appreciative of this group of folks. :-)

Sk8Kate

My vote is private, also.

110challenge

I also vote private

FIT_Goat

Lucille4444 wrote: »

There is apparently going to be a vote. I would like everyone to vote 'private'.
But if there are not enough private votes perhaps we who want it to be private could start LCD II?

I highly doubt the vote will be strongly enough for going public that it would happen; but, if it did, I would hope that the group didn't splinter over it.

It may help to consider the fact that it wouldn't take much for a rogue agent of the CICO to sneak past our rigorous screening process. Basically, if the person says anything but "low carb sucks and you all are going to die" in their application, we're going to approve them. Someone could just attempt to join and say something benign or pro-low-carb and then lurk here without us ever knowing.

There's just too many people joining for us to heavily screen everyone. On top of that, even rigorous review of their post history might not work. I used to be a CICO bigot myself, before I found "The Way" and if you went back far enough (5+ years), you would find me telling people that it all is about calories. People mature and change. People slip into different situations. Where someone was anti-low-carb in the past, they may have rescinded those opinions and should be welcomed here with open arms in the present.

So, it's not as if someone couldn't get in. If they cause problems, we could boot them (of course), but I believe we could have done that before.

For years, this group operated as a public anarchy without any active leaders (the creator and original group leaders had abandoned it). Those of us who were there at the time can tell you that it was still a pretty welcoming and comfortable place. We rarely had trouble from anyone. The "Rise of the Leaders" wasn't even in response to the need to moderate more strongly. We just wanted to clean up the sticky posts and change the image that many people disliked. We just don't attract that much negative attention (usually). There was a rare circumstance, a while ago, that caused the original problems.

If the group wants to remain private, we (the leaders) will respect that choice. It's really not a huge deal for us. We're on here basically 24/7 anyway. It takes little to no effort to approve people. It just that we're not as "private" as it might seem. Only the most lazy, casual person wouldn't get past our defenses.

GaleHawkins

For those that read on the regular forums there is a thread call Ketogenic Diet that started tonight that others have been helping by making good replies.

ndvoice

bitxbit wrote: »

Though I'm new to the group, I prefer the private format. I do believe that people have individual traits and shed weight differently. I know, for a fact, that I don't do well on the MFP dietary guidelines. I am a "Special snowflake", as they say & I imagine a lot of us in the group are. I was able to find y'all with no trouble, made my request to join & was accepted very quickly. The stress of having to be on guard, in defense of your WOE, just becomes too much, at times. I feel understood and protected here. I'm very appreciative of this group of folks. :-)

*special snowflake* - I love it. I giggle-snorted!

auntstephie321

FIT_Goat wrote: »

Lucille4444 wrote: »

There is apparently going to be a vote. I would like everyone to vote 'private'.
But if there are not enough private votes perhaps we who want it to be private could start LCD II?

I highly doubt the vote will be strongly enough for going public that it would happen; but, if it did, I would hope that the group didn't splinter over it.

It may help to consider the fact that it wouldn't take much for a rogue agent of the CICO to sneak past our rigorous screening process. Basically, if the person says anything but "low carb sucks and you all are going to die" in their application, we're going to approve them. Someone could just attempt to join and say something benign or pro-low-carb and then lurk here without us ever knowing.

There's just too many people joining for us to heavily screen everyone. On top of that, even rigorous review of their post history might not work. I used to be a CICO bigot myself, before I found "The Way" and if you went back far enough (5+ years), you would find me telling people that it all is about calories. People mature and change. People slip into different situations. Where someone was anti-low-carb in the past, they may have rescinded those opinions and should be welcomed here with open arms in the present.

So, it's not as if someone couldn't get in. If they cause problems, we could boot them (of course), but I believe we could have done that before.

For years, this group operated as a public anarchy without any active leaders (the creator and original group leaders had abandoned it). Those of us who were there at the time can tell you that it was still a pretty welcoming and comfortable place. We rarely had trouble from anyone. The "Rise of the Leaders" wasn't even in response to the need to moderate more strongly. We just wanted to clean up the sticky posts and change the image that many people disliked. We just don't attract that much negative attention (usually). There was a rare circumstance, a while ago, that caused the original problems.

If the group wants to remain private, we (the leaders) will respect that choice. It's really not a huge deal for us. We're on here basically 24/7 anyway. It takes little to no effort to approve people. It just that we're not as "private" as it might seem. Only the most lazy, casual person wouldn't get past our defenses.

I like this. It points out another point, that there may be those attempting to come in here with ill intentions that may see how peaceful and accepting and knowledgeable we all are that can serve as a good reminder to others who may not see it otherwise.