IMPORTANT Future Privacy Change in Site Updates

As many of you are already aware, a while back I made changes so that Google and other search engines would NOT index any user-created pages on the site, including public entries. On further reflection, hiding public entries from search engines does not seem necessary nor a good idea.

A while back, somebody left me a comment, alarmed to discover that public entries were being indexed by Google and upset that I had not clarified what "public" meant. I don't remember who, and I apologize if you're reading this, but "public" already has a very clear definition. And in keeping with the spirit of that definition, I am going to allow search engines to index public entries.

This is just a heads up; I'm not doing it immediately. I will make a few changes first. Most importantly, "Members Only" will become the default when creating a book, so nobody inadvertently puts public data out there. That's why the two settings exist, to separate what people registered on the site can see, versus what the world can see.

So please, open your prose box and review the privacy level of all of your books. If the thought of any entries being indexed by a search engine makes you uncomfortable, please change them to Members Only or higher privacy. You shouldn't be putting any personally identifiable information on the site, but if you're afraid of being identified - Members Only!

By no means do I wish to discourage public entries; in fact I embrace and encourage them. Daily journaling/diary writing is probably not a good fit, but I think creative writing, stories, and essays are a GREAT fit. Let the world read what you have to share! (just don't go bashing your boss publicly) Not only is it good for you if you want the potential attention - it's good for Prosebox because it's another avenue for new people to discover the site.

Thanks and have a lovely evening!