Better privacy settings

[Alpha1]

Currently there is no privacy setting for restricting custom profile fields or the 'information' tab on profile.

As there is no friends function, its also not possible to restrict the various privacy details to your friends only. This is a problem, because friends are essentially a group of verified & trusted users that a member has given access to the information.

What is also missing is a setting to disallow the viewing of details. This is particularly useful in regards to contact information.

 

[alfaNova]

I want to add something to this post.

Maybe you can add privacy setting for threads and messages. Some users annoyed when they see their messages on search engines.

 

[TPerry]

Currently there is no privacy setting for restricting custom profile fields or the 'information' tab on profile.

As there is no friends function, its also not possible to restrict the various privacy details to your friends only. This is a problem, because friends are essentially a group of verified & trusted users that a member has given access to the information.

What is also missing is a setting to disallow the viewing of details. This is particularly useful in regards to contact information.

Well, actually there IS an ability to restrict your profile view... its called "Followed". If you set your profile to only be viewed by people you follow, then anyone else cannot see it. They will see something like the attached image. If you are talking specific AREAS of your profile, then I don't think there is anything built in.

 

[Alpha1]

Well, actually there IS an ability to restrict your profile view... its called "Followed". If you set your profile to only be viewed by people you follow, then anyone else cannot see it. They will see something like the attached image. If you are talking specific AREAS of your profile, then I don't think there is anything built in.
View attachment 43123

Yes, but how much sense does that make?
If you follow problematic members to keep an eye on them, then you automatically give them trust.

 

[TPerry]

Yes, but how much sense does that make?
If you follow problematic members to keep an eye on them, then you automatically give them trust.

I know what you are getting at, but I don't think that would classify as a tweak or small feature as it would probably require some extensive code rewrite. Maybe getting someone to code a module called Problem Child that would allow you to tag certain problem users to make it easier to track and then use the core feature as it was designed instead of trying to shoe-horn it into something it's not?

 

[Alpha1]

use the core feature as it was designed instead of trying to shoe-horn it into something it's not?

My example of problematic users is just an example to illustrate that followers are not friends. Giving followers privacy permissions as if they are friends seems strange to me. It is an optional setting for everyone, so cant hurt much to have the setting. Its not a solution to having better privacy settings IMHO. A friends function would be helpful and I hope that this will come at some point. You are right that friends is a major function.

 

[CallieJo]

A friends function would be helpful and I hope that this will come at some point.

I'd like to see a friends function like vb3.8. The profile privacy options have not been matched after all these years in any other forum platform besides vb4.x.

Burning board has very limited profile privacy, IPS 4 does not have any profile privacy options at all (no wonder they dismissed & locked a suggestion) other than to let others follow or not to receive notifications only (confirmed inside the IPS4 preview forum), IPB 3.x has very limited profile privacy, and I haven't seen any other platforms (free or paid) that match vb3-4.x profile privacy features.

I would have thought that years later we would have at least a vb3/4 matched set or better considering how big SN's are on profile privacy options and how most people online today (outside of developer forums & admin forums) expect some level of end-user privacy choices.

Xenforo is the closest we have right now. I hope privacy options are enhanced and not forgotten.

 

[CallieJo]

One problem I see in the current setup is that if you have to follow your followers to keep things private it creates a lot of people you must follow back and creates a lot more notifications from those you follow that you'd otherwise might not want notifications for.

In an ideal setup a member would be able to approve or disapprove who followed them in order to see their profile and get notifications of content (example: profile wall) updates the member puts out there. They would not have to follow those people back and deal with notifications about those users. Turning notifications off is not ideal if they still want them from specific members but not all followers they had to follow back.

A good example would be a business who says "follow me for inside updates that I post on my profile wall". They gain more followers (popularity looks good). But what if they only want to follow and only receive notifications from those who work for that business and not all the fans who followed them to receive those inside updates?

 

[Grover]

Currently there is no privacy setting for restricting custom profile fields or the 'information' tab on profile.

As there is no friends function, its also not possible to restrict the various privacy details to your friends only. This is a problem, because friends are essentially a group of verified & trusted users that a member has given access to the information.

As usual I completely agree with @Alfa1. In fact, this (privacy concerns) was exactly the reason why I suggested this 4 years ago: http://xenforo.com/community/threads/friends-functionality.587/

Unfortunately it got the label 'No thanks'...

 

[Grover]

Yes, but how much sense does that make?
If you follow problematic members to keep an eye on them, then you automatically give them trust.

It does not make sense indeed. Here's another example that illustrates this point:

Look, what is the most logical and intuitive thing one does when you see a profile that is blocked from viewing? Yes, you want to become friends with that person! So, in XenForo I expected that I need to follow that person to be able to see their profile (you follow a person to follow their content, don't you? ). This would be the most logical way of thinking, wouldn't it? Since we are so used to this on all other social platforms. I think it's pretty odd that it is -apparently- the other way round (more or less) on XenForo: the person (who has blocked their profile) needs to follow me so, I am able to see their profile!

It doesn't make sense.

Also in that discussion (http://xenforo.com/community/thread...profile-needs-better-social-stimulation.3754/) interesting thoughts/points are shared about the whole permission issue related to followers and the absence of friends functionality.

But maybe it's no point bringing it up again, since it's seems (no thanks label) that there is no interest in introducing friends functionality to solve these privacy issues.

Interestingly enough...in the meantime Facebook 'introduced' follow functionality next to their default friends functionality...

 

[CallieJo]

A good compromise would be admin on/off settings for usergroup permissions:

• Can use Followers system (a less personal option):
  If you follow a member you can get alerts on that member's "public" activity and/or shown in "Your News Feed". Example: Forum posts/topics and resources.
  
• Can use Friends system (a more personal option):
  If you request a friendship with a member and that member "approves" it and you become "friends"; you will be able to see that member's profile wall updates and get alerts for those new updates and/or shown in "Your News Feed", see their personal contact info, and be able to send personal messages to that member.
  
• Both:
  If you want to allow all options above.

The profile will show all publicly viewable content (username, avatar, recent posts, resources) to members only or guests and members depending on what the admin chooses, a link to follow that member, and a link to request a friendship with that member.

 

[Alpha1]

The most problematic issue is with the media gallery. The logical implementation of the follow system results in functionality that is often annoying and at times borders on harassment.

Example:
CrazyPsycho71 adds 500 annoying & gross images and videos to his album titled 'funny & gross' The album is set to 'members you follow'. CrazyPsycho71 follows you, but you have no idea who the member is. Nor are you interested in their content.
Then you get the alert:
'CrazyPsycho71 has shared 500 images with you in the album funny & gross'

Now your XFMG home page is filled with these annoying gifs and videos.
Fortunately in time these images are moved to the second page as new images come in.
Now you get a new alert as CrazyPsycho71 shares his new album with you...
Again the Media home page is littered with gross and annoying gifs and video you never wanted to see in the first place.

Then consider how this function can be abused if CrazyPsycho71 has an axe to grind with you because he didn't like your reply to his thread. Many people would be inclined to leave the site over this.

@Chris D I hope that you can see the problem with this functionality and hope that some solution can be found.