Profile viewing - friends only

[rbiss]

All reputable social networks provide members with some control over who can see their profile. This seems incredibly overdue as a feature here. Will this be something we can look forward to very soon?

That is the purpose of having a friends network.

One step further could be who views signatures.

My members network as they go through medical treatments and they aren't too crazy about their physicians looking over the shoulders on the internet. Rather than them not post or not share info (the purpose of the board to share) some basic privacy controls would go a long way.

[FinalFrame]

Use this to solve your problems. ;)

Open admin\applications\members\modules_public\profile\view.php and find:

 	     //-----------------------------------------

		// Check input..

		//-----------------------------------------


		if ( ! $member_id )

		{

			$this->registry->output->silentRedirect(  $this->settings['base_url'] );

		}

Add below:

		if ( !$this->memberData['g_is_supmod'] )

		{

			if ( $this->memberData['member_id'] != $member_id AND  !IPSMember::checkFriendStatus( $member_id ) )

			{

				$this->registry->output->showError('You are not my friend, so you cannot view my profile.' );

			}

		}

[rbiss]

I appreciate the coding offer. The concerns I have is not giving the options to members. Some don't care and some do. Plus, will the code work in future releases? I'd rather not have to find and reinstall board hacks to make a privacy function work. That would open a can of worms.

I might have to use it though if IP won't do this, so I do appreciate it. Still, it should be a primary profile setting that members control.

[FinalFrame]

I agree, it should be standard with IP.Board. However, since it's not, this is the next best thing. And the code is simple enough that chances are it will work for a long time.

So I would just use that temporary fix until they provide a UCP setting, if ever.

[rbiss]

Would this block thumbs from appearing on the sidebar? That is another issue. I'd like them to show there regardless of privacy as it adds a little more color.

[Josh]

It's possible this could show up in a future release, we've discussed it before, but I can't say for sure at this point.

[FinalFrame]

I'm going out on a limb here and saying it will be seen in the ACP before long. If it's been discussed, and many people have been requesting it, and since it's not that hard to code in...I'd say go for it!

It would be a nice little feature for users though.

[TrixieTang]

If this is added then admins should be given an option to disable it. I know that I for one am completely against any form of "profile privacy", it's pointless, extremely annoying and destroys the whole purpose of forum profiles.

IPB is forum software, it's not facebook or myspace, it's forum software. And in my opinion adding this feature would be a very bad thing since the main point of your forum profile is to show information about your activity on a forum and to provide members a way to easily search members' posted content. If you add an option to limit it to friends then all you're really doing is destroying the usefulness of profiles, breaking the functionality that users expect and giving people the sense that it's protecting their privacy when in reality it's not protecting their privacy very much if it's even protecting it at all.

[Mr. Despair]

If this is added then admins should be given an option to disable it. I know that I for one am completely against any form of "profile privacy", it's pointless, extremely annoying and destroys the whole purpose of forum profiles.

IPB is forum software, it's not facebook or myspace, it's forum software. And in my opinion adding this feature would be a very bad thing since the main point of your forum profile is to show information about your activity on a forum and to provide members a way to easily search members' posted content. If you add an option to limit it to friends then all you're really doing is destroying the usefulness of profiles, breaking the functionality that users expect and giving people the sense that it's protecting their privacy when in reality it's not protecting their privacy very much if it's even protecting it at all.

I assume you'd still be able to access their mini profile which has the find content button. Despite that, I do agree with you though, if this is added it would need to an option to disable it, which I would probably do.

[Jυra]

If this is added then admins should be given an option to disable it. I know that I for one am completely against any form of "profile privacy", it's pointless, extremely annoying and destroys the whole purpose of forum profiles.

IPB is forum software, it's not facebook or myspace

This.

People don't really have stuff to hide from other members since most of it is content that can be found on the rest of the forum.

[rbiss]

Of course have the ability to disable it. I've already got many features on this software disabled. Not everyone has the same needs.

[rbiss]

If this is added then admins should be given an option to disable it. I know that I for one am completely against any form of "profile privacy", it's pointless, extremely annoying and destroys the whole purpose of forum profiles.

IPB is forum software, it's not facebook or myspace, it's forum software. And in my opinion adding this feature would be a very bad thing since the main point of your forum profile is to show information about your activity on a forum and to provide members a way to easily search members' posted content. If you add an option to limit it to friends then all you're really doing is destroying the usefulness of profiles, breaking the functionality that users expect and giving people the sense that it's protecting their privacy when in reality it's not protecting their privacy very much if it's even protecting it at all.

I completely disagree. Forum software is another form of social networking (the topics/themes are endless), and some forums have some members who don't like their profiles appearing everywhere or having their doctors (example) reading their about me pages or profile photos etc. The majority don't mind, but since I don't have the ability to offer the ones who do mind a chance to manage their own privacy I have to globally block things like guest viewing of profiles for everyone. Even then, some members who would write more about themselves don't because any member can read what they have in their profiles. And this suggestion isn't about having a blocked profile as a default, it's about giving a member the ability to disable it so the rest of the board can open up and not be big brother for them (and subsequently everyone).


Unfortunately, some forums are required to enable basic privacy principles globally. It would be nice for those of us who do need to if we could offer members more control instead.

[Adriano Faria]

Use this to solve your problems. ;)

Open admin\applications\members\modules_public\profile\view.php and find:

          //-----------------------------------------

		// Check input..

		//-----------------------------------------


		if ( ! $member_id )

		{

			$this->registry->output->silentRedirect(  $this->settings['base_url'] );

		}

Add below:

		if ( !$this->memberData['g_is_supmod'] )

		{

			if ( $this->memberData['member_id'] != $member_id AND  !IPSMember::checkFriendStatus( $member_id ) )

			{

				$this->registry->output->showError('You are not my friend, so you cannot view my profile.' );

			}

		}

You could at least give the credits! '

http://community.invisionpower.com/topic/308284-set-profile-settings-to-private/page__view__findpost__p__1937561

[Jυra]

Unfortunately, some forums are required to enable basic privacy principles globally. It would be nice for those of us who do need to if we could offer members more control instead.

That's the thing, nobody needs it. Forums are based around the forum and if you restrict profiles to friends, then so should forum replies and topics. That would be where people would need to hide things, not the silly profile with an about me tab.

[FinalFrame]

You could at least give the credits! '[img]

[/img]

http://community.invisionpower.com/topic/308284-set-profile-settings-to-private/page__view__findpost__p__1937561

Sorry, didn't mean to seem like I stole it. I didn't claim I made it or anything, just trying to help him out.

[rbiss]

That's the thing, nobody needs it. Forums are based around the forum and if you restrict profiles to friends, then so should forum replies and topics. That would be where people would need to hide things, not the silly profile with an about me tab.

Each forum has different needs. Mine would benefit from this feature. Other forums won't. I understand that .I don't use the silly reputation system but don't pretend that other forums can't benefit from it.

[cheatmaster30]

I think the feature should be an option. Yes, you heard right, no one forces you to use this feature if it's included, so I don't see what the fuss is about incorporating something a lot of people would use and that would take a very short time to add.

[TrixieTang]

I think the feature should be an option. Yes, you heard right, no one forces you to use this feature if it's included, so I don't see what the fuss is about incorporating something a lot of people would use and that would take a very short time to add.

But most optional features don't have the potential of causing a major negative impact for all users of a site. In this case making searching for users' content much more difficult on any sites that enable a feature like this.

[cheatmaster30]

Any feature can be used for good or bad purposes. Yes, it can be used as such, but let the sites using it and their users worry about it.

[Elemental Crisis]

I've been a member on multiple forums that had a similar setup. If you weren't a friend of said member you only were able to view the very basic information. I personally have no use for such a feature and think its not needed but, I'd like my members to be able to decide if they want to keep their profile information private.

[SkimPappa]

I would really like to have this feature as well.

[Guest CallieJo]

You can add my vote as well...thanks...