Hi all - it's good to see that this has stirred a debate. Just to reiterate - the forum is
not private, and that's why it is policy not to have any personally identifiable information (no-one likes those tax-scam emails!).
Our research analytics suggest that most people who come to the forum for the first time will read threads for anywhere between 4 to 12 weeks before taking the plunge and deciding to speak and share their opinions, questions and experiences. They're motivated by the way people are communicating, sharing and liking posts - it's friendly, compassionate and welcoming.
How do we help more people? By spreading the word further. We understand the concerns regarding Facebook. All that is posted is a link to the thread in question - there's no identifiable information in the links that are shared, and users are directed to the forum. This is identical to how people come through to the forum on Google, twitter, Bing or any other platform.
In regards to a Facebook opt-in/opt-out - creating something like this is actually very difficult, as was mentioned earlier in the thread. The fact still remains - the community is improving the health outcomes of other community members through open sharing and engaging; so to then make this forum private goes against all the positive benefits of using the forum. Again, as was mentioned before, this is a global community and we're accepting of all.
Could I ask what the problem is with posting on Facebook? Just as this forum is moderated, so is Facebook (yes, you may find unmoderated comments - there is no reporting system so we have to go through pretty much every comment).
If it's trust, there is no information shared that wouldn't be otherwise shared if a user has come through Google. We don't post any identifiable information, and if a username is ever identifiable Giverny is always quick to ensure users change their email address. It is still private. If anyone has any concerns about their identity on the forum, please contact
@Giverny who will change your username to an alias.
Your identity is exactly as private as it was if links were not shared on Facebook. We don't link to facebook profiles, we simply link to forum threads. (This also means that Skype requests are unconnected to the forum!)
If it's that people feel betrayed, we can only apologise. This is not our intention .The forum is public and as mentioned before, we naively assumed people were aware of how internet forums work.
The fact is that all that is shared is a link, like how a link to a forum post is shared in our weekly newsletters or social roundups. It's not identifiable and all the research suggests it is positively affecting others peoples' health outcomes.
As stated before (but in more detail):
- 73% of forum members said that they had improved their understanding of diabetes because of information they had read on the diabetes forum
- 44% of members said they had improved their blood glucose control
- 35% of members said the forum had helped them to reduce their HbA1c
- 55% of members said they had improved their diet choices
- 49% of members said they had more confidence in managing their diabetes
We want to resolve this - but not sharing doesn't seem to be the answer. If that was to be implemented, does that then mean that posts shouldn't be indexable by Google? If so, thousands of members to this forum would never have found the forum - and - hence - not improved their health outcomes. And that's the key - people are getting better/healthier/happier because of what is communicated on this forum.