Have you thought about restricting forum access to registered members only? People write pretty private things here (specifically their test results) that they maybe don't want to be "Google searchable". Or at least put some of the subjects in the "General Category" official and the rest private. Maybe more forum members would write more details about themself if its private. Plus less risks of hacker attacks and spam.
Hi BoneBroth, and thanks for your suggestion.
Although there are no plans to make POISCenter.com readable only by registered members, I will discuss with the other moderators if we would create a private board, accessible only to members. I will let you know what will be decided in the coming weeks.
One of the important roles of POISCenter is to raise awareness about POIS. So, it is important that it is easily found through search engines. It is a huge relief when a POIS sufferer realizes he ( or she) is not the only person in the world to suffer from this terrible ailment! It is also important that the most possible useful information is available as easily as possible. Hiding POIS information from public view would be counterproductive. Not everyone will want to register in order to access information. Moreover, far fewer persons will find the forum if poiscenter does not show up in searches. Last year, in fact, some members made suggestions to make the forum appear higher in Google search and be easier to find by anyone.
The Tests Results thread had been created with that in mind - to share potentially important information to understand POIS better, and to make this information easily accessible ( including to any researcher browsing the internet). However, we advise members to share only results and hide identity information - if you scan an actual results report, or give a link to a file on the internet, be sure to hide your name and any other information that would lead to identifying you, before sharing the scan or link on the forum.
Also, the use of nicknames on the forum allows staying anonymous. We advise using, in your poiscenter account, an e-mail that has not your name in it ( you can change it by going to Profile, then to Modify Profile, and change your e-mail if needed). This allows a good alternative to POIS groups in social media like Facebook, where you can be readily identified unless you use a dedicated fake account.
