Can I exclude Google from one sub-forum? Is that a 'No'?

[mywaytoo]

I would like to have a secure Members Only sub-forum.

I don't want Google accessing it, and therefore having the potential to post our private information all over their search engine results pages... but I do want to allow Google to access everything else and have things set up for that...

Is this possible?

PS. Notice that the permalink doesn't go to the correct place...

[Camo]

Anne, in short, no. If you had access to the root folder of the server on which your nabble forum was hosted, you could try using a robots txt file with (e.g)

User-agent: *
Disallow: /

Where the you can specify a given bot such as google. Ofcourse we dont have such access and in any case, robots txt is undeveloped and can be overridden/ignored by bots anyway.

If you want to protect information dont store it on your forum or webpage. Id suggest simply providing a description and sample image of your knitting patterns or what have you, and providing an email address
where interested parties can contact you to ask for them.

Server side control is sacrificed when you use hosted services such as nabble.

If you lead a normal online life these days, there is nowhere to hide from BIG Brother google!
search 'hide from google', its a disturbing read!

[mywaytoo]

I was thinking that maybe I could start a second forum on the same website, just for members, and totally exclude Google etc, which is allowed by Nabble.

I want to find an easy, yet accurate way of distributing free knitting patterns, preferably without my intervention. I can set up anti-Google and password-protected pages on my website, but need to pass on the URL and password details. If I had a secure forum then I could post these details directly onto the forum...

[Camo]

Yes, you could do that, but if its online, Google will find it eventually. It may not be high in any rankings, but it will be discoverable.
What I dont quite quite understand Anne, is if you are providing this information free, even if its just for members, theres nothing stopping those members putting it online themselves anyway. Unless your charging non-members?? I dont really see the point.
Certainly you can make them hard to find except to members by doing that, a forum avail to them only, and you could upload them as PDF's so your members can download them.
You tell your members theres a secret forum (by email) where they can download these, you set the permissions of this secret forum to make it visible to registered members only, and require they email you, so you and only you can register them for access.
But if anyone can become a member of the first forum to begin with, then who are you actually hiding them from?

[mywaytoo]

Camo... Yes, anyone can take any PDF file from any walk of life, and paste it up onto the internet... and in fact people have websites set up as directories offering free PDF files. They take those that are offered as free, so it is not stealing, and you might think that being put on a free directory would be beneficial as it is free advertising... BUT what people do is set up the link so that it looks like it will go to your website, but it doesn't, it links to a copy of your PDF file that they have put on their website... SO you don't even get a free link and a bit of traffic...    

Ummm... I think that I shall set up a secure webpage, and email the details to members, via gmail. That way as well I can keep track of the IP addresses of those who accessed the download page...

Shame about the Forum though!

[Camo]

So the idea is to Generate traffic to your forum? A second forum with a link to the PDF on the first forum so they click and find themselves at the first forum, where they can download it?

[mywaytoo]

Camo wrote

So the idea is to Generate traffic to your forum?

NO... it isn't!

[Camo]

mywaytoo wrote

you might think that being put on a free directory would be beneficial as it is free advertising... BUT what people do is set up the link so that it looks like it will go to your website, but it doesn't, it links to a copy of your PDF file that they have put on their website... SO you don't even get a free link and a bit of traffic...

No? Free downloads are not to encourage membership on your forum? You dont want them freely avail elsewhere......Why not just advertise on your forum "register for free patterns' or whatever it is.?

Sorry Anne, not having a go at you hon, just trying to understand what you want to accomplish so I can think of a way to make it happen for you. Nothing is more frustrating than wanting to do something, but not knowing how.

[mywaytoo]

Camo, hon... Thank you for 'trying', but you are barking up the wrong tree.

I've got a list of over 200 email addresses from people who want my Latest News details. These are people who have contacted me, they are really interested in my knitting patterns... I'm waiting to see what will happen with the Forum templates before I contact them... I can't contact them now as I will have no idea of who is where and done what since the Registration email has gone...  

Why free knitting patterns? This is a marketing ploy... Yes... they might encourage people to join the Forum... but I want more than that... I want people to use my free knitting patterns and be so pleased with them that they will want to tell Everyone (not Anyone... LOL) about them by saying so on the Forum and on Facebook. It is this 'word-of-mouth' advertising that is the beauty of today's social media.

Anyway, I am not too unhappy with having to wait at the moment... I've got loads of stuff to do...

[Camo]

I hear you Anne, Guess well have to be patient.
I looked at your dolly shoes, very cute, my girls are teens now but they would've loved them, very creative! :)

[mywaytoo]

Camo... I looked at your reptiles... and they are gross!