Too Much Coffee

I keep seeing a "Guest" user. Such a person can see the forum but not contribute.

If it's one of us, fine. If it's not I'd better put the password controls on the site pronto.

Please vote to let me know.

could have been me (from work)
since yesterday I sign on automatically at work, so if you keep seeing a guest, it's not me

it was late last night around the time I wrote the thread

...are known for doing secretive things!

Presumably it's one of us. Do we still want to go for the password lock-down? (Currently a guest can read but not post, on all forums)

Your call, Phil. Is it still happening? I don't think it can be me, although I'm currently being shuffled around the office, because we have a lack of space: I'm in two different offices these days, and using two computers. I'm not sure I didn't log on this week.

But surely you can see who logged on by the IP address?

It wasn't me (maybe it was Shaggy?)

Password protection is not necessary FAFAIAC. No trade secrets here.

... then I should lock down the registration a bit more if we want to keep membership by invitation only, as originally discussed.

Is that what people want me to do?

Yes, I think that is right.

I was wondering would anybody be able to find this forum if he didn't know about it, ie Google?

Eventually I think they would find it. Not yet though - I just checked Google.

When I bought the domain I deliberately refused to advertise our presence on search engines. The best form of security is ignorance after all.

I guess that I'm more sensitive about this than initally when we started the blog, as I recall how concerned you were, Eward, about the possibility that some stranger might read what you've said in a forum that we intend to be private so that we can say frankly what we think. If you've relaxed about that I guess we can let other people come in and read the forum if they want.

The only thing that might worry me is that we've been pretty frank in our views about some things / people. I wouldn't want us to feel constrained, as perhaps we might feel on a.c or CG.

Anyone else got any views on this? Neku? Steve?

Oh, and btw, I do have an explanation for the odd Guest appearance.

I checked the IP address of a ghost last night. It showed up as coming from the same address as me. That one at least was some sort of artifact of my network / my ISP / the forum software.

Nonetheless, I guess it's not a bad thing that it's pushed us into thinking about our policy on such matters in a proactive rather than reactive way.