You may be wondering to yourself, “How can I get a little privacy
around here?” You’ve heard that Multiply offers privacy, but
you’re not sure how to make certain you’re posts are really private.
This article will explain how to adjust your privacy settings as well
as some things you might want to consider when setting them.
Just tell me what to do
------------------------------When
making a post on your home page, (or when adding pictures or posting a
recipe or writing a review...) you'll always be given an option that asks:
(or it will at least look pretty similar to this)
Everyone: Choosing "everyone" means that not only
can all of your contacts see your post, and not only can their contacts
see it, but everyone in the world who has access to the internet will
be able to view your page (should they happen to stumble across it
somehow). Choosing everyone doesn't mean that your web page will
be advertised in any way, drawing the world's attention. It just
means that it's accessible to all.
This also means that search engines (such as google) will have
access to your post and will be able to add it to their search
results. So if you post an article about how to grind your own
flour and you set it to be viewable by "everyone", then someone who
does a search on google for "grinding flour" may very well come across
your page. This might be exactly what you are looking for.
But if you want to write about something a little more personal, like
how your ailing father is doing, you may well want to change the
privacy settings a little.
Let me just add, before I move on, that if you want a page to be
viewable by friends who are not on Multiply (because you want them to
see pics of your new puppy or what have you) then you'll have to set
that page to be viewable by "everyone" or you'll have to set your post to private, but send a direct message to your non-Multiplying friends' email addresses through Multiply.
Your Network: Choosing "your network" provides some additional options that pop up once you click the "your network" button.
The extra options give you a pretty good
sense of what "your network" means. Not only will your contacts
be able to see your post, but their friends/family/coworkers will be
able to also as well as
their friends/family/coworkers.
(It's important to note, however, that your relationship to an "online
buddy" stops with that buddy. Unlike a friend or cousin or
coworker, your online buddy's friends/family/coworkers are not a part
of your network. It is the only relationship choice that works
this way - for now at least.)
If you choose to only allow your network to see your post, then no
non-multiply people will be able to see it, and no multiply people who
are outside of your network will be able to see it. This choice
offers a great deal of privacy while still enabling you to meet new
people and share your posts with them.
Your Contacts: Choosing "your
contacts" limits the field even more (and it provides a similar set of
extra choices as the "your network" option). Now only people who
are directly connected to you will be able to see this post.
Individuals: Choosing
"individuals" means that you'll be able to choose specific multiply
members to see this post. This could mean including only a
certain subset of your contacts, but it can also involve people who
aren't your contacts but who you would like to include in that specific
post.
Going back and making changes:
You may only now be realizing that there
are privacy settings. If
you've already made several posts and now want to go back and change
your settings, don't despair. It's not hard to do.
Go to whichever post you want to alter. Click on the link to the
lower left that says "edit" (or something akin to that). Underneath the area in which
you can make changes to your post will be the same line that's mean
mentioned above that asks, "Who should be able to see this journal
entry?" Make your modification and click on "Save Changes" at the
bottom. Viola! You're all set.
How to Decide
---------------------------
But which privacy setting is best
for you? It all depends on what you're hoping to get out of your
multiply site. Multiply can be used in many ways, which is one of
its strengths compared to other networking sites.
You may want to make everything private (either limited to your network
or your contacts). But if you're hoping to meet people through
Multiply, then you'll want to at least set a few of your
articles/pictures/etc. to "everyone" so that when people who are not in
your network come to visit your site, there'll be something there
for them to see. Having nothing at all visible makes a person
wonder what you're all about and if you're even still on Multiply.
On the other hand, you may choose to keep everything you post set to
"everyone." Just know that this means everything you post, as
well as all of the replies to those posts, will be visible to anyone
that comes across them.
Privacy in Multiply Groups and on Other People's Home Pages
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Multiply groups, the privacy settings are ultimately set by the
administrator(s) of the group. They can choose to have everything
be public, everything private, or to allow those who post to alter the
setting as they choose. If you are an administrator of a group on
Multiply, you may want to consider having at least some items be public
so that when people come to check out your group, they get a sense of
what it is like without having to join first.
If you reply to a person's post on their home page, then your reply
will be private or public based on what the author of the post has
set. You can tell what the setting is for a post by looking in
the upper right hand corner of the thread (underneath the date of the
post). If the thread is listed for "everyone" but you have a
response that you'd like to be kept private, you can reply to the post
but choose to send your reply only to the author of the thread.
So Multiply can be as private or public as you make it, except when
you're on someone else's turf (in a group run by someone else or on a
home page other than your own). Unlike some other networking sites where privacy is an all or nothing affair, on Multiply you can customize your privacy settings post by post, making Multiply work best for
you.
This post is a modified and updated version of this post.
