Search engines finding forum posts

[Steven Sweeney]

Yes, it's a little tricky to discover. If you sign on before you start browsing, the WIP topic seems open, as with any other topic. If you browse without signing on with your user name and password, you won't have access to the WIP topic.

I am neanderthal in my computer savvy (and I intend for it always to be so), but I've assumed that that "block" kept outsiders as well from that topic. I run into "you don't have permission to access this page or you are not signed in" blocks all the time in Google results, and I have always assumed that this WIP topic worked the same way.

I'm not sure it was clear that this was the intended use and value of that topic.

[Cynthia Daniel]

There is a sectional password feature - supposedly - but when I set the password and then go to log in, it does not work - just doesn't let me in. I think this is what I ran up against before when I tried to install this featured and just haven't had a chance to sort out the problem with the tech people at vBulletin. I'll look into it after the Dallas show.

[Mary Reilly]

I agree that it could be awkward to have a client happen upon entries on this forum when looking doing a google search. I know and accept that if someone visits the forum they will see my comments. However I would prefer if they weren't "google available". Last year I had some complaints about a difficult client, and I would be embarrassed if she happened upon them by searching my name.

A good way to prevent google and other search engines from selecting a page is to put the following meta tag in the header.

<meta name="robots" content="noindex">

That basically tells the search engines to ignore the page.

Mary

[Cynthia Daniel]

Originally Posted by Mary Reilly

A good way to prevent google and other search engines from selecting a page is to put the following meta tag in the header.

<meta name="robots" content="noindex">

That basically tells the search engines to ignore the page.

I know about this Mary and I put it in earlier installations of vBulletin and did not work. I read about it over at the Help Forum for vBulletin they discussed over there how it did not work.

[Chris Saper]

Thankfully, Cynthia handles all of my cyberspace interface (catchy phrase actually)

It doesn't hurt to remind ourselves that everything on the web is public. You wouldn't believe conversations I have located on other Foums or even non-art Forums.

I would never post a client's image in any public place without permission, and I don't think it's a good practice for amyone . It's no different ffrom publishing an image in a magazine, except that it can be deleted - but ereasing the url doesnt erase if from a Google cite.

Certainly a child's image should never be posted with first and last names, or any other identifying words.

[Jeff Fuchs]

To add to Chris' comments, remember that there are websites that archive pages. Archive.org is one of them. If you want to see a site's contents from three years ago, they just might have it. Google also caches pages, but for a limited period. Deleting your entire website would not make it inaccesible to someone who is curious and resourceful. (I notice that SOG seems to have a way to override this. They have cached pages on archive.org, but the site blocks them. Cynthia has a good webmaster).

Here's what Yahoo looked like ten years ago... http://web.archive.org/web/199610172...ww2.yahoo.com/

Sometimes I regret things I've posted on the web, and I especially regret that I can't delete it.

[Chris Saper]

Cynthia has a good webmaster).

Cynthia IS the webmaster

[Cynthia Daniel]

This topic is being temporarily closed until the two topics can be appropriately split. The topic about search engine optimization is a second subject and needs to be under Computer Software.

I'm also changing the subject of this topic to "Search engines finding forum posts" since the current topic doesn't really tell the reader what the thread is about.