About your privacy

Widowed Village is “open to Google” which means that anything you write or submit here will, unless you’ve changed your settings, will be available to the whole internet. If you wish to share details such as your phone number or email address with another member, please use a private message or “inbox.”

It’s important to us that you are both aware AND in control of who sees what.

Do I really need to adjust my privacy settings?

If you tend to post only words, images, and information that you are comfortable making public, you don’t have to do anything and you can stop reading this message.

If you think you may post words, images, or information that you DON’T want to be completely public, you can control what specific items show, and which ones you share only with friends here. If this is you, please bookmark this page, make a note for yourself, and follow the instructions carefully when you have some quiet time with the computer you use the most.

MOST FORUMS (discussions) are visible to everyone and open to Google. This is why many of you will have great conversations even if you have not chosen to “Friend” other members.

Widville also hosts a few PRIVATE Forums (discussions) connected to groups. These are visible ONLY to site moderators and that Group’s members. The list of private Forums is at http://widowedvillage.org/page/share-in-private.

Currently, chats are visible only to members and are not archived.

How to control access to your personal information on Widowed Village

First, a quick description of some terms:

• “Private” means that only your Friends on Widville can see your words, image, or other piece of information. (This can be limiting if you don’t “friend” many people).
• “Public” means that the words, image, or other piece of information can be seen by anyone on the Internet. Nearly all forum posts are public.

Using a fake name for your screen name (username) and disguising relevant personal details is the best way to protect yourself online. You probably are used to this from other sites. Many of you will even have a name that users from other sites will recognize.

1. About your screen name (username).We think everyone should use a pseudonym (a fake name) anywhere they mix honest feelings with Google. Even if you’re comfortable sharing everything, we’d prefer it if you didn’t use your full and complete real name to “set the tone” and avoid confusing new members. Some of you may wish to use your first name and initial to “signal” your real identity without making others think real names are “normal” here.Please check your screen name NOW and edit it if you like.
2. About your location.When you joined, the system asked you to enter a zip code. We are excited about the way this presents Widville members with the chance to find people nearby. BUT it’s just as easy to find people — and a lot safer — if you enter a zip code just a few zones away from your home or office instead of the real one.Visit your Settings page to “disguise” your location if you are concerned about what you entered when you joined.

   Please note, the Member Map is an ADDITIONAL FEATURE and an even MORE powerful way to find and be found. Disguise your location here, too.

3. About your photos and videos.You can control the privacy of your photos and videos on this page.(You can override this setting whenever you post any individual item, too.)
4. About blog posts.If you’d like to start a blog on Widville, you can control the privacy when you begin, and again for each blog post. Blogs really are the most useful when they’re public — so we discourage closing them off, but please follow your own comfort level.

Confused? Unhappy? Want to tweak your settings more finely than these instructions cover? Please write to widville@gmail.com and I will walk you through some choices. It’s ALL up to you.