New Downloads Category-Registered Users Only

[John]

Just added a new category for topos and stuff that the entire web maybe shouldn't see. You would need to be signed up to view the category.

I can load PDF's onto the server but I think search robots will find them and expose them anyways, is this true? Any comments computer people? PDF hosting?

[susan]

Cool... I want to.fight and kill the robots too.

[susan]

Well, by cell phone when logged in I gain access to your other download thread, but on my laptop I don't. Why?

Edit: I see it now, my bad.

[mungeclimber]

Aren't registered users "public"?

 

[John]

What do you mean, Munge?

[mungeclimber]

What do you mean, Munge?

You mentioned...

Just added a new category for topos and stuff that the entire web maybe shouldn't see. You would need to be signed up to view the category.

But if you don't want the "entire web" aka public to see it, then you would need to prevent registered users from seeing too (unless you are preventing certain types of climbers or users or forest service personnel or other land managers or etc. etc. from signing up), then anyone that registers as a human could copy the file and load it up elsewhere, which would then get spidered if that location was made public.

The question I'm begging in an offhand way is whether you will filter who you let sign up. If any human can sign up, then merely hiding the download behind the registration won't limit it's distribution to the web.

[John]

Munge
I am not letting any random person sign up and get in. I manually have to OK each person, but I am not screening who they are, just making sure they are humans. There are sites to run a search for known evil IP addresses that I check too.

You weren't kidding when you said there will be a lot of spammers, for I constantly have to reject them when they try and sign up. There doesn't appear to be any way to trust that only legitimate humans will sign themselves in and then do human stuff.

I am password protecting even the registered users for access to the downloadable files, and they get it only if they ask for the password. I could further password protect my files within those files if it was really juicy stuff.

This is all to keep the damn search bots from posting everything on the web. I have topos I would like to share or that people have requested that I share to a few people and putting up for all of the web would go against their request so this is a good in-between.

The internet is really evil and invasive.

[mungeclimber]

You weren't kidding when you said there will be a lot of spammers, for I constantly have to reject them when they try and sign up. There doesn't appear to be any way to trust that only legitimate humans will sign themselves in and then do human stuff.

The internet is really evil and invasive.

no doubt! 

This is what I did... sticky thread with instructions (obfuscate your email some how so that the spiders have less of a chance of harvesting your email, or have the requestor contact you through another forum)

http://sonorapassclimbing.com/smf/index.php?topic=2020.0

[DaveyTree]

John, this is an old post but I love the password protected topos. As far as keeping sprayers out, that could be difficult. The only way I imagine you could keep posers out would be to require a person be sponsored by a members before approval. By needing a sponsor, that person would most likely have been climbed with and been vetted out. If no one knows them I am sure anyone on this site would welcome another in the group for a day, which would only add to those on the site having more in common.

The group on here really seems to be locals or those who have found a love for SOYO and put in the miles and work to get it done. I love the sharing of information on this site and hope it doesn't slowly turn into posts about non-climbing issues like most of the others.

[susan]

Just thought it could be cool if each of the forum's geographic locations would have a "members only" discussion area, because each area tends to lead to places that are still lesser known, and I would rather not see the site inadvertently widely promote the area in simply trying to share some info. 

As far as qualification for membership? Maybe just those who remain respectful of others despite disagreements?

[John]

Davey

You bring up some subjects that I haven't had to focus on yet but I do have guidelines that I use as to the focus of the site. All I know is that there has been and will continue to be strangers joining this site and there should be. I don't want this to be a special club. All I really care is that the damn spammers don't get through...and they do constantly try.

The passwords and requiring that people sign up in order to see certain things is primarily a valve to slow the spread of information. Thanks to all of that filtering, all of this information can be really vague at the same time and requires going out and doing some bushwhacking to really put it to use. Beyond that, what folks do with this information, we will have to trust each other and hope for the best.

As far as keeping the site on the subject of climbing, don't worry about that. I have a zero tolerance policy for folks with behavior resembling anything like those on the site that claims that their topos are super.

[DaveyTree]

'Topos that are super',

People looked cause I laughed out loud.

Hope I didn't sound like an elitist because I am far from it, especially if you hav e seen me climb. I love new info and will share with almost anyone who asks. I guess I was over concerned about it becoming like all the others. You guys have a great site!

I hope to meet more of you in SOYO soon. Taking my kids up South Pillar tomorrow. Have to get some knobs pics.

[susan]

no worries...  you seem nice. hope you have a good time out there w/your kids.
not sure what we're going to do yet, but if it's hot, yet threatening rain at all, seek shade and high places but not Tuolomne high.

[John]

Davey
Don't worry, you don't sound elitist and I truly appreciate your interest in the future of the site. Keep the suggestions and comments coming.

Hope you have a great day with the kids.