Posted by EMAIL - PART II [Rick] on November 13, 1999 at 20:46:25 {OA5YBxH8IA7mY4XD8K2cFMFBt36Xyc}:
In Reply to: YOUR EMAIL ANSWERED posted by Rick on November 13, 1999 at 19:05:31:
EMAIL:
A brother has put together a prototype of a site I'm preparng to visit soon.
He goes on to describe it, "Basically, it's a place for H2O regulars to submit their biographies, so that lurkers and newbies can see "who's who"."
He goes on to ask if H2O can provide a permanent link to his site on our forum?
In order to solve the security problem of someone not posting someone else's bio, he suggests the clever idea of H2O participants using their logins to post their bio's and other information they want on his site to a new topic.
In other words, if a person is using their login to post their bio, then it's an added safety precaution. There's still room for those who are playing games, but it limits them because they have to put their H2O registration on the line (which required an email address to receive a password).
He has a web site and email address to his web site at Yahoo setup to get this thing rolling.
I would be in favor of posting a link to his site at the top of this forum. I would appreciate it if moderators could occasionally "audit" the site, as I must require for any site where any connection exists in order to make sure our site is never compromised. Of course I say this because unlike other independent sites we link to in the Tower Library's Bible Research Division on H2O, this would imply a connection between H2O and another site.
I trust the brother who has written to the extent that I'm willing to give it a try with the link. I trust that if he cannot maintain it properly, he will shut it down or go independent (withdrawing the link on H2O). I say because it's like writing a blank check, in that if something happens to him or his site gets hacked, months could go by with a link from H2O to a compromised site. Ordinarily, that's why you notice we don't have any "related" sites (i.e., "H2O After Hours" or other offshoots that require links to this site to survive.")
In this case, the brother is providing a service to all by offering to volunteer his time to maintain biographies of H2O regulars. Perhaps he could post a note in fine-print that his site is not affiliated with H2O in any manner. There is so much speculation of our present "legal exposure" that the last thing we want, is to accept potential (probably non-existent) legal liability for other sites over whom we have no direct control. (In other words, we have no ability to login to that site should a hack on that site occur, and the brother happens to be in the hospital or otherwise predisposed at the same time. The disclaimer merely ensures that someone doesn't exploit such a hack by initiating action against H2O or its ISP. That's all.)
I've thrown my thoughts out on the table, and if the brother who emailed me is ready, I recommend he posts the URL and gives the email address so he can immediately get peer review.
I will try to visit his site in the next week and evaluate it. However, I'll also go by the opinion of others on H2O, our Forum Director and moderators, so I would suggest the brother consider introducing his site in a new topic with its URL link. It could even be "on a trial basis," meaning at H2O can post a link to his site at the top of this board until such time he asks us to remove it (if that were to happen for any reason).
I like the idea, and it's a "value added service" to the friends at H2O that I couldn't personally take on. It's encouraging to see a brother ambitious enough to take it on, because posters can then link to either their bio's or display their photo on their postings via link to this brothers site. Cool idea. ;-)
I decided to post this because I don't have access to our telnet site just now, and wanted to get the ball rolling if possible on this brother's idea.
Rick