Would you prefer our online community to be an open or closed forum?

There are pros and cons to both.  I like both, but prefer mixed.  So maybe you only have certain parts of the board be public and once you become a member you get access to the rest, a common thing on many boards.  From everything I've seen and read I don't think that is possible on this board software.  It would have been better if they used a more mainstream software.

So reasons to keep open.  Inclusivity.  There is another charity that I interact with and there website and community is the complete opposite to here. They are not inclusive at all.

Reasons to close it off.  Privacy.  People post on here and anyone can scrape that information and given enough data points can probably match it to an actual name and address.  Facebook and Google presumably both have that capability.  I admit to being guarded at times when posting on threads for that exact reason.  Sometimes I will make a response more generic so as not to identify someone exactly.

I don't know what the right answer is, so I won't vote.

actually I don't agree, I doubt a captcha system will keep out an AI. have you not notices even YouTube is mostly full of AI content now.

When I decided to become a member, I did so because the open forums had enabled me to get a feel for the place. If it had been a closed forum, I think it would have put me off.

However, whilst I have voted for an open forum, I do feel there is a need for the Community to include a 'members only' area.

In addition, I believe the registration process should include CAPTCHA. Currently, the software used by NAS to filter out the bots doesn't appear to be effective at spotting them.

I'm going somewhat off-topic now, but I also think that when new members have completed the registration process, they should automatically be redirected to the Community Rules page. Unless they have confirmed that they have read and understood the rules, they will be prevented from posting on the forum. This would save the Mods from having to lock or remove posts from researchers who had failed to read the Rules. It would also help to reduce the time the Mods spend removing personally identifiable information from posts.

On a PHPBB3 forum you can set some boards to only be visable to logged in members.

me too. I breathe more deeply there.

actually, Rosie Mod, I'm wondering if both may not be accommodated? Public and private. Is that athing that can be managed?

I would imagine a closed forum would create a circle of trust one cannot rely on in public forums. I like the model at mastadon.social.

      In the early 90s the most successful "chat rooms" were private and less random. Most chat room were private at the beginning, and moderated as we are. moderation is vital. I really dont like that rando non members can read what I share here, as some of it is quite personal. I edit myself all the time because of it.

Unknown said:

New members might not be so aware

I don't think I was all that aware, when I joined. I've become increasingly more aware, I kind of wish I'd realized sooner. 

It is concerning. Especially when we are talking about diverse lived experiences of being a human. I know some people around here are more discerning than others,  especially those of us who've been here a while and watch it develop. New members might not be so aware.

Unknown said:

The main thing is I'm fed up of being suspicious of every new "member" who posts here wondering if they are human or not

Absolutely, yes. I'm starting to think  quite a lot of them may not be, which is concerning. 

nothing to hide here

Maybe have a "members only" area for general chat.

The main thing is I'm fed up of being suspicious of every new "member" who posts here wondering if they are human or not. Whether they have a name or generic NAS number. If it's about priorities, I think this is more important - to ensure only real humans are using this place. I don't know whether a closed forum would help this or not.

Certain topics that are deemed sensitive could be in a closed forum with most of the site remaining open - this would highlight and emphasise the sensitive nature of the topic 

I browse incognito signed out a lot so it would be very convenient not to be required to be signed in to browse.

A system could be created where most threads are open but if someone wants they are closed. Would that be the ideal compromise?

I feel safer with a closed forum. 

I think I would like to see both.  I think some threads and topics would be better if it was closed, but that some threads are useful for anyone to be able to see in terms of awareness and support.

Agree

Me like sci fi!

I think the fact you can join an open forum, but opt to link with others if you wish is good because it allows flexibility.

If it became closed I would not be involved.

I did look at it before joining.