Finding things on jowett.net and login

[Keith Clements]

I know people have difficulty finding what they want on the jowettt.net site as they have become used to the search engines like Google.
Gone are the days of looking in filing system indexes to find what you want or even just spending time doing some research and investigation.
One option is to open parts of the site up to Google. I have not allowed this up until now as I want to encourage enthusiasts to join a Jowett Car Club. I also wanted contributors to feel they could share their thoughts and images within a friendly community. Posting on a public forum that is accessible to search engines can create issues, particularly for those not savvy with the Internet world like most Jowett enthusiasts.

But people's expectations may have changed. Many now use Jowett related Facebook and Twitter groups where they find it easier to get into (mainly because you cannot get away from a deluge of notifications from such sites). They also find it easier to share their experiences as they have allowed access by such aps to their files and images on their phones.

Jowett.net does not currently allow sign in from Facebook, Google or Twitter but it could do. It would mean some loss of privacy and security and control in certain areas. But it does mean that once the website allows such access you could get into the forum without a login if you were signed into Facebook. Note that Jowett Internet Services will remain a separate secure login.

I am trying to gauge the mood of users.

Do I open the site up to Google so that it can then trawl through all the posts and archives?
Do I allow authentication from Facebook so that its users can more easily login to JowettTalk and JowettGallery?

[M S G Benning]

'It would mean some loss of privacy and security and control in certain areas.' Could you clarify areas? Thinking GDPR here. Not sure what benefit would gain from opening up to Google. Whilst I (Steph) am on FB & it may be an easier way to log in, I actually have my reservations about it.

[Keith Clements]

Somebody who posts on a public forum allows what they post to be seen by anybody. When you post on a restricted forum you accept the privacy policy. In the case of Jowett.net there are areas that have been designated to be shared only with other groups of people who have simarly accepted the Ts and Cs. Thus users have some control on who sees what they have posted but like all security controls it is not absolute since other users can transmit what they have seen.
There are some controls on the forum that currently stop web crawlers from accessing its data. The system currently does not allow separation between public and restricted areas if the crawlers are allowed in. To accomplish this would require more complexity by having a separate system for a restricted group or moving all public stuff to a separate area which is not where I would like to go. The website tries to suck people into registering and then into joining a club by referencing material only available to registered users or club members. Many people argue that it all should be available to all so that more people found out about Jowetts. It would be a lot easier if this was so.