# Visitor Messages - IMPORTANT NOTE



## Alix (Nov 10, 2008)

Hi all, it has come to my attention that maybe you all don't have a clear picture of Visitor Messages. 

There is a *big *difference between Private Messages (PMs) and Visitor Messages that you leave on someone's profile page. Visitor Messages are visible to EVERYONE who visits that page. So please, if you have something private to say that you wouldn't say on the open boards, don't post it in Visitor Messages. 

I hope that clears it up a bit. If you just want to post a quick note to someone then Visitor Messages are likely the way to go. If you have something longer and more private to say, I'd suggest using the PM feature. 

Its a bit tricky too because they are both in the pull down Message box. Just make sure you're clicking on the right one!


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## miniman (Nov 10, 2008)

Thank you for that Alix


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## suziquzie (Nov 10, 2008)

OOOOOOO did I say something bad again??


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## sattie (Nov 10, 2008)

HAAA... I knew it was you all along suzi!!!!  I knew it!!!!


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## *amy* (Nov 10, 2008)

Alix said:


> Hi all, it has come to my attention that maybe you all don't have a clear picture of Visitor Messages.
> 
> There is a *big *difference between Private Messages (PMs) and Visitor Messages that you leave on someone's profile page. Visitor Messages are visible to EVERYONE who visits that page. So please, if you have something private to say that you wouldn't say on the open boards, don't post it in Visitor Messages.
> 
> ...


 
Thank you for clarifying the purpose of that feature, Alix. About 5-6 months ago (prior to the new features & profiles), I noticed the Visitor messages option & couldn't figure out what it was for. Thought, perhaps, it was for folks visiting DC - non members. When the newer features/profiles came along, & I clicked on members' profiles to see what it's all about, kinda felt a little uncomfortable - like I was reading personal conversations. Agree, a PM is the way to go. Thanks for pointing it out.


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## BreezyCooking (Nov 10, 2008)

This is just getting too techno for me - lol!!  I was surprised to find a list of messages on my "profile" page, which seems to be different from my "friends" page?  Or are they the same?   I'm not computer-astute enough to figure it out, & am never sure where my replies are going - lol.  Frankly, why the heck do we need all these things?  PM seemed to cover this okay, didn't it?


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## *amy* (Nov 10, 2008)

*Viewing Members' Profiles etc.*

I put this in a separate post, as I feel it relates to the topic, & may be helpful re privacy etc.

Have noticed on other Forums:

Members' profiles can only be viewed unless one becomes a member/registers.

A member can opt to have their profile:

Private (Only viewed by the member. For DC purposes, only the member & *administrators* can view same)

Viewed by friends (On this site, guessing that might be complicated, as one link of friends would link to everyone)

Viewed by friends of friends (360 deg, the way it is set up now)

Sorry to have to bring this up, but, have noticed my profile viewed repeatedly on a daily basis for approx 6 months - since the new features came into effect. Have noticed my friends' drop down list opened, when I leave it closed, & most recently my karma drop down list open, when I have closed it. 

I apologize to the members I deleted from my 'friends' list, as I decided against keeping a public list for reasons mentioned. Have disabled the visitor message option as well.

ETA: If a member is looking for a recipe by same, using the search option is a good way to go.


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## CharlieD (Nov 10, 2008)

Hm, where have I been all this time? I did not even know we had this feature. As the matter of fact, I just tried to find it and couldn't. Where is it? And How do I get to it? Somebody Please help me out with that.


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## BreezyCooking (Nov 10, 2008)

I noticed that too - a list of folks who had repeatedly visited my profile page.  

I'm so confused - lol!!!


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## pacanis (Nov 10, 2008)

Click on you name CharlieD. That will take you to one area. Clicking on user CP another area.


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## CharlieD (Nov 10, 2008)

So when I click on my name I see the area to post a message, but who is going to see that message, or how do I send visitor message to somebody? And I guess people have been visiting me also, I had no idea.


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## LPBeier (Nov 10, 2008)

Another item to mention is that if you want to reply to someone's Visitor message, don't use the text box above it or you will be posting on your own page.  I found you could either click on the "view conversation" link in the post or, click on the person's name to be taken to their page.

Though I do sometimes have moments where I forget and put it on my own!


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## BreezyCooking (Nov 10, 2008)

Ugg - I think that's exactly what I've been doing!!! Replying on my own page. Why did this board have to become so friggin complicated!!!! It was fine as it was!!! A "Friends" function that virtually means nothing. The profile page where messages are just as public as they are on the regular board. And is there a separate "Friends" page? I don't know. And PM's. What, exactly, is the point of all this nonsense????

Edited to add that I doubt very few folks here, along with me, even have a vaguest CLUE about any of this stuff.  Where is it all listed & described in detail in the FAQ's?


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## CharlieD (Nov 10, 2008)

Breezy, I am with you, I had no idea we have so much stuff here, but I kind of like it, just need to figure out how it works.


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## pacanis (Nov 10, 2008)

CharlieD said:


> So when I click on my name I see the area to post a message, but who is going to see that message, or how do I send visitor message to somebody? And I guess people have been visiting me also, I had no idea.


 
Who is going to see that message is anybody who clicks on your name and visits that page. Like if you wanted to say: Hey, I'm outta here for a couple weeks...... then when folks start wondering where you went, they will eventually visit your page and see your message. I think of it like a bulletin board.

You canot send someone a visitor message. You need to find that person's page (like by finding a post of theirs and clicking on _their_ name, and then you can post a visitor message on their page. The only thing you can send without having a person's email addy is a PM.


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## Alix (Nov 10, 2008)

Hmmm. Seems there is more confusion than I thought. 

FAQs - Oops! We'll get that added in there. Sorry. Totally missed that one.

As to people viewing your profile page, I'm not sure why that would be a bad thing amy. Folks read a post you've made and want to see what you're about. Its up to you how much info you put on your profile page, so if you want less rather than more, that option is available. As for things being opened or closed, things just return to the default when you leave that screen. No one goes in there and snoops. No one else can look at your Karma comments etc. 

I personally visit profile pages quite often in the course of a day, just in the way I navigate the site.

So, to clarify. The stuff on your Profile page is visible to everyone, so be judicious in what you put out there and what you post in Visitor Messages. The stuff you send via PM is completely private. Your karma comments are private. Admins can help you adjust things on your profile (getting rid of subscription notices etc) but we can't see everything. I'd sure like to be that omniscient and omnipresent but I'm just not. Darn it all!


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## Barbara L (Nov 10, 2008)

There had also been some confusion about how to reply to Visitor Messages.  Many members have just been replying in the reply box.  Unfortunately, this only replied to their own messages.  The reply box has now been removed to avoid that problem.

If you want to reply to someone who has sent you a Visitor Message, just click "View Conversation" in that person's message.  Then you will be able to reply in the reply box in their Visitor Messages.  

As far as checking someone's profile, I do the same as Alix. Sometimes I want to find a specific recipe someone posted but am not sure where it is or what it was called, so I will check their profile to see posts they have made.  I might check to see if a member is a male or female (sometimes helpful before making some replies), and other reasons.  And as Alix said, we cannot see anyone else's PMs and we cannot see anything you do not want us to see.

Barbara


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## Adillo303 (Nov 10, 2008)

Am I correct that if you have picture galleries, a visit to someone's profile page is a way to see the galeries?

I do understand privacy concerns. I have seen reasons posted on this site for not giving out information that I never thought of before.

As a 45 year veteran of the computer business, I know that you don't post anything that you do not want anyone to know. Cut and paste has gotten a lot of private things to be not so private. I really don't have anything on my profile page that is sensative. I post my city and state and AIM. I haven't had any DC'ers at my door yet, if you come please bring enough food to share. LOL

I am kind of on the fence with visitor messages. They seem like nothing more than another way to do things that we can already do. Have I missed something? It two people want to have a conversation PM's work better anyway. Although the 50 message quota is a bit small. Especially if you have been given some good recipies.


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## pacanis (Nov 10, 2008)

Adillo303 said:


> Am I correct that if you have picture galleries, a visit to someone's profile page is a way to see the galeries?
> 
> I do understand privacy concerns. I have seen reasons posted on this site for not giving out information that I never thought of before.
> 
> ...


 
I have and they do 

And I agree with that whole bottom paragraph.


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## CharlieD (Nov 10, 2008)

Thank you. I think  _got it now._


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## Barbara L (Nov 10, 2008)

Adillo303 said:


> ...I am kind of on the fence with visitor messages. They seem like nothing more than another way to do things that we can already do. Have I missed something? It two people want to have a conversation PM's work better anyway. Although the 50 message quota is a bit small. Especially if you have been given some good recipies.


You're not alone on the fence.  I think quite a few people (including me) are there.  I don't have a problem with them, but I wouldn't miss them if that feature disappeared.

Also (and you didn't hear this from me! lol) I have noticed that visitor messages seem to have started to replace karma in many cases.  Not that I care a bit about karma!  (Oh, okay, I am a shameless karma grabber!  But I also love to pass it out!). 

Barbara


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## JohnL (Nov 10, 2008)

Boy that really cleared things up for me.
Thanks for the info, I'm just soooo tech challenged!


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## Andy M. (Nov 10, 2008)

Adillo303 said:


> ...Have I missed something? It two people want to have a conversation PM's work better anyway. Although the 50 message quota is a bit small. Especially if you have been given some good recipies.


 

I don't use the internet for storage of documents such as recipes.  I always download them to a MS Word document and save it on my hard drive and back up.  That way I have them available to me when there is no internet access.  Also, I can format them to my standard format in larger type so it's easier to read.


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## BreezyCooking (Nov 10, 2008)

Another question - if there's no point in replying to someone who posts a query on my profile by posting the reply on my profile, why am I even able to do that?


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## Alix (Nov 10, 2008)

You can't do that anymore. We realized it was confusing so its not there anymore.


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## CharlieD (Nov 10, 2008)

sure, here we go again, just my luck, as soon as i learned or find something it's canceled.


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## PieSusan (Nov 10, 2008)

I'm a bit confused too. I hope I didn't mix them up. I have never seen that feature before.


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## Adillo303 (Nov 10, 2008)

Andy M - That is what I do as well. At the moment, I have a time problem. Work has been very slow and I finally have some. As soon as I get some of it done that is to happen.


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## Novicebaker35 (Nov 10, 2008)

*Thanks for this, I'm a doofus and have been replying to people on my own page. *


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## LPBeier (Nov 10, 2008)

Even though I understood how the visitor page worked, I still would accidentally post to it so thanks for removing the box from our own pages.  It will help us all.


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## LEFSElover (Nov 13, 2008)

question that I'm sure doesn't fit in here, at all, forgive.
"""a required field called gender is missing or has an invalid link """
that's what shows up when I'm trying to edit my email addy.
what's up there?


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## kitchenelf (Nov 14, 2008)

I would like to add that our same Community Policies apply to Visitor Messages.  Those are for public viewing and must be held to the same standards as other public posts.  Take it to PM (Private Message) if it is something that you shouldn't post on the open forums.  

LEFSE - I'm not sure what you are talking about - sorry.  Have you already edited your e-mail addy?  Let me know via PM as I may not get back to this thread today.  Thanks!!


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## LEFSElover (Nov 14, 2008)

No prob KE.  I figured it out.


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