Updated: Share button addition

Or maybe it was when she was persona non grata?    Thank goodness THOSE days are long gone!  LOL

~wendy

In this case, there is voting--look at all the negative posts about OH's decision to add the links.   It is what it is.  We either deal with it or leave the forum.  It's just a place to come to compare notes and ask questions.

No, there is no voting.

There are people stating their opinions.


Some people will choose to leave.  Some will choose to stay.  And some will choose to leave, but will come back.  Internet sites like this are cyclical, and when a site change like this happens, people get upset with a change, treat it with upset and distrust, then it begins to become "normal" and people don't even think about it much anymore once people get used to it again.


But make no mistake about it - OH is not a democracy, and there is no voting.

Have I ever told you how much I appreciate your voice of reason on these boards?

If not, I am long past due!

~wendy

Actually.. I doubt she's out voted.. it's just people who don't care aren't taking the time out of their day to be so dramatic.

Dear OH Staff,

You could have circumvented the majority of this uproar had you simply given us members the courtesy of a heads-up notice BEFORE adding the share easy-button!

I'm well-aware that anything posted on the internet is public, but the addition of the share button offers a suggestive invitation to expose OH postings to many locations on the web, which could be hurtful to many. 

In the poor handling of the matter, you sent a clear message that you care nothing of your loyal membership.  Many of us feel alienated.

As for the motivation to garner new membership for increased ad revenue while disregarding loyal OH members, well, good luck with that!

I also think it was a pretty bad decision to do this.  A lot of people think of it just getting posted on Facebook, but do not realize that the threads can be posted to 225 different sites and services!  Yes, we are not stupid.  We all were aware that you could cut and paste elsewhere, but the majority of people wouldn't.  I am telling you right now, his will open us up to more and more trolls coming to the site, ridiculing us for our weight loss surgery.  Time will show that this will be a bad decision.  The question is not if, but when.

I just don''t understand OH's thought process here.  I understand they wish to make money off ads and hits, but if that was all they were interested in, why didn't they open a different type of site?  People here expects a certain amount of security, and if OH chooses to go this route, I am sure some will find alternate places to go.  It's not too hard for someone to create a new message board.

 

Greetings OH staff

I am one of the members that wants the  'add this' button removed. I do not beleive there is anyone on OH, that is here under the guise that OH is a private forum. While the buttons have not made OH "any more or less private" it has made it much easier to share the information and in many more places. I don't want to have to change my profile. Maybe poll the members? See what the majority wants.

I would also like to extend my apologies to those OH staff members that I messaged. I wasn't able to access the emails. I apparently messaged  your personal accounts, I did not realize there was a difference. My appologies.

____________________________________________________

Here is a copy of the open letter I posted yesterday :

Post Date: 1/22/10 12:26 pm

January 22, 2010

Dear Mr. Klein

Recently the Add It wigets have been put on OH. I am writing you to strongly urge you to remove these.  Obesity Help is a very specialized forum.  It is a medical-surgical forum and some of the 'tmi' posts wouldn't be appropriate anyplace other than here.  OH is the first website/forum that I felt free enough to actually post my pictures on, even thought I did not change my avatar until this year.

Other than all the obvious reasons that members may not want their posts spread out across the web, without their permission there are some more serious reasons. Another poster made an excellent point having had a major surgery or once been morbidly obese may be something that a perspective employer or insurance company uses to deny someone.  Maybe a long shot sure, but if it happens to one person that's one to many.

I plan on leaving my profile public a few more days, then sadley I will be making it private, and changing my avatar.

Sincerely

Saara

I'm sure that the people who run OH are waiting for this uproar to blow over.  And it  probably will. But no matter how you spin these "links" to social network sites, I believe there are OH members with valuable contributions who will be silenced.. and many more people in need of support, information and encouragement who will decide against having a surgery that will save their life. And even if it's one person.... it's one person too many.

I see it differently -

I feel that the more exposure the site gets - the more people might be influenced to come take a peek - and perhaps join the dark side, you know?